REMEMBERING THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US

Last Monday (31^st October), we celebrated Mass in conjunction with the closing of the Rosary month. Thank you my dear BEC leaders and your coordinators for tirelessly visiting and praying the rosary in your respective BECs during the month of October. Thank you once again for being so hospitable, accommodating and in welcoming one another to each other’s homes for the Rosary.

We have now entered the month of November, which is the last month of the liturgical year for the year 2016. We began the month with two important commemorations: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. What is the purpose of these commemorations? The Catholic Church invites us to rediscover and contemplate the nature of our Christian faith on the END TIMES and LAST THINGS (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell). There is also an intermediate state called purgatory. When this purification is complete, the souls are fit to enter God’s presence and are admitted to the joys of heaven.

I believe some of you have visited the graves of your loved ones since last weekend or on All Souls’ Day itself. If you have not visited yet or if you want to do it again I encourage you to do so during this month of November. It will be good for you to go and clean your loved one’s grave and then place your candles or flowers as a sign of honour and respect for them.

While you are spending time praying at the grave of your loved once, if possible share your memories among your family and friends either at the cemetery or once you’re back home. Your visiting, your prayers and sharing will help you feel connected to the person you have lost. If you are unable to visit the grave of your loved ones for whatever reasons, you can ask someone in your family or your friend to do so on your behalf. By remembering them during this month I am sure you will find calm, comfort and peacefulness.

In the last one month I requested all of you to list down the names of your dearly departed family members and friends in the “Book of Remembrance.” There are all altogether 4,410 names have listed in the book and it has been placed at the side of the main altar since 2nd November. We shall continue to offer their names in all our Masses and prayers throughout this month.

At your home you can always prepare a small poster with the names of all your loved ones’ – departed family and friends. On your personal and family level, offer extra prayers or pray your rosary for the deceased members of your family and friends and for the forgotten souls in purgatory. When you do all these for the departed souls, they will intercede on your behalf after they reach heaven.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Jesus, Our Life and Our Resurrection

The Pharisees believed in the life after death and the Sadducees don't believe in the Resurrection. In today’s Gospel they confront Jesus over his belief in life after death, (LK 20: 27-38).

Jesus says, “The dead do rise to life.” He says that life in the resurrection will be completely different quality and altogether will new experience, new life.

We, Christians have strong faith in life after death. In fact, eternal life to a Christian does not begin with death, but it begins with faith and how we live this life on earth.

The Catholic Church invites us to rediscover and contemplate the nature of our Christian faith on the END TIMES and LAST THINGS (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell). There is also an intermediate state called purgatory. When this purification is complete, the souls are fit to enter God’s presence and are admitted to the joys of heaven.

We shall continue to remember those departed souls by offering their names in all our Masses and prayers throughout this month of November. When you do all these for the departed souls, they will intercede on your behalf after they reach heaven.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls rest in peace. Amen.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

THE ROSARY IS AN ESSENTIAL PRAYER FOR EVERY CATHOLIC

There are some great ways to celebrate the months of May and October. We celebrate them by praying the Rosary. On this closing month of October, we give praise and thanks for this beautiful month. We dedicated this entire month of October in praying the Rosary as individuals, families and BECs almost everyday. We have used our Rosary to honour Mary and it is the best way of honouring Mary.

I am proud that you were committed yourselves to praying the Rosary in this month of October. I believe the Rosary has brought great peace and holiness to your life. It is a powerful instrument for conversion and an armour to decrease our sins. Through our fervent prayers “Hail Mary…” will help us to grow in holiness by avoiding sin.

We too use social media such as Facebook, Website, Blogs, Whatsapp, Text Messages, etc to share our pleasant experiences and devotion to Mother Mary. We use these tools as instruments in promoting and evangelising about her during the entire month of October.

By praying the rosary faithfully I am sure you would have received graces and blessings through her intercessions. The graces and blessing would have helped bring you much closer to her Son in a unique way.  St. Louis de Montfort (1673-1716) stated that “the best and fastest way to union with Our Lord is through Our Lady” by devoting ourselves to praying the Rosary.

The Catholic Church has been promoting the devotion of praying the Rosary for many centuries now. Pope Paul VI, on Lumen Gentium no. 62, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964), which is the principal documents of the 2^nd Vatican Council said, “Our Lady is the Advocate and channel of all God’s Grace to us.” Pope John Paul II, he had a great devotion to the rosary too. Pope Benedict XVI prayed it publicly on various occasions and wrote about how it was part of his daily prayers as well. Pope Francis memorably prayed it publicly in the Vigil for Peace in Syria and Peace in the World.

