WHAT IS NEEDED IS FAITH

In today’s Gospel there are two miracles worked by Jesus: a woman who is suffering a hemorrhage, restored to health and Jairus’ daughter who is dead, is brought back to life, (MK 5:21-43).

Jairus was heartbroken because his daughter has died. Just imagine the pain and frustration Jairus must have felt. The woman who had been sick for 12 years sneaked up in the crowd and grabbed Jesus’ robe. Both of them became so desperate and cried out to Jesus. They were healed by their faith in Christ.

When we encounter troubles or face desperate situations, first we should turn to Jesus in prayer. God says, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know,” (Jeremiah 33:3).

We need faith in Jesus Christ to meet our need, no matter how desperate it may appear. If you are struggling today, look to Jesus. If you are yet unsaved, come to Him and receive the gracious gift of salvation. What is needed is trust and perserverance in our faith.

GIVING IN THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Our Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed announced on 30 May 2018, the setting up of Tabung Harapan Malaysia, a fund to encourage all Malaysians to contribute what they can, to ease the burden of the country’s RM1 trillion debt. Since then, all Malaysians have come together in the spirit of solidarity, to reduce the burden of our national debt, and as at this week, donations have surpassed RM130 million.

The three dioceses in Peninsular Malaysia decided to contribute towards this fund by donating the weekend mass collection towards Tabung Harapan Malaysia. Last weekend (23-24 June 2018) the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur pledged all its weekend mass collections towards the fund, and the Archdiocesan Finance Committee will present the total sum to the Finance Ministry in Putrajaya.

The generous parishioners of St Joseph’s Church contributed a whopping RM11,445.55 to Tabung Harapan Malaysia. I was astonished and pleasantly surprised at this sum, as it is considered double the usual amount collected weekly. I would like to thank each and every one of you for showing your solidarity and commitment as Malaysians. It truly was a momentous community effort, as many parishes reported a record high, in their weekly collection. From here we can see that the spirit of patriotism and generosity is prevalent in our Catholic community.

If you have missed out on contributing towards Tabung Harapan Malaysia during mass last weekend, you can always bank-in your contribution to Maybank account number 5660-1062-6452, before 31 August 2018.

Jesus’ response when the Pharisees were trying to trap Him, by asking whether it was right for them to pay taxes to the Roman Empire, comes to mind. If Jesus had said, “don't pay taxes” then He would have been labelled rebellious, and the Pharisees would have arrested Him sooner. Instead, Jesus took a Roman coin that would have been used to pay the taxes, and asked whose face and name was on it. They answered, “Ceasar”. Jesus then went on to say, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God," (LK 20:25).

Likewise, your contribution last weekend was to support our present government, and repair damage that was done towards the people and nation by their unjust predecessor. Therefore, it is only right that each of us contribute an affordable amount towards Tabung Harapan Malaysia.

The Gospel also goes on to say to give to God what belongs to God. The Church’s responsibility is to remind us of the distinction between political and religious sphere. As members of the Catholic Church, we should not lose our identity as Children of God, and to work and support our Church. These past four years, I have noticed your genuine support towards all our parish fund raising projects and events, and for that, I am truly grateful.

The Church also invites us to support generously and give additional offerings to those in need. Embrace and be thankful for the privilege of giving generously to God, and remember that it is God who gives us the ability to share. God is interested in your heart, giving in the spirit of generosity and God promises to bless the cheerful givers. St. Paul says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver,” (2 Cor 9:7).

SPIRITUAL IMMERSION AND AFFIRMATION

These past two weekends, two of our parish youths – Juliet Gregory and Gloria Michael Raj - contributed articles for our weekly bulletin, as well as for our parish website. They penned down their personal reflections about their experience at the Marantha Retreat Centre at Janda Baik, Pahang. The articles were well-written and if you have missed out on reading them, you can always visit our parish website at: http://www.stjosephsentul.org

If you’ve noticed, these past three weekends, we have published articles pertaining to personal retreat experiences, reflections and insights. Normally, I don’t publish or upload specific articles onto our weekend bulletin and website, but instead, I allow the prompting of the Holy Spirit to guide me. Looking back at the three subsequent weekend messages on personal directed retreats, I think we need to take time off from our daily routine and create space for ourselves to rest and relax from everyday distractions. In today’s society, most of us are concerned about work, family life, financial matters, etc. that we need to step out of our busy schedules and enter into a slower pace of life. Therefore, I strongly encourage everyone to attend a meditation or personal retreat, to help ourselves return home refreshed and renewed. Retreats or any other form of spiritual formation, is a perfect way to spend quality time with ourselves, and at the same time, it is an opportunity to recharge, relax and reflect.

