Re-detachment

Thanksgiving Mass at St. Leo’s Parish
North Altona
September 30, 2006
Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Anyone who is not against us is for us. If your hand should cause you to sin, cut if off.

Tuesday morning, October 10, 2000, I came in Australia to continue my vocational journey to the priesthood which I started in the Philippines. In the evening a priest from the seminary drove me to Altona North and entrusted me to a Vietnamese priest for three months until began my formal studies at the seminary. Fr. Paul is the first Vietnamese person I knew. He gave me a very warm welcome and made me feel comfortable. He took me around the parish. We visited parishioners (often to have meal). We attended dinner dance parties (fund raising concerts). We cut down trees and planted new plants at the presbytery garden. He taught me a Vietnamese words, and believe it or not, he taught me some Italian and Maltese words.

This is not a homily for Fr. Paul’s canonization, but I just would like to mention the contribution of Fr. Paul in my discernment to answer call of Jesus “come follow me.” During those three months of living here at St. Leo’s, I learnt from Fr. Paul how to adapt in a new country, how to mingle with people from different backgrounds and cultures, and more importantly, I’ve seen in Fr. Paul a living witness of a happy priest – a happy follower of Christ.

(Note: Fr. Paul escaped from Vietnam via Malaysia during the war. He was in a refugee camp in Malaysia for a few years. Before receiving international grant to stay in Australia he was ordained priest in the camp.)

Christian happiness

I think all of us are striving to be happy. Young and old, rich and poor instinctively want to be happy. Everyone desires a feeling of joy and pleasure, cheerfulness and contentment. People are seeking happiness and enjoyment in different ways – some go for fishing, others simply visit their friends or family members, rich people travel abroad for a holiday, and all others. My parents, other than visiting garage sales, they find joy in looking after their six grandchildren.

But what is happiness in a deeper level? How can we achieve Christian happiness? Money and wealth cannot buy us happiness as the Second reading says: “your wealth is rotting away, your clothes are all eaten up by moths.” The Gospel reading this weekend doesn’t directly answer the question of human happiness however in the Gospel Jesus spoke about detachment to sin. Jesus clearly warned his disciples about the grave consequence of sin. “If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.” Of course, Jesus’ words must not be understood literally, we don’t we want to see blood here tonight.

What Jesus wants us to achieve is to detach ourselves from things that cause us to sin, he wants us to strive hard to avoid anything that separate us from the love of God. Sin never brings us happiness but guilt-feeling and broken relationships.

Detachment

So, I think detachment is the key for this Sunday Gospel. To detach means to be removed from something, from a place, or from a group of people. When people marry the couple detach themselves from their own family. In some other circumstances, one party has to to leave his or her country because of love. Detachment can be painful and difficult but it has a rewarding consequences. The same with following Christ, a person has to know how it is to detach oneself from the things that give him/her comfort.

Detachment can be an simple and ordinary but the challenge always remains. Jesus mentioned in the Gospel, that the simple act of giving a cup of water to drink for someone in his name has a reward so how much more doing some good works such as visiting the sick, saying sorry or giving forgiveness.

Ordination

Two Saturday ago, when I was ordained at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, together with now Fathers Thinh, Justin and Eugene, we formally detached ourselves from our families and loved ones so we can allow ourselves available for greater service of God’s people.

So I ask your prayer that all four of us, and also for Fr. Paul who were ordained may continue to be faithful in doing service in Christ name; that we may continue to detach ourselves for the greater service of God's people; that we may find the comfort of Christ's consolation when the pain of detachment stirs us up; that we may know the joy of the priesthood and Christian discipleship amidst the challenge of today's world.

And as we continue in this Eucharist, let pray us for one another that with God’s grace and through his Holy Spirit, we may detach ourselves from our sin, so that we may continually be happy followers of Christ.