Bill Hao

Jesus Transfigured Some Bible readers tend to regard the Transfiguration account in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as an independent story where the glory of Jesus was manifested to three chosen disciples. However, a closer look at Luke chapter nine reveals that the evangelist placed it together with other incidents in order to focus on the identity of Jesus. It begins with Herod asking: “Who is this about whom I hear such things?” (Lk 9:9) From there, Luke’s…

The Temptation of Christ Filled with the holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then he took…

Words of wisdom  The Book of Sirach chapter 27 is full of wise sayings. Let us consider one of them: “When a sieve is shaken, the chaff appears; so do one’s faults when one speaks. (v4)” In biblical times and even today in certain parts of the world, a grain sieve is used to separate the grain from other matter after the harvest.  A grain sieve is usually round, 2 to 3 feet in diameter. It is about 3-5 inches…

Love your Enemies Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours…

Blessings and Woes  The sermon in Luke is counterpart to the sermon in Matthew (cf. Matthew 5:1–7:27). Many bible readers tend to think that the two sermons are separate events because Luke locates the sermon on a “stretch of level ground” (cf. Luke 6:17) while Matthew locates the sermon on a mountain (cf. Matthew 5:1). Thus, the sermon in Luke has often been referred to as the “Sermon on the Plain,” while the sermon in Matthew has been referred to…

Chinese New Year officially began this year on February 1, 2022. Today’s Eucharistic celebration gives our community a means of offering worship to God in thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received in the past year. In addition, Chinese New Year gives us the opportunity to make a solemn tribute to our deceased parents, grandparents and ancestors. By observing this annual ceremony, we set a reminder to our community, especially our youth, of our cultural values – that it…

The Most Valuable Knowledge in the World The Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament tells us about the time when Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet (Jeremiah 1:4-19). At first, Jeremiah refused; but God told Jeremiah that he had already been chosen and appointed as a prophet even before he was formed in his mother’s womb. Jeremiah’s mission was to prophesy to the kings of Judah that if Judah did not repent of their sins, Jerusalem…