LET US PRAY FOR OUR NATION

Before ending the year 2016, the 13^th Malaysian Parliament sat for the last time on 24 November 2016. The 5^th session of the 13^th Parliament will commence again on 6 March 2017 (Monday) - 6 April 2017 (Thursday).

The Parliament of Malaysia will automatically dissolve the 13^th Parliament before or on 24 June 2018, and it will elect its members for the 14th Parliament of Malaysia before 24 August 2018.

The Church in Malaysia has set a Day of Prayer for Malaysia this coming Friday, 24 February starting from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm. The Church invites us to participate in this liturgical celebration beginning with recitation of Rosary, the Eucharistic celebration, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Evening Prayer, a time of silent prayer and listening to the Word of God, etc. The Church has taken special readings and prayers for this Eucharistic celebration. The composed prayers and the prayer of faithful will be focusing on the situation in the country and its people.

As the Malaysian Parliament is preparing to sit with its elect members on 6 March 2017, the Church invites every Catholic to gather in the Church in prayer so that the coming 14^th General Election will be conducted peacefully and justly. The Church with great hope expects every parishioner to gather in prayer for the common good of our nation and for the country’s economic growth, political stability, fair education and decrease in social issues such as corruption and violence.

In this time of economic downturn and crisis, Malaysians are struggling with a high level of personal debt, reduction in public investment in various sectors and our currency, the ringgit, is sliding rapidly. Malaysia's economy is growing more slowly and will continue to remain unstable. Our top political leaders are the cause of this loss of confidence in Malaysia’s economy. The political scene has been equally unsettled and many are worried about which direction the country is heading.

Corruption and violence have become a major issue in our country. Now our country is one of the top in the list of corruption. At one time Malaysia was considered one of the safest country in South East Asia but now it has become one of the most dangerous countries in this region especially Kuala Lumpur City, which has become a center for criminal activities.

We also realise that Schools and education systems hardly serve as channels for the development of peaceful societies. The poor quality of the school education system also causes our economic, political and social skills to weaken. Why is our education system failing our students? Is it because of bad parents, bad teachers or bad administration? It is time to solve the problems within our education system to enable our students to succeed in the future and to bring the nation to success.

Let’s come together next Friday evening to pray for our nation to enjoy true peace, justice and love. We too pray for ourselves to hold firmly to our Christian faith and to courageously and generously serve our country.