The rosary is not an easy prayer. For some of us it takes a lot of practice. We regularly find ourselves distracted and thinking of many other things the moment we start praying the Rosary. The older generations find it more comfortable to pray this traditional prayer compared to our present generations. No matter what, we Catholics should pray all the decades of the Rosary at any convenient time without fail.

We all have been taught how to pray the family Rosary. I don't have much tips to teach you on how to form a habit of praying the Rosary wisely and how to recite the Rosary on an individual basis. We have been praying regularly the Rosary these past years and months, do continue to make the Rosary a part of your life.

At the end of the recitation of the Rosary we pray the Memorare, “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary…” The Memorare was a favourite prayer of Saint Mother Teresa and it was one of her secret weapons. She had a very deep love for Our Lady, and she prayed the Rosary all day long. Her rosary was always in her hands. Her lips were always moving in praying the Rosary.

In times of great need, when there seemed to be no solution to some obstacle in her way, she turned to the Memorare:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

WE ARE CALLED TO GO OUT AND BE ‘MISSIONARIES’

We had a lot of activities over the 22nd and 23rd October weekend. The Catechetical team led by Michelle Wong and the Standard 3 teachers and few other teachers organised a two-day stay-in camp for the 1st Holy Communion students in the Formation Hall. About 20 students attended the camp from Saturday morning till Sunday afternoon. Some of their parents were also present and assisted in coordinating meals for the kids and also looked into other necessary errands. Sr. Mary David from the Canossian Order helped in facilitating the entire camp with the theme: “Jesus is My Friend.” I would like to thank you teachers and Sr. Mary for the valuable time spent and your spiritual sharing with our First Holy Communion students and parents as well. They have benefited very much from this camp experience.

On Sunday, the Parish Integral Human Development Ministry (PIHDM) invited 300 school students, both local as well as migrant children, and gathered them at the Church Hall. These school children were from the low-income families who came with their parents to do their measurements for school uniforms and shoes. It was well coordinated by (PIHDM) led by Edwin Alpouns and about 15 of his fellow members. These past two months, the (PIHDM) members with the help of some BEC leaders, have surveyed and screened the total number of students from the low-income families who will be eligible to receive two sets of school uniforms, shoes and bag for the year 2017. The distributions of school uniforms will take place on 18 December 2016 (Sunday). It is the day that we shall be celebrating the “Christmas Get Together 2016”.

On 23rd October, the Universal Church celebrated Mission Sunday with the theme: “Missionary Church, Witness of Mercy.” This Jubilee Year of Mercy marked the 90th anniversary of World Missionary Day, which was first approved by Pope Pius XI in 1926. I too was happy to hear the theme chosen by the Holy Father for Mission Sunday which is almost similar to our parish theme this year: “BEC, Witnessing Jesus Through Works of Mercy”.

Jesus has given us a mandate to evangelise the Good News to all nations (Mt 28:18-20). On World Mission Sunday 2016, all of us are invited to “go out” as missionary disciples, by “offering our talents, creativity, wisdom and experience in order to bring the message of God’s tenderness and compassion to the entire human family.”

This whole year we have been organising many events, activities and formations on various topics such as spiritual development, family and community life, physical health and good works for all parishioners. I believe some of you have participated and were fully involved in these events, activities and formations, which have helped to motivate you in discerning God’s purpose, talents, gifts and insights in your lives (Eph 2: 8-10, Rom 12:4-8, Mt 25:14-30).

As we come to the end of the Year of Mercy, let’s continue to be missionary disciples by carrying out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy by bringing love to our homes, unity in our parish community and joy to the people that we meet daily.

Zacchaeus, the Tax Collector!

Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, was a rich man, (Lk 19: 1 -10). He was regarded as a public sinner, as a traitor and as someone who morally wrong before God.

Although he was financially well to do, he lived a life of loneliness, alienated from his own people and alienated from God as well. He was an outcast and he needed an acceptance, fulfilment and spiritually heal. His encounter with Jesus changed him completely.

Was Zacchaeus looking for Jesus? Or was it Jesus who found Zacchaeus? Apparently, it was Jesus who sought or desired Zacchaeus very much. It was Jesus who stopped under that sycamore tree. It was Jesus who looked up at the tree and found Zacchaeus.

"Today salvation has come to this house!" Zacchaeus was lost in sin, until Jesus intervened him in a merciful way. Zacchaeus experienced a new life and abundant life.

In the eyes of God, all of us are sinners like Zacchaeus. The Lord meets us at the point of our needs. Even when we feel that we are completely lost, we have to remember that Jesus can transform our lives, if we allow Him. Jesus will come into our hearts today to enlarge our souls.