Celebrating Faith and Culture

Last weekend we had two joyful events during the 9.00 am Sunday Mass - Catechetical Sunday and Mooncake festival. The Catechetical team and the Chinese Apostolate animated the Mass.

The Church in Peninsular Malaysia has designated the third Sunday in September as Catechetical Sunday. It is a day when we specially honour our catechism teachers for being “teachers of faith and truth” (1 Tm 2: 7). The Church invites the community to celebrate and pray for their commitment to teach the Gospel of truth to our children. The catechists are the heart beat of our Church and they play a very important role in the mission of the Church sharing their gift of faith with our children as they deepen their own faith.

On behalf of the community of St Joseph, I would like to thank them for their involvement in the faith education of children and for their rededication to the mission of the Church as teachers of faith and truth. We take a moment to pray in thanksgiving for them for their service to our parish and for being witnesses of the Gospel. May the Lord guide them and inspire them as they continue to go forth to be commissioned for their ministry.

It is said that on the 15^th of the Lunar calendar of each month, the moon is at its roundest and brightest and this is when the celebration of the Mooncake festival (harvest festival) takes place. This festival is held in between the middle of September and early October. It symbolises togetherness and reunion in Chinese culture. It is a time for families get together and dine together to express their family love. Traditionally, the lantern has been used to symbolise fertility, and functioned mainly as a decoration.

Once again our Chinese apostolate celebrated the Mooncake festival with the St Joseph community during the 9.00 am Mass. They distributed mooncakes and lanterns to all our children and adults after the Mass. These past two years I noticed them celebrating and sharing the joy of this cultural celebration together with a larger community in St Joseph’s Church, which fosters great ties within the community.

This weekend our Catechetical team has organised a formation on the Theology of the Body (TOB) for Form 4 students and their parents at our formation hall. This session on TOB leads them to a deeper awareness of human dignity, identity, the beauty of each individual and the purpose of them being made male and female.

The TOB is St Pope John Paul II’s first major teaching assignment for the young people so that they may find joy, hope, freedom, a sense of reverence for oneself and others and to find fulfillment in life. The TOB also offers them to know better about their sexuality, their relationships, their joys and their struggles. I hope they have benefitted from the TOB sessions.

In a week’s time we will be celebrating the Month of the Rosary. Once again we shall have an opportunity to reflect and walk in the footsteps of Mary’s faith, obedient, hope, mercy and love.