Isaiah 63:7-9 / Colossians 3:12-17 / Luke 12:22-31
The theme for this year's National Day is "Majulah! The Singapore Spirit". "Majulah!" means "Onward!" so together it means Onward! The Singapore Spirit.
It is a rally call to us citizens to move forward together as a nation which is uniquely multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural.
Yes as we celebrate 46 years of independence, we are called to look forward to the future and to keep the Singapore Spirit burning strong so as to inspire the future generations to build a better home and a better Singapore.
As Catholic citizens, we too celebrate our country's independence and we also want to work towards to vision of the Singapore Spirit.
And taking a note from the Bishop's National Day message, we are also called upon to build a society where the dignity of the person is respected and upheld.
We, who are the Church in Singapore, are called to build a society where there is compassion for the less fortunate, where families are united in love and respect, and that everyone is equal in dignity.
In other words, as we move forward with our nation, we are called up to manifest our faith and what we believe in.
As the gospel puts it, we have to set our hearts on the kingdom of God and the rest will be given unto us.
We must realize that with the future, the smallest things are outside our control and we have to trust and depend on God to lead us step by step along the way.
The future of our country is our concern and our responsibility. We have to pray for our country, the leaders as well as the citizens, that God will guide our leaders and bless our country with His love.
With faith and thanksgiving, let us rejoice and celebrate our country's independence.