In a world filled with noise, choices, and nonstop activity, discernment can be a challenging task. Discernment enables us to pause and reflect on our choices and the direction of our lives. Discernment is not reserved for the priestly and religious life. To discern, to listen, to seek, and to choose not merely what is good, but what is God’s will. It is also for the major life choices. It is a daily practice: how we speak, how we love, how we forgive, how we prioritise our time, how we respond to suffering, and how we remain faithful in both happy moments and trials.
Formation in discernment must be grounded in prayer, enriched by the Word of God, directed by spiritual guidance, and affirmed through community and mission. This call to discernment comes at a beautiful moment for our Parish community of St Thomas, Kuantan, as we approach the conclusion of the feast of our patron, St Thomas, the Apostle, on 6 July 2025. Our novena, which began on 27 June 2025 and will culminate on Sunday, 6 July 2025, has been a truly grace-filled moment. We thank God for the inspiring presence of a few Presiders who have presided over our Novena, Feast and Thanksgiving Masses.
During the first three days of the novena to St. Thomas, celebrated by Rev Fr Peter Anthoney and Rev Fr Xavier Andrew, which continued over the subsequent two days. Rev Fr Clement Lim presided on the sixth day of the novena. The last four days, from 3 to 6 July, featured Rev Fr Joe Stephen, CSsR, celebrating our novena Masses, which included the Anointing of the Sick, followed by a candlelight procession with the Most Blessed Sacrament and a Thanksgiving Mass to St. Thomas as a concluding feast.
Their preachings, prayers, and examples have helped open our hearts to deeper faith formation in discernment as we journey through the second half of this Jubilee Year of Hope. St. Thomas, known as “Doubting Thomas,” exemplifies sincere faith and courage. He teaches us that faith is not the absence of questions but the willingness to seek, touch, and meet the risen Christ. His journey from doubt to proclamation, from hesitation to mission, mirrors every believer’s search for the truth in Christ, Our Hope, who will never disappoint.
Our nine-day Novena Masses and a Thanksgiving Mass will guide us to discern rightly, live faithfully, and follow Christ wholeheartedly. Like St. Thomas, may we echo those powerful words: “My Lord and My God!” and thus choose the path of life.