On 31 August to 2 September 2018, our parish has planned to hold a spiritual retreat in English. Last year, when we invited priests from Divine Retreat Centre Porta, to our Parish retreat, there was quite a good response from parishioners. This year, we will be inviting retreat master, Rev Fr Roni George (Vincentian Congregation, who also runs the Divine-Porta Ministries), from Divine Retreat Centre in Sydney, Australia. I would like to invite our parishioners to block these dates in your diaries and make an attempt to attend our annual spiritual retreat. It falls during the long weekend. Instead of getting away for a long weekend holidays, I recommend making yourselves available for this annual parish retreat, to spend time with God. The organising team, led by Alan Jong, will announce more details about this retreat in the weeks to come.

Last Tuesday to Friday (19 - 22 June) I met with our Form Five students individually, at my office. They are preparing to receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation in August 2018, and many of them were quite nervous because they thought I would be questioning them about the understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, I was mainly chatting with them about the importance of the Church, and secular education which will determine their future.

Their catechism classes are coming to end in couple of weeks and in four months, they will be sitting for a very crucial examination. I encouraged them to start preparing for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) which will be held in November 2018. This SPM exam marks the end of their secondary school education, and it is a turning point in their lives. Their next life chapter will either be in college or university, and they may be away from their homes. From next year onwards they will be exposed to various external influences. I warned them not to get swayed by negative situations, but always place God in the centre of their lives and trust in His plan for them. God’s plan is always better than ours, and be assured that He will always lead us down the path of righteousness and happiness.

GOD'S PLAN FOR THE LITTLE ONES

The Church actually does not celebrate the birthday of the saints but She celebrates the date of  saints’ death (their martyrdom) as their special day in the liturgical calendar. Today we celebrate John the Baptist’s birthday at this point in our liturgical calendar because of his work, announced by Archangel Gabriel to Zechariah, his father (LK 1:17). John the Baptist plays a unique role in the history of salvation. 

The Church today reminds us of the birth of John the Baptist. The purpose of John the Baptist’s work was to prepare the way for Jesus. John the Baptist was a model of the key virtue of humility as he said, “He must increase and I must decrease.”

Each new child reflects of the infinite beauty and mystery of God. The little ones teach us that we need to grow in holiness. In their childlike simplicity they teach us to remain simple.

Each and every child is loved by God and has a destiny in the heavenly Father's plan. Each has a vocation, a calling in the Church. Do we appreciate the role that little ones have in God’s plans? Do we respect the little ones dignity? They are tomorrow's youths. 

St. John the Baptist, please pray for us and our little ones always.

A SEED IS A MYSTERY

In today’s Gospel Jesus said, “the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,” (Mk 4:26-34). A farmer plants a seed but he doesn’t know how it grows. Science explains exactly how it grows. Heat and moisture cause the seed to germinate.

The mustard plant can grow to a height of fifteen feet. That is a huge plant from such a tiny seed. The Church of Christ started with only a few people and now it has grown into a global family.

Just as the mustard seed provides shelter for the birds, we find protection and shelter in God’s Kingdom. In God’s Kingdom we find rest from the weariness of life. Just as the birds find rest and shelter in the mustard plant, we can find rest for our souls in Jesus. As St Augustine said, “our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Him.”

God has called each and every Christian to scatter seeds of faith to grow and bear abundant fruit and make a difference in the world.

SUBMITTING OURSELVES TO GOD

When Jesus defined God’s family He said “Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother,” (MK 3:35).

Are we part of our family? Jesus affirmed those who submitted to the will of God are His family. Those who submit to the will of God are accepted into the family of God, the Church. God’s family cares for one another in tough times and stays together and celebrates together as a Body of Christ. What a great privilege to be part of God’s family.

Most of us talk a lot about finding God’s will in their lives. God is still speaking, but the most prominent way God speaks to us today is through His Word. As we immerse ourselves daily in God’s Word, He will use it to speak to us.

As we get into God’s Word, we get to know God so intimately that He can guide us with His Holy Spirit. Life’s greatest family is the Church. Are we involved in the Church where you can say, “We are family?” Life’s greatest objective is to do God’s Will. We won’t know God’s will unless we are willing to submit ourselves to Him.

Mother Mary, make my heart only for Jesus.