26 May 2023 – Pentecost Triduum Day 3 | 7th Week of Easter (Year A)

by Fr Desmond Jansen

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to begin my sharing today with a story. You might have heard this story. If you have heard, praise the Lord. If you have never heard, praise the Lord. Okay?

So the story sounds like this:-

There was a rich man in this town called by the name of John. He had a lot of properties, a lot of factories, estates, big mansion, a fleet of Ferraris but always he had something bothering him. He felt that ‘You know God has left me so much but I have not given Him enough.’ So just before Christmas a few days, he came to the church. In front of the sanctuary, he said: “Jesus, your birthday is coming soon. I would like to give you a present. Ask me, Lord. Ask me. Whatever you want, I will give you the best gift in the world.”

And within two seconds, Jesus appeared and John was so happy. And he said: “Jesus, I am so happy you are here. Ask. What do you want for your birthday?”

And Jesus says: “Well, John, it is my birthday and I also need presents. Well, I have conditions:
The first condition – it must belong to you.
Second condition – somebody must not give this gift to you.
Third – it is not something that I give you.

So John said: “Oh, simple! Kacang! Jesus, take all my properties, all my estates. All belongs to me. I worked very hard. All these belongs to me.”

And Jesus looked and him. He said: “John, you know few years back when you were not doing well in your business? You came and cried? I blessed you with all these properties. I blessed you with all these wealth.”

And John was shocked: “Ayoyo! Potchee! How? Stuck!”

Jesus said: “It is okay. Go back. Think about it. Come back tomorrow.”

He said: “Okay.”

He went back home, think about it nicely, okay. Then he came back. The next day.

So Jesus asked: “John, are you ready?”

He said: “Yes, ready. Confident.”

“So what do you want to give me?”

“Jesus, take all my knowledge. Take all my life experiences. They all belong to me. I studied very well. Today I have Phd, I have that, I have this.”

So Jesus looked at him: “John, do you know or not that when you were in your last trimester and you were not doing well? You came and cried? I blessed you and made sure that you passed. And all these experiences, I gave you. I moulded you.”

So again John was like stuck.

Then Jesus said: “Okay, I give you last chance. Go back. Think about. Make sure tomorrow you must give me my present, you know. Because the day after is my birthday already.”

So John said: “Okay, okay, okay. Can can can.”

So he went back, had some whiskey (you know he needs some space lah). So he was thinking thinking thinking. Fighting with the wife, everything, okay. He got an idea already and so he went back.

Sounded confident. This time sure guaranteed, confirmed.

So He asked: “So John, are you ready?”

He said: “Yes, Lord.”

“What are you going to give me?”

“Take me, Lord. Take me. Take my soul, take my body. It belongs to me. Take me, Lord, as a present.”

And Jesus looked at him: “John, John. Even YOU belong to me. I planted you in this earth. I formed you. You belong to me.”

And John just fell on his knee and said: “Lord, this poor child of yours, nothing to offer.”

And Jesus looked at him: “John, there is something that belongs to you that I want as a present. Something that nobody gives you. I did not give you. Belongs to you.”

John was so happy that he asked: “What is it, Lord?”

“Your sins. Your sins, John, it belongs to you. Give me your sins as a birthday gift. Let me purify them and give it back to you as a Christmas blessing.”

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Why I share this story today is because today we focus on healing. Many of us are wounded because of our sin, because of our darkness moment, because of a time that you failed to listen to God. And we are always ashamed of our sin and afraid to return to the Lord. But Jesus today is inviting us, despite how big is our sinfulness, despite how much we have hurt Him, Jesus is calling us today to return to Him.

Just like how the prodigal son went back, thinking, asking the father “Make me as your servant.”

But the father said: “No, you are my son. Give him his sandals, put that ring on him.” The dignity.

Today He is calling you to return as His children. So don’t be afraid. Don’t be ashamed. Return to the Lord.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about His unfailing love for us. His love is always to give us a second chance. In the passage when Jesus asked, when He approached the disciples who have failed in their discipleship, Peter denied Jesus and the rest ran away, yet Jesus did not approach them to condemn them for their failure. But He approached them because He loved them and He knows how He can use them as His instrument.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you may think “Father, it is easy for you to talk. You are a priest. What do you know about life?”

