HOLY WEEK AND EASTER

Holy Week is the most important week in our Church liturgical calendar. It is the last week of Lent. It will be proceeding to Easter Sunday and Easter season. Holy Week is observed in our Church as a time to commemorate in a special way the life, death and resurrection of Jesus through various observances and services of worship.

Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday, the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem -  Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem. The gospels speak that the people of Jerusalem spread palm branches on the road to welcome Jesus as he rode a donkey into the city. Because of this, we use palm branches as we enter the church on Palm Sunday.

TRIDUUM

For us Catholics, the Triduum is the three-day period that concludes Lent and introduces us the joy of Easter season. It starts with the Mass of the Lord's Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday, continuing through the Good Friday service and Holy Saturday, and concluding with vespers (evening prayer) on Easter Sunday, the Easter Triduum marks the most significant events of Holy Week. 

Holy Thursday (also called Maundy Thursday), is the day on which Catholics commemorate the institution of the three pillars of the Catholic Faith: the sacrament of Holy Communion, Priesthood and the Mass. On Holy Thursday, the priests of each diocese gather with their bishops to consecrate holy oils, which are used throughout the year for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick. In our Archdiocese we did it on 5 April at Church of St Thomas, Kuantan.

Good Friday - We observe Good Friday, “Great and Holy Friday”, as the day Jesus was arrested, crucified, died, and buried. On Good Friday, we should abstain from meat or refrain from food altogether. Since there is no Mass, therefore no Hosts are consecrated. Hosts that were reserved from the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday are distributed to the faithful instead.

Holy Saturday - This is the seventh day of the week, the day Jesus rested in the tomb. In the first three Gospel accounts this was the Jewish Sabbath, which provided appropriate symbolism of the seventh day rest. It is traditionally a day of quiet meditation as we contemplate the darkness of a world without a future and without hope apart from God and his grace. It is also a time to remember family and the faithful who have died as we await the resurrection, or to honor the martyrs who have given their lives for the cause of Christ in the world. 

Easter Sunday - Easter is the most important Christian holiday, surpassing even Christmas. As a celebration of the day Jesus rose from the dead, Easter symbolises forgiveness, rebirth, and God’s saving power. Christians view the day as a victory over sin, death, and all destructive forces in people’s lives.

As we get closer and closer to Easter we need to recall about our discipleship to teach, build faith, grow spiritually and evangelise. Many of you have attended many formations these past three months in our parish. Our Novenas and feast of St Joseph will be starting from 22^nd April to 1^st May. I hope that all of you will be touched by the sub-themes and preaching during the Novena and inspire your individual faith life. May these novenas and feast day celebration make us become more alive in the Catholic faith.

MAY EACH ONE OF YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLY WEEK

LENT - IT'S NOT OVER YET!

The Lord’s Passion 2017

Lent is a challenge. Lent is really a difficult liturgical season to keep. It invites us to a deliberate act of will. Many of us have not kept the Lenten observance – Prayer, Penance and Alms Giving.

It is not over yet and it is not too late for you to observe them in Holy Week. If you have not started anything yet, start now. You can do it in this Holy Week and that can help bring Lent to you. Do make it a point to participate in the Paschal Triduum at your Church. The important thing is not to give up in discouragement.

Our preparation for this day is very important because we are so familiar that we might easily watered down its details and the significance of Holy Week. Today is a time we prepare for the holy day of Good Friday. It will be a time we reflect on forgiveness. We must forgive in order for us to move on and grow spiritually. We must set aside hostilities and anger. We must put away the jealousy and hatred.

As we prepare for Easter and as we begin our journey on this Holy Week I wish each of you have a wonderful Holy Week.

UNDERSTANDING OUR BAPTISMAL VOWS

We have been witnessing in the First, Third, Fourth and now the Fifth Sundays of Lent of the Scrutinies for the Elect. Scrutinies are meaningful rituals that are an important part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) who are looking forward to being received into the Church at the Easter Vigil through Baptism, Confirmation and receiving the Holy Eucharist. These Scrutiny Sundays also provide us a better understanding on what the season of Lent is all about. These Sundays have helped the rest of us for the preparation of renewing our baptismal promises at Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday.

During these Scrutiny Sundays, the liturgy not only assists the Elect to understand the meaning of the Scrutinies but also helps all baptised Catholics to reflect on the gift of grace of Baptism and conversion. As we have entered into the Fifth Week of Lent, I invite you to take more effort these remaining days of Lent to reflect on how your Lenten penances and good works are going to help you to prepare for the renewal of your baptismal promises, true conversion on Easter and true witnesses as disciples of Christ.

On Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday, all of us will renew our baptismal promises and will be sprinkled with the Easter water to remind us of our baptism and commitment to our baptismal promises. When the priest invites you to renew the baptismal promises, many of you will be wondering what these baptismal promises are all about as most of us were baptised as infants.

