SEEING OUR NATION AS ONE FAMILY

On Tuesday, 31 August 2021 we will celebrate Malaysia’s 64th Independence Day or Hari Merdeka. It is the commemoration of Independence of the Federation of Malaya from British Colonial rule in 1957. In a couple of weeks, on Thursday, 16 September 2021, to be specific, we will celebrate the 59th Malaysia Day, which is the commemoration of the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak as well as Singapore joining the Federation of Malaya, in 1963 (Singapore then proceeded to leave the Federation of Malaya in August 1965). These two celebrations are significant days for us Malaysians, who proudly display our national flag with the spirit of patriotism. 

The theme for Merdeka this year will once again be “Malaysia Prihatin” (Malaysia Cares) which is the same as last year’s. Once again, the National Day will be celebrated on a small scale at Dataran Pahlawan in Putrajaya, due to the ever increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country. Malaysia Day will also be celebrated on a small scale, at the International Convention Hall in Kota Kinablau, Sabah.

 

Both celebrations will see the newly appointed Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yakoob in attendance. I was captivated with his opening address on Sunday, 22 August 2021 after he was sworn in as Malaysia’s 9th Prime Minister. He addressed the people as a “Malaysian Family” and I pray that these words are not just a concept or slogan for him, but that he truly sees and believes that our nation is in fact one family - united in our diversity and in our multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-lingual society. I also hope that all politicians set aside their differences and selfishness in order to work together to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, and to heal the nation’s economy during this most challenging time.

 

We are now at the start of the third quarter of 2021 and every year in September, the Clergy (Bishops, Priests and Deacons) of Peninsular Malaysia takes time off from all Parish Pastoral commitments to attend a week-long spiritual retreat. However, due to the pandemic restrictions, our annual retreat this year will be conducted online, by Retreat Master - Rev Fr Francis Gonsalves SJ, from Pune, India. The retreat will be held in two sessions - the first session will be from 6-10 September and the second session will be from 20-24 September 2021. During this time, we will listen to talks given by the Retreat Master and dedicate time for silent prayer, personal reflection and meditation. Our annual retreat is not only a time for us to experience personal and spiritual renewal, but also renewal of our ministry.

 

The Holy Father Pope Francis’ prayer intention for September will be “An Environmental Sustainable Lifestyle.”The Holy Father invites us to foster greater awareness of relationship between God, our Creator and humanity. During this month, we pray that “we all will make courageous choices for a simple and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, rejoicing in our young people who are resolutely committed to this.”

A CHANGE TO SOMETHING GREATER

When I joined the seminary in February 1995, one of my favorite lecturers was the late Reverend Father Moses Lui Fook Soon, who passed away on 18 August 2021. He taught Salvation History during my Initiation Year and the class comprised of five students in total. I remember clearly one occasion when Fr Moses Lui walked into class, and without saying much, he gave us a written examination. No one was prepared, and although we objected to this, he was very insistent. A week after the exams, we obtained our results… as expected, all of us failed! 

Soon after, each one of us was called in for an oral examination and again we all failed! We accused him of intentionally failing all of us (twice!), but he just smiled instead and said that we deserved to obtain a passing mark in the Salvation History paper. We soon found out from some seniors that he enjoyed giving his students a tough time. It was his way of disciplining us and forming us to be intellectuals. Once in a while I would meet with Fr Moses Lui for “internal forums” – to seek guidance, advise and encouragement in my vocational discernment and faith journey.

The following year Fr Moses Lui returned to serve in his diocese and was appointed Vicar General of the Melaka-Johor Diocese. I hadn’t seen him for eight years, until he surprised me with his presence at my Priestly Ordination in February 2003. From then on, we continued to build our friendship. He visited me at all the Parishes I served - in Kuantan, Terengganu, Seremban and in Sentul. We have celebrated Masses together and he has presented talks and shared the Word of God and Church documents with my Parishioners, which was his cup-of-tea.

 

I remember the day the two of us had a discussion on the Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light. Saint John Paul II published an Apostolic Letter entitled, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary) on 16 October 2002 which announced the addition of the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary. Fr Moses Lui explained to me that each decade in the Luminous Mystery speaks about a change - a change to something greater:

 

i.           The Baptism of the Lord - the water of baptism changes from our old self to a rebirth of a new self, new life (2 Cor 5:17)

ii.          The Wedding at Cana - the first miracle of Jesus changes water into wine, (Jn 2:1-11).

iii.         Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God - Jesus invites us to change our hearts and repent and believe in the Gospel, (MK 1:14)

iv.         The Transfiguration of the Lord - the change of Jesus’ appearance reminds us that we too need to be changed and transformed by Christ, (MK 9:2-3)

v.          The Eucharist - the bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Christ, (MT 26:26-28, MK 14:22-24, LK 22:19-20).

