Go, Do Not be Afraid and Serve!

The World Youth Day (WYD) in Brazil has come and gone. On the 28th September, about 18 of the pilgrims of WYD gathered at Assumption Hall, PJ to look back and reflect on their favorite moments. I was happy to see and hear their experiences at Rio through their sharing and video presentations.

During my reflection with them I just recalled with them the three simple ideas of Pope Francis' messages during the WYD 2013: "Go, Do not be afraid, and Serve."

1. Go. Jesus did not say: “if you would like to, if you have the time." The experience of encountering Jesus and others must not remain locked up in your life or in the small group of your parish, your movement, or your community but “Go and make disciples of all nations."

2. Do not be afraid. We may think we are not prepared or not worthy, and how can I go and proclaim the Gospel? In fact Prophet Jeremiah had a fear being a young man like you, when he was called by God to be a prophet, “Be not afraid ... for I am with you to deliver you” (Jer 1:7,8). He is with us, (Mt 28:20).  “Do not be afraid!” God goes before us and guides us.

3. Serve. Saint Paul says: “I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more” (1 Cor 9:19). In order to proclaim Jesus, Paul made himself “a slave to all”. Evangelising means bearing personal witness to the love of God, it is overcoming our selfishness, it is serving by bending down to wash the feet of our fella brothers and sisters, as Jesus did.

They seem to be looking forward to the WYD 2016 which is returning to the land of the founder, Blessed John Paul II. It is going to be a significant event once again because it will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the first official WYD in 1986.

Just to remind my dear young people that the Church needs you, the Church is counting on you, your enthusiasm, your creativity and your joy. When you give yourself to the life of the Church sure you will discover much intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth within you.

Use Wealth Solely For God's Glory

At the end of the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son (Lk 15), we heard about the joy of finding what was lost.

On this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus gives an example of a steward who has “found” himself, came to his senses regarding his dishonesty, and found a way. In the Gospel today (Lk 16:1-13), Jesus teaches about wrong attitudes especially on WEALTH. He talks to us about our possessions, what we have, and how are we dealing with what God has given to us. 

It’s very interesting to say, “Jesus talked about money 16 out of 38 parables in the four Gospels. The Bible dedicates 500 verses on prayer; less than 500 verses on faith; but over 2,000 verses on money and possessions.

Two aspects which we need to consider; i) we must “use our wealth wisely.” ii) we should “be clever in a crisis."

We as disciples of Christ are to use our wealth, money, resources, energy and talents in this present life with an eye on the future life. 

How do I see this in my life? In my relationship with Christ and His Church, do I recognise the great blessedness in possessing a love of God and in putting my skills, talents and gifts to use solely for God's glory?

The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin

On this Sunday, the Gospel has given us the images of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. (Lk 15: 1-10)


Three things are necessary to reach the lost like Jesus did.


1. The first thing needed for reaching the lost is compassion. 
Jesus "welcomes sinners and eats with them." This is Jesus attitude towards those who are lost in sin. Jesus welcomes them. He is compassionate and accepting them as friends despite their sins and faults.

2. The second thing needed for reaching the lost is effort. 
We tend to wait for the lost to come to us. We are passive rather than active. We are waiting for people to come to Christ instead of putting effort into bringing them to Christ!

3. The third thing needed to reach the lost is to be persistence. 
The lost sheep among spacious fields and hills, and lost coins in the dirt floor would not have been easily or quickly found. Jesus seems to be pointing out that persistence was a needed quality for success. It is not usually the case that our first efforts meet with success. Sometimes it takes years and years of persistence, but we should not be discouraged or give up.

"A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your Holy Spirit," (Ps 50: 12-13)

The Feast of the Nativity of BVM, Butterworth

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Butterworth, Penang celebrated her 78th parish feast day during the Sunset Mass with Eucharistic celebration followed by candle lights procession and benediction. 

On this birthday of BVM (8th Sept) with joy we celebrate her faithfulness. She is a model of our true faith. We celebrate her obedience, humility, patience, endurance and love.

We should learn to imitate her. Mary was available and ready to say YES to God. Let’s make ourselves available and ready for the plan of God by saying Yes to Him. Let’s make the prayer of Mary our own: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word."

Being with the Lord!

"Jesus went out into the hills to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God," (Lk 6:12). A Place and a Time for Prayer:  When there is an important decision to be made, Jesus consults His Father to know His will. The Gospel tells us that Jesus prayed to His Father. What was His prayer like? First, He sought out a place that is appropriate for praying. Secondly, He dedicated a significant amount of time to prayer.  We do not know how to pray! The Lord will teach us how to pray: to prepare a place and to set aside some time exclusively for prayer. So often we act without praying, relying only on my own will and intelligence. Surely, the Lord will help us to ensure, through prayer, that our actions are conformed to His will and His Wisdom.

A Seminar on Islamization

I attended a seminar organized by "Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia" (IKIM) on "Memposisi Islam Dalam Demokrasi Moden" (Positioning Islam in the Framework of Modern Democratic). This two-day seminar (3rd to 4th Sept) held at IKIM Hall was officiated by YA Bhg Tun Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi who was the Chairman of IKIM. I was the only non-Muslim participant among the 70 participants. The presenters were professors from the local universities and various Islamic organizations. I felt so isolated but the sessions were very enlightening and challenging for me. 

Many issues were brought up in the seminar "Positioning Islam in the Framework of Modern Democratic." My comment was: Down the centuries we have come a cross a lot of ideologies and systems came and went such as absolute monarchic, autocratic, capitalism, communism, theocratic, democratic, liberalism, etc but they have failed to establish or take root in the particular country or society. They are only remained as theories, philosophies and concepts. The nations and societies could not accept totally because of some weaknesses in them and furthermore the individual authorities benefitting from them. 

Presently, we are also very worried with the western culture (kebudayaan kuning) influences and the misused of the IT knowledge in this age. What is important or what is lacking in the society presently? Every nation and society need to be grounded with spirituality (kehidupan rohani), moral values, cultures and education system to build one nation, one land and one people of God. Our country can become a very good example to the world.

Humility is a Virtue for a True Christian

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk 14:11). 

"The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly.” (Sirach 3:20).

Jesus and Sirach clearly tell us that it’s so good, we should strive not to be rewarded in this life. They warn us against all forms of pride and self-glorification and self-promotion. 

Our natural tendency is to be self-centered or “to look out for #1.” Pride has to be put down. Pride affects our relationships with those around us. Proud is a road going nowhere. Pride is the root cause of all sin.

- The proud person is self-centered, not God-centered and not people-centered. 

- The proud person never wants to receive anything from others. He or she wants to control over others. 

- The proud person is basically boasting him or herself. 

- The proud person cannot be told anything because he or she has all the answers. 

- The proud person is completely satisfied with himself or herself and completely dissatisfied with life as lived by others.

A Group photo
with the Fire-Bridged trainees
at Catholic Mission, Kuala Terengganu

The quickest way up is to go down! When St Augustine was asked which was the most necessary of all the virtues? He said “humility.” What was the second? “Humility.” And the third? “Humility.” With his answer we can come to conclusion that humility contains all the virtues. Humility is an essential virtue for any true Christian.

Humility is the gateway to the road that leads to happiness. If we are only looking out for ourselves, seeking the highest “places of honor,” we are bound to be disappointed.

Lord, help us to trust in You completely, not seeking ourselves, but doing our best to serve You with humility. Grant us, Lord, to put our life humbly in Your hands. Amen.