Well, I was in that syndrome. I was denying Jesus. I was angry with Jesus at one point of time in my life.

You know when I was in my fourth year in my seminary. After my second year of philosophy, I was applying for theology. I was supposed to meet Bishop on Sunday after Mass to pass my letter. And just after Mass, before I could even pass my letter, I got a news. My one and only brother passed away in a car crash and my entire life went dark. Everything shattered and I asked God “Why do you take away my brother? I gave my life for you and yet you take away my one and only brother.”

And I was angry with Him. He died on Sunday, we buried him on Monday. And Tuesday, my college called me, asking me to come back.

And I said: “I just buried my brother. How do you expect me to leave?”

And they gave me a choice, either you come back or you leave the seminary.

And I said: “Go to hell. I am not coming back.”

And after so much of discussion, they said: “We gave me time until Sunday. And after that, you come back or not?”

And I told myself: “I am not going back. I am the eldest. My parents need me. And this is the point of time that I should be there.”

I told myself: “Forget it. I am not going back.”

And worst still, on the seventh day, on Sunday, the formators came to my house for the prayers.

And my mom looked at them and asked: “Desmond has to come back tomorrow?”

And they said: “Yes.”. And they just left.

And I told my mom: “I am not going back.”

And my parents said “Don’t you dare do this. God has called you. You better go. Don’t think about us. We know how to take care of ourselves.”

With so heavy a heart, I went back. And all of them acted as if nothing happened. I became an angry person, grumpy person, I was fighting with my formators, even during Mass I don’t receive communion for several times. And when they were preaching, I was like “Oh, huh hypocrites!”

I was so much judgmental.

And after that, I went for my retreat in Chiang Mai, my silent retreat. And there I opened myself to the retreat master. I told him what happened and he did not say anything. He just looked at me and said: “Desmond, is it fair for Jesus to give up his divinity to come down, embrace humanity, to suffer, to be humiliated, to die for you and for me? For your sin and my sin? Is it fair for Him?”

And I said: “No, it is not fair.”

“Today, your brother died for you. For your mission. One day with God’s grace, when you become priest you will know that the depth and the pain of a person that lost a loved one. You will preach with mercy. You will treat them with care. You will celebrate the Mass with love. And you will know how to be Jesus to them. So don’t insult your brother. Don’t insult Jesus for taking away your brother. Your brother died for you just like our Jesus died for you and for me. To prepare you to be a holy priest one day with God’s grace. So don’t insult your brother’s death.”

That night, I went in front of the Sacrament. I cried and I cried and I cried. And all the baggages, one by one came out. And I opened my heart and I allowed Jesus to enter on that day. And I experienced healing on that day.

And that is how today I am standing in front of you as a priest. Amen.

So my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. You might have lost your loved one. You might have lost your job. You might have lost your health. So many things. And you ask God: “Why, why and why?” The only answer I can give you is because God has a purpose for your life. Every single thing that happens in our life has a purpose. It is just that we have to have the lens of faith to see it, God. What has He has planned for us.

So my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do not allow your painful moment, your darkful moment, your sinful moment stop you from being one with Jesus. Just like how on the Resurrection Day, the stone rolled out and Jesus came. Roll out your stone of heart and allow Jesus to enter into your life. Allow Him to love you. Allow Him to touch you. Allow Him to once again to heal you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

So don’t ever doubt on Jesus. Don’t ever be afraid to return to Jesus. Jesus loves you, true and through. No matter how big is your sin. His love is greater than your sin. So return to Him, Lord. Return to Him, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Always remember that every saint has a past, every sinner has a future.

When today Jesus asked you: “Do you love Me?”, let us rejoice and be open and say “Yes, Lord, I love you with open heart” and accept Him into our lives. Let us hold our hands with Jesus and walk together with Jesus in our earthly journey.

So my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today during the Eucharist, I invite you to offer all your sins, offer all your pains and allow Jesus to be one with you. Amen.

Click below to listen to homily and watch video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 26 May 2023