Baptismal promises are a series of questions asked before baptism into the Catholic Church. Parents and Godparents answer the questions on behalf of a baby being offered into baptism. The first set of questions asks us to renounce Satan, his works and all of his worldly displays. The second set of questions asks about our beliefs in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the resurrection of Christ and life everlasting. Here are the six questions of the baptismal promises, which we renew yearly on Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday:

a) Renunciation of Sin

Priest. Do you renounce Satan?

All. I do.

P. And all his works?

A. I do.

P. And all his empty promises?

A. I do.

b) Profession of Faith

P. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?

A. I do.

P. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father?

A. I do.

P. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

A. I do.

P. And may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins, keep us by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord, for eternal life.

A. Amen.

Renewing the baptismal promises is a way of showing our loyalty to Christ and the Catholic Church. Before we come closer to the baptismal font once again this year to renew our promises, let us check our baptism date first, and celebrate that day just like how we would celebrate our birthdays. With the greatest act of faith, let us make our total commitment this Easter.

FINDING A PIECE OF OUR CHURCH HISTORY

Last Thursday, 23rd March, I met Mr Alston Perianayagam and 2 of his friends after our 6.45am Mass. He and his friends are originally from Jaffna, Sri Lanka and presently residing in Toronto, Canada for more than 20 years. During the war in Sri Lanka, Alston left to Toronto for studies and settled there. He came for few days visit to Malaysia in memory of his grandfather.

I had earlier, in 16^th March, received an email from Alston mentioning about his arrival to Malaysia to trace back his grandfather’s heritage in Bukit Mertajam and Kuala Lumpur. His grandfather is Mr Santhiappillai Soosaipillai and his grandmother Mrs Soosaipillai Mariapillai. Late Santhiapillai was a Malaya Railway Station Master in Bukit Mertajam and Kuala Lumpur. He was transferred before the World War II from Bukit Mertajam to Sentul. He commuted from Sentul to Kuala Lumpur Station every day then. He was the Station Master in Kuala Lumpur and residing in Sentul during the period of the Japanese occupation in 1944-1946. He was passed away during the bombing in 1946.

Ever since he was transferred to KL Railway Station he became actively involved in the Church activities and he was a very respectable person in our Church then. That was the reason probably that when he died, he was buried at the same place where the priests and nuns were buried (at the church backyard) and now presently where the school is located. The authorities had later exhumed all the deceased persons’ remains and reburied them all in one plot at the Christian Cemetery, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

After Santhiapillai’s passing, his wife Mariapillai, left to Sri Lanka with his children. One of the children was Soosaipillai Perianayagam who was born in Malaysia and passed away in Sri Lanka in 2013. His son is Alston and grandson of late Santhiapillai, who resides in Canada and made a visit to Malaysia lately.

After morning Mass on last Thursday, I had a chat with him and took him for a tour around the Church and school compounds. We met the Principal of SMK Convent, Sentul, Puan Debbie Yeong and fortunately, she gave permission to visit her school archives. There, we detected Alston’s aunty, Agnes Gomez, who started schooling on 8 January 1940 at Convent School. His aunty had visited our church and school in 1980s. With the photographs and other details which was brought by Alston we succeeded in locating his grandfather’s previous burial site, his aunt’s school registration date and her classroom. On our way returning to the parish office, we also met Puan Valarmathi, the Principal of St Joseph Tamil School.

After almost a two-hour tour around the church and school compound I contacted Bishop Emeritus Selvanayagam who is staying temporarily with Rev Fr Stanislaus at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Desa Jaya, Kepong. Alston came to know Bishop Selva through his aunty, Agnes Gomez. After meeting me he left to Desa Jaya to meet Bishop Selva and then to Christian Cemetery at Cheras to pay his last tribute to his late grandfather before leaving to Canada.

Mr Alston’s visit has enlightened me a bit about our own Church history. I shared about Alston’s grandparents with a few of our senior citizens and I am sharing this amazing history with you now. If you have more of this kind of information please do share with us - at least our coming generations may treasure our history and the growth of the Church in Sentul.

THE BLIND MAN RECEIVES SIGHT AND INSIGHT

Our Gospel (Jn 9:1-41) reading speaks about a man who has been physically blind from birth. He has not seen his parents. He is never seen a sunrise or a sunset all his life and the beauty of the universe. Most of his life he spent begging on the streets of Jerusalem.

Jesus heals the blind man. He is indeed the light of the world. Without Jesus we would all live in darkness.

These religious Pharisees were leading people into the darkness, not into the light. They were not able to recognise the power and goodness of Jesus.

Most of us have blind spots that we don’t even think about changing them. These blind spots have blocked off God, from others and ourselves as well. These have become our major obstacles in our spiritual journey.

Sin is a major cause of much of our spiritual blindness. Only conversion works to see people as God sees us. Our conversion opens to receiving new sight. Prayer is the first step towards this new sight.

What keep us blind to the needs of others and to knowing God?