Isaiah 49:14-15 / 1 Cor 4:1-5 / Matthew 6:24-34
If we can recall, about two years ago, the Archdiocese was in quite a financial squeeze.
Because, all of a sudden, there was a number of large-scale renovation and building projects that ran into triple digit million dollars.
Call it bad timing, bad planning or no planning, the flurry of renovation and building activities also set the hearts of the hierarchy and the laity alike in a flurry.
Doubts and anxieties arose because there is a time frame for the completion of those projects and whether the money can be raised in time.
Just to give a rundown of the churches involved and the amount of money that was needed:
• Church of Sts. Peter and Paul - $8m
• Novena Church - $40m
• The Cathedral - $40m
• The Church of Transfiguration - $60m
There were fears about donation fatigue; or an economic recession that would reduce the fundraising momentum; there were thoughts and talks of delaying or postponing some projects.
But all four churches had valid reasons for the work to be done immediately and so in the end, the four renovation and building projects were carried out concurrently.
Indeed, it was a time of high anxiety, and worry, as the funds crept in slowly, but steadily.
That was two years ago. Last June, Sts. Peter and Paul was completed, and it was beautiful. About two weeks ago, the Cathedral was re-dedicated and it was awesome. The Church of the Transfiguration was just completed and the first Mass has been scheduled on Holy Thursday. Novena Church is coming up soon (1 August) and it certainly will be worthy and ready for the Saturday devotions to Our Lady.
A priest of one the four churches was telling his congregation about the funds that were needed for the renovation works. When they heard about the amount, there was a controlled “Wah!!!” reaction. The priest then said, “Oh don’t worry, we already have the money. It’s all in your pockets. You just have to take it out!”
What the priest said is an echo of what Jesus is teaching us in today’s gospel. Jesus tells us not to worry about money, about what to eat, about what to wear, about tomorrow.
Jesus is telling us not to be gripped by worrying about all these because our heavenly Father knows we need them all.
All these will be given to us. But there is something we must give first. We must give God first priority. We cannot serve two masters. It’s either we serve God, or we become slaves to worry and it’s usually worry about money.
But when we set our hearts on God’s kingdom and on His righteousness, then all these other things that we need will be given to us.
But the temptation is to worry about ourselves first, before we think about what God wants of us.
Putting it in construction terms, we want to build our house first, and only when we have whatever leftovers, then that will be for God’s house. But that’s not putting God first.
That’s when we forget what Ps. 127 is telling us: If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labour. If the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil. In vain is your earlier rising and your going later to rest, while He pours His gifts on His beloved as they slumber.
Yes, we will worry and work in vain if God is not first over everything.
It’s like what we heard the people saying in the 1st reading: “The Lord has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.” And the reply from the Lord is this: “I will never forget you.”
And in many ways, the completion and the dedication of the Cathedral is a testimony of what God has done for the Church in Singapore, as well as our generosity in building the House of God.
But there was an incident that happened during the renovation of the Cathedral that showed God’s hand working together with our hands.
It was the discovery of the 173 year-old time capsule found under one of the Cathedral’s columns. But the discovery wasn’t without some drama. During the renovations, the pediment (the triangular upper part of the front of a classical building) facing Victoria Street collapsed.
That was bad news as the completion will be delayed and more money will be needed. But in the midst of the rubble, the 173 year-old time capsule was discovered, and it revealed artefacts of a time in the history of the church, and also the cornerstone that was laid when the Cathedral was first built.
The news of the discovery of the time capsule and the cornerstone brought about a renewed interest in the renovation of the Cathedral and subsequently a fresh flow of funds for the renovation.
And now the small pieces of the bricks from the collapsed pediment are sold as souvenirs to raise funds for the Archdiocese.
So just when the time capsule and the cornerstone was about to be forgotten and lost in the renovation works, the pediment had to collapse so that they can be revealed.
Certainly the collapse of the pediment doesn’t seem to be like good news initially, but it revealed God’s hand of blessing when the Cathedral was first built, and His hand of blessing on the Cathedral now as well as God’s hand of blessing on the Church in Singapore.
At present another House of God, the Church of the Transfiguration, is still in need of $16 million to pay up for the construction. And the Archdiocese is also in need of $230 million to prepare the Church for the future.
Those are staggering amounts of money. It’s a worry but it also calls for our generosity.
So will we give to God for what He has given to us?
The Lord has not forgotten us and will never forget us. Let us also not forget the Lord and how He has blessed us.