SJC's Grotto Turns 60

On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which fell on 8th September, 2014, almost 300 of our parishioners gathered together at the grotto of St Joseph’s Church to celebrate Our Lady’s birthday. This year marks the 60th year since the Grotto was first erected. The grotto is built in 1954 is the result of the untiring efforts of a former sacristan called Ponniah together with the help of the Legion of Mary. It was built during the time of

Rev Frs Ernest Belet, Pierre Decroocq and Anthony Michael, who were the parish priests during that time.

Our celebration this year started at 7.30 pm with the recital of the rosary in both Tamil and English, which was followed by the Eucharistic Celebration at 8.00 pm. The grotto was blessed with incense and holy water just before the Eucharistic celebration took place. Also taking place that evening was the blessing of the newly erected statue of our Lady of Lourdes (OLL) which replaced the old statue. The paint on the old statue of OLL had already faded and the pupils on the eyes of the statue had totally disappeared. The old statue of OLL is currently placed at the Church’s parish house.

The Eucharistic Celebration ended with a special   blessing for the children, and the cutting of the “Birthday Cake", whilst everyone sang, "Happy Birthday" to Our Lady. Immediately thereafter, a simple fellowship was held in the church courtyard I wish to thank each one of you for joining us in this celebration and for making Mother Mary’s birthday a special one.

For those who have yet to visit the grotto, I would like to inform you that the area surrounding the grotto has been cleaned up and railway sleepers (pieces of wood) placed along the walk path to the grotto. Since Sentul is historically known as a railway town complete with railway tracks and numerous railway workers working and living here in the early 1900s, I thought it would be appropriate to have some of the town’s history linked to our Church and that is why the railway sleepers have been placed along the path to the grotto. We will continue to beautify Our Lady’s grotto with further landscape works and also enhance the sanctuary thereat.

WITNESSING TO CHRIST : Through Service to Country

Come August 31, we will be celebrating our country’s Independence Day.   There is much to thank God for our beloved nation as we see how Malaysia has emerged in the last 58 years of her development. However the rakyat is experiencing an unprecedented troubling time. Many groups and individuals have expressed their sentiments and grievances towards the present ruling government being oppressive, corrupt and unfair.

Our country is blessed with a multi-religious, multi-racial and multi-cultural population and as Christians we need to take the lead in interacting more with people of other faiths, traditions and cultures. The Church always invites everyone to aspire towards “unity in diversity” through dialogue, mutual respect, tolerance and understanding in order to bring about unity and harmony.

Since 1976, the Church in Peninsula Malaysia has been promoting dialogue with people of other faiths as a continuation of the work of Christ. It is our commitment therefore to continue His labour of love in our land, in gratitude to God for the gift of faith and in gratitude to all missionaries, men and women, religious and priests who tirelessly build the kingdom of justice, peace and love.

When we bring the message of the Gospel to people in our communities, work places, etc. we establish personal relationships with them just as how Jesus was in relationship with the poor and the rich, the oppressed and marginalised, the ostracised and outcast. We are invited to identify ourselves with suffering humanity and live the reality of communion by being in solidarity with them. What is our individual response?  How can we serve in the fight against injustice and corruption, to inculcate moral values and to imbue in the present generation a strong patriotic spirit?

Let’s pursue with the Vision and Mission of our Parish by strengthening our own faith community in the way of confessing and witnessing Jesus in our nation today. The time has come for us to rediscover the richness of engaging with one another as we work together for justice and peace in our country.

Let us come together on August 29^th in a spirit of prayer and fasting for all forms of respect of humanity, integrity and transparency to be exercised. Let’s stand up for justice and truth, reconciliation and peace.

“May the Lady of All Nations, the Blessed Virgin Mary, be our Advocate. Amen.”

                                                                                         

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF ALL NATIONS

LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF THE FATHER,

SEND NOW YOUR HOLY SPIRIT OVER THE EARTH.

LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVE IN THE HEARTS

OF ALL NATIONS, THAT THEY MAY BE PRESERVED

FROM DEGENERATION, DISASTER AND WAR.

MAY THE LADY OF ALL NATIONS,

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,

BE OUR ADVOCATE.  AMEN.