I learned from Fr Moses Lui the insights of the Luminous Mystery - that change is difficult and changes in life can be a real challenge for every one of us. Fr Moses Lui holds a special place in my heart - for his friendship, spiritual direction, motivation, advise, care and concern during my first year at the seminary, and also as a priest. He was instrumental in my priestly journey and I would not have progressed as much as I have now, without his guidance. I have lost a wonderful and dear friend, whom I will miss dearly. The Church too has lost a faithful and selfless shepherd.

Reverend Fr Moses Lui - may the angels lead you into paradise, may the martyrs welcome you and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem!

I AM THE HANDMAID OF THE LORD

This Sunday, 15 August 2021, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It takes precedence over the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Church ORDO has outranked the Sunday liturgical readings, and will observe the Solemnity of as a holy day of obligation and the liturgy will be for the Solemnity of the Assumption. 

The Catholic Church dedicates and celebrates more than 20 memorials, feasts and solemnities of the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout the year. Besides these, the Church has declared four dogmas or doctrines on Blessed Virgin Mary and her role in the salvation history of God.

i)               Mary, Mother of God (Theotokos) describes her role as Mother of Jesus, and the feast falls on 1st January. 

ii)             Perpetual Virginity or Mary virginal’s conception which holds that Mary was and is, Virgin before and after Christ’s birth.

iii)            Immaculate Conception of Mary (8th December) teaches us that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, was kept free of every stain of original sin.

iv)            The Assumption of Mary (15th August) teaches us that her body and soul assumed into heaven.

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not stated in the Holy Scripture. On 1 November 1950, Pope Pius XII announced it as a doctrine of the Catholic Church, “the Blessed Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” Her body and soul assumed into heaven means there are no bones and no tomb of our Lady, to venerate. It is said that she did not die like other human beings, but God took her directly into heaven in a unique way. She was “uniquely graced, protected from sin, so that she might co-operate with her Son’s saving mission.”

During her earthly life, Mary was obedient to the will of God when she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to your word.” She realised that doing God’s will was (and still is) utmost important and greater than her own will. In our daily lives, we should learn how to discern and know God’s will for us, from Mary. She loved God dearly and God graced her with humility and simplicity, in order to courageously take part in God’s plan of salvation by saying, “Let it be done to me according to your words.” (Luke 1:38). This is the highest form of prayer she taught us - so that we can be set apart, as disciples of Jesus.

“There is a light at the end of every tunnel. Some tunnels just happen to be longer than others,” (Ada Adams).We face a lot of hardships and difficulties in our lives, but we hope for the best despite the challenges. As we persevere in life, we learn and value many things, and surely we will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s take courage to do His will, and find hope in everything we do. Let our lives be like Mother Mary, as we reflect on Her faithfulness to do the will of God, through her humility and simplicity.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ! Amen!

REFORMED AND TRANSFORMED THROUGH PRAYER

The Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of August 2021 invites us to work for reformation and transformation of the Church in the light of the Gospel. It has to begin with “a reform of ourselves” through spiritual experiences - “an experience of prayer, an experience of charity and an experience of service”inspired by the Holy Spirit. When a person is reformed, then he or she can be fully formed in Christ, and in the life of the Church.

Pope Francis emphasised that the Catholic Church faces difficulties and crises these past few years, but it doesn’t mean that She is declining. In fact, She is alive and living through these crises and challenges! During this time of trials, the Holy Father invites us to discover our own vocation and our own identity as a Church “by discerning God’s will in our daily lives” and “embarking on a transformation” guided by the Holy Spirit. “Reform does not consist in words, but in attitude” to face the challenges and crises - either external or internal - by taking courage in order to reform oneself and the Church, in the light of the Gospel.

In our spiritual journey, we face a never-ending battle between what is good and what is evil - challenges and crises.  When we want to do good and to grow in goodness, the “enemy, the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour,” (1 Peter 5: 8). We need to have persistent and consistent attitudes by engaging with the Holy Spirit in our battles between what is good and what is evil. We as Christians, have an obligation to strive for holiness and perfection, by doing good and avoiding evil. We don’t grow in holiness overnight but it is  an on-going journey that gradually forms us, shapes us and moulds us. God wants us to be holy, “Be holy, because I am holy,” (Lev 11: 44) and His deepest will is for us to love Him and to love our fellow brothers and sisters.

One of the ways to reform our inner self is to enhance our spiritual life by taking examples from the Saints of the Church, who show us the way to heaven. First, we need to get to know our Patrons or Patronesses through our spiritual reading on the life of the Saints. During my Initiation Year in the seminary, we were given the task of reviewing books on the lives of the Saints. I can proudly say that their lives have inspired and reformed my faith to face the crises and challenges in my life as a seminarian, and now as a priest. Their lives have truly helped me be rooted in prayer, have profound love for the sacraments and to be compassionate to the marginalised.

This month of August, let us discipline ourselves by reading more spiritual books and books about the lives of the Saints. May we then be reformed and transformed through prayer, works of charity and service to others. Let us also strive to educate our children about Christ, and nurture them to grow in faith and to grow closer to Jesus. Let us open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts “until Christ is fully formed in you,” (Gal 4:19).