Eucharist and Believing Jesus

This weekend the sixth chapter of John's Gospel concludes a four-week reflection and meditation on the Eucharist and the reason for believing Jesus. The Gospel begins with the feeding of the 5000 which reminds us that God will always provide for His people.

Today, Jesus asked the people what were their reason for seeking Him: “Are you looking for me because you saw sign/miracle? Jesus challenged them once again to find the reason of following him.

We should believe, as Peter says today, that He is the Holy One of God, who handed himself over for us, gave His flesh for the life of the world. Peter acknowledged that Jesus is holy because He is “of God.” This was his beginning of faith in Jesus.

For better or for worse, through good times or bad, in sickness or in health, our acceptance of Jesus must be constant, persevering, faithful and truthful.

If God enables us to believe and proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God, to believe in His presence in the Eucharist, to trust in His forgiveness, then what more do we need?

Let our response: "We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God"
(Jn 6: 69).

Advent and Christmas – A Time of Grace

It is Christmastime!  Our hearts still focus on the joy of His birth. Our Church is adorned with Christmas lights and decorations. What is most fascinating is that we have a very special crib set up at the sanctuary of our church.  I believe many of you and your family members have come to reflect meditatively before the humble figures of Mary, Jesus and Joseph. This beautiful and fascinating Nativity scene evokes a sense of warmth and comfort.

In poverty, humility, simplicity, and in obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus was born.  Let us take courage to reflect and  contemplate the Christ Child during this season.  Let us be thankful for the true gift of Christmas  – “Christ is born for us”.  The Word became Flesh and made His dwelling among us, (John 1:14).  As we are in the spirit of celebrating the Light of Christ, may the Christmas lights motivate us to be a human light ourselves, casting out the darkness of sin and pointing to Jesus, the light of the world!

On the 1st Sunday of Advent, we launched our pastoral priorities for the year 2015 for:  St. Joseph’s Church (Jesus: the Heart of the Family) and Risen Christ Church  (Word of God: Centre of our Lives). Let us pray and make great efforts to achieve the core needs of our pastoral priorities for this coming year. On January 1, 2015, we celebrate the 48th World Day of Peace with the theme: “No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sisters”.  God will ask each one of us: What did you do for your fellow brothers and    sisters? So let us make peace with each   person whom we have damaged due to pride and sin; let us build solidarity and fraternity through fresh hope and courage to live in the light of freedom.

LET THE PEACE OF CHRIST ENCOMPASS YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES IN THE YEAR 2015!

There is now only one more Sunday left in the Church’s  calendar year before Advent and thereafter, only twenty-five days until Christmas.

Advent and Christmas are fast approaching and the best thing you can do is to prepare your heart and your soul so that you don’t feel the “Holiday Burnout” when it is time to feast and celebrate the Nativity of Christ.

In that spirit, the liturgy and the readings at Mass will prepare you for Advent while also ensuring a deeper meaning of the Christmas celebrations and a more fruitful time this season.

Advent is the time to prepare our hearts for Christ and the celebration around His Nativity. In our modern era, the secular celebration has overtaken both our own feast and Advent. The best you can do for yourself is slow down and bring your own heart to a mode of penance and anticipation before the Midnight Christmas Mass.

Advent and the Christmas season are periods of grace. Let us welcome Baby Jesus not like people who are without hope, but as a people full of joy. Do draw up your own prayer and meditation timetable during this coming Advent. Allocate 15 - 20 minutes a day for yourself for this and you will find you are more meditative and prayerful.

May Christ bless you all as we end our liturgical year and fill your hearts with joy in the months to come!

THE ADVENT, A SEASON OF GRACE

The word Advent comes from the Latin root, ‘adventus’ which means ‘coming’ or ‘arriving.’

There are four weeks in the  season of Advent, a time of preparation for the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, just as Lenten Season is for Easter.  Advent begins on the Sunday after Feast of Christ the King and lasts until the Eve of Christmas. This period is again divided into two parts:

First Sunday of Advent till 16th December, 

17th December till 24th December.  

Both parts express the preparation for Christmas. However, the second part gives prominence to more intense preparation. The Church invites every faithful to joyfully prepare for the mystery of the incarnation and at the same time eagerly look forward to the Second Coming of Christ.

On the first two Sundays the liturgy stresses on the First and Second Coming of Jesus. Thus, the Church invites the faithful to welcome the Saviour with fitting preparation. Therefore, on these Sundays the readings are taken from Isaiah, the episodes of John the Baptist and from the teachings of St. Paul regarding the Second Coming of Jesus. In the remaining two weeks the Church wants the faithful to walk closely with Mary in Her final days of the conception of the Word.

"Man has a noble task: That of prayer and love. To pray and love, that is the happiness of man on earth.”  St. Jean Marie Vianney.

Advent is indeed a time of preparation of our hearts to receive the baby Jesus as our King on Christmas Day.

Prayer changes us. Prayer makes way for the Lord to come into our hearts and draw us closer to Him. St. Paul told us to, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” (1 Thess 5:16-18).

Part of increasing our prayer should include celebrating the numerous feast days during Advent: December 6th is the feast day of St. Nicholas. The first sign of Christmas decorations in our house are put up on St. Nicholas’s feast day.

December 8th is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Don’t forget your Mother!

December 9th is the Conception by St. Anna of the Mother of God. December 12th is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are other beloved saints whose feasts fall during Advent (Sts. Damasus, Jane Frances de Chantal, Lucy, Barbara, St. John of the Cross, Peter Canisius, John of Ketty).

So we learn about them and honor them on their feasts! December 8th is day of confession at SJC. This is also a good time to go to confession to cleanse our souls with repentance and forgiveness before receiving the Lord on Christmas Day.

We celebrate during the Christmas season because it is a time of being with family, giving and receiving presents and longing for joy and peace.

As you slowly add ornaments to your Christmas tree and Christmas crib day by day and decorate your house to emphasize the Light of Christ coming into your home, don't forget to read the scriptures that are chosen for this season. These can be read daily and will deepen our understanding of Advent and Christmas.

Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption: Our Christian Fulfilment

On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the bodily assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven to be a dogma of the Catholic Church.  It was a cause of great joy throughout the Catholic world.

The feast of the Assumption tells us that Mary has completed her earthly pilgrimage, and she was assumed - her body and soul went into heaven. It was the crowning grace of Mary’s friendship with God. She was free from sin ever since her conception and she too was free from all other sins. Mary’s glorification reminds us that on the last day we too shall rise from the dead and our souls will not decay but will be united with the Lord. Where she has gone we hope to follow. For this glory to come true, we need to try to live now, a life soaked in the values that Mary cherished in her life.

As Paul says, “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him,”(2 Tim. 3:11,12). Through her glorious Assumption, the Blessed Virgin Mary has begun to reign with Christ as all Christians shall, at the Resurrection of the dead.

Her Assumption into heaven should inspire us to see the worth of making every effort to live life properly. Today’s feast gives us an opportunity to reflect on Mary who was a great figure in the life of Christ. She was always cooperating with her Son, Jesus.  It should not be so difficult to apply the message of Mary's life to our own because like us she is not far-off from real life. She lived with the same ups and downs as we do everyday.  She is a living symbol in our lives. We too are called to live for the same values for which Mary lived, so that we can share in her heavenly glory. We are not born for this earth but for heaven. One day we shall enjoy the vision of God in heaven.

In Mary’s glorious Assumption we celebrate the fulfilment of our Christian destiny, and with her we proclaim the greatness of the Lord.  Let us ask the Lord to give us the heart and strength for the most difficult tasks that have to be done. May we too walk in faith and love like Mary in this life and one day we may join Mary in the company of Jesus her Son.

This feast of the Assumption is proof that God literally lifts up the lowly. Like her Son and his Ascension, Mary is lifted up by God into the Kingdom of eternal life.

We are urged today not just honour Mary but to learn from her. Sometimes we cling to our pride but Mary’s humility is a lesson for us. Let’s ask Mary to help us to live more like her and experience the true joy – the lifting up – that there is in humility. Lord, help us to be humble.

We thank God for giving us such a wonderful Mother. She helps us to stay on the way of fulfilling His will. Help us to be able to sing a Magnificat in our own soul, “The Almighty has done great things for me!”