WELCOMING OUR YOUNG ‘SOLDIERS IN CHRIST’S ARMY’

Forty Confirmands were joined by families and friends at Confirmation Mass on Saturday Sunset Mass at St Joseph Church Sentul. First, they gathered at the St Joseph’s Shrine for photo session with Archbishop Julian Leow. The archbishop gave them a briefing and recited a prayer to St Joseph before they began the procession into the Church.

During the sacrament of Confirmation these young adults promised to reject all the works of Satan and his empty promises. They took their full commitments to believe in God. During their Baptism their parents and godparents make promises to renounce Satan and believe in God and the Church on their behalf. At the Sacrament of Confirmation, they themselves renewed those same promises and this time they spoke for themselves. The faith that was given in Baptism is now confirmed and made strong during the sacrament of Confirmation.

The Holy Spirit guides the Church and helps us to grow in Christ. During Confirmation, the focus is on the Holy Spirit, who confirmed the apostles on Pentecost and gave them courage to practice their faith. We, Catholics believe that the same Holy Spirit confirms us during the Sacrament of Confirmation and gives them the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude or courage, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, (Is. 11:2‐3).

These seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are already received during the Sacrament of Baptism. These same gifts are strengthen in the Sacrament of Confirmation where “complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them” (CCC 1831). That is why the Catholic Church teaches and views that through the Sacrament of Confirmation as the completion of Baptism.  

 

Here is brief explanation about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:

1. Wisdom: Wisdom allows a person to recognize truth. The gift of knowing the right choices to make to live a holy life.

2. Understanding: The Gift of Understanding allows a person to comprehend the Catholic Faith or the ability to grasp the meaning of the teachings of the Church.

3. Counsel: The gift of counsel or right judgment helps a person to discern between good and evil or right and wrong.

4. Fortitude or courage: Through this Gift a person is no longer afraid to stand up for God and His truths. It helps a person to overcome any obstacles and to help strengthen one’s will. A person who has the gift of Fortitude will stand up for good against evil and is convicted to take a stand when the occasion arises.

5. Knowledge: The gift of knowing and enlightenment which enables a person to choose the right path that will lead one’s to God. It allows a person to understand the meaning and purpose God has for him or her and to live up to this meaning.

6. Piety: The gift of confidence in God. Is a desire to serve and worship God out of love, not just duty. A person with the Gift of Piety has a true love and a real relationship with God.

7. Fear of the Lord: The gift of wonder and respect that encourages you to be in awe of God. A person with this gift understands the greatness and awesomeness of the Lord. This is the beginning of Wisdom. Once a person understands who God is and desires to please Him, he or she can begin to understand things from God’s point of view or have Wisdom.

KEEP CHRIST FOREVER FIRST IN LIFE

The entire message of the Gospel rotates around one unique historical event –  the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  Jesus says, “If anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me,” (Matt 10: 38). Crosses are certainly the troubles, pains, hardships, sacrifices, and loses that come only because we follow Jesus. Compromising Jesus to avoid the crosses for a better earthly life loses eternity for us.

Christ expects His followers to love Him more than anything or anyone else. Do you call yourself a Christian, a disciple of Christ, a follower of Christ? Are you willing to love Christ more than all others? Are you willing to give up everything for Christ?

To discover the great life is to find life in Jesus Christ. We won’t find it in the typical places of our world. It is only found in faith in Christ Jesus who died for us on the cross.

Live out our faith in everyday life. When we shoulder the crosses Jesus gives us the strength to serve others continuously. Christ will work in and through our life transforming us into persons we are intended to be. Keep Jesus forever first in our life.

DON’T NEGLECT YOUR SUNDAY "TIME WITH THE LORD"

These past couple of months I noticed a tremendous drop in the number of people attending the weekend Masses. I don’t know it’s because you find my sermons boring or whether it’s because of the holidays or due to some other reason. Whatever it is, I hope that after so many years of being a Catholic, you have not begun to ask “Why do I need a Church and why do I need to attend Mass?” You and your families may have your own agendas and commitments during the weekends but I strongly urge you to observe closely your Sunday obligations by coming and participating in the Eucharist. The Church law insists that every baptised Catholic must worship God on Sunday and Holy Days by participating in the Holy Mass.

There are almost few main Parishes in and around the Klang Valley and if you cannot make it to our Church for certain reasons I hope that you make it a point to go any of the parishes in KL or PJ for your Sunday Mass. Perhaps you are travelling on vacation within the country or to any neighbouring country but make sure you find out about the closest church within the vicinity and the Mass times before you leave for your holiday. If you go to any part of the world definitely you will find a Catholic Church. You can always goggle and get the necessary church locations and Mass times and not give excuses like work, busyness and other business matters just for not attending the Mass. Every Catholic should avoid making unnecessary excuses that would obstruct them from observing the Day of the Lord.

In our parish itself we have four to five Masses over the weekend. I have made the schedule as such for your benefit and I hope you will make an effort to attend one of the Masses. When I see so many of you at the weekend Mass, it makes me a happy priest. You should not skip Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation unless it is a “grave cause” like childcare, personal sickness or the care of the sick, necessary travel, etc., which would excuse you on a particular occasions. An individual should not give same reasons continually just for not attending any of the Masses during the evening.

I do appreciate some of our family members or individuals who take a lot of effort to bring the home bound for weekend Masses to our parish. Our Eucharistic Communion Ministers too make it a point to bring the Holy Communion to the home bound in their respective BECs who are unable to make it for the Mass.

Last Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This feast day reminds us that we should continue to come to receive our Eucharistic Lord every Sunday so that we live our lives with God’s presence with us always, holding on to us till the very end. His Eucharistic presence is all about setting us free from sin, selfishness, worries, bad habits and all things that hinder our freedom from becoming what God wants us to be. Jesus’ real and true presence in the Eucharist mysteriously nourishes and strengthens us with His own body and blood so that we can overcome all things and journey to the very end with Him in our lives. Jesus comes to us in every Eucharistic celebration.

One of our mission commitments this year is celebrating Jesus in the Sacraments particularly in the Eucharist as a touch of God. He comes to give us what we need most – which is His presence with us. Let Jesus, our Eucharistic Lord, be ever present in our lives to free us, to guide us, and to strengthen us with His Body and Blood always.

DO NOT BE AFRAID!

What are we afraid of? It’s been said that everyone is afraid of something. We have phobias that we can be afraid of just about anything. What are we afraid to lose? What are we afraid to give up? What are we afraid to let go of? We are afraid of evil. We worry about uncertainties! What if? We may struggle with faith at times. When we are facing trials and difficulties we can become afraid.

In this Gospel today, Jesus tells us to each and everyone of us: “So do not be afraid…” (MT 10: 26-33). His word reminds us again and again that we really have no reason to be lonely, frightened, or terrified. God is with us.

We shall not be afraid but trust in God. God is with us. Sometimes God’s presence is hard to trust in because we have to believe that He is there with us. Whenever we face a fearful situation we need to realise He is there. Prophet Jeremiah wrestles within himself between doubt and faith. In the end, his trust in the Lord’s vindication wins out.

God will fight a lot of our battles for us but there are some where He has trained us to fight. We are called to “Fight the good fight” in our race. "The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" (Ps 27:1). Let us seek the Lord today so that we too can be delivered from all our fears.

CARING FOR THE POOR

The Holy Father, Pope Francis has declared the First World Day of the Poor to be celebrated on 19 November 2017 (33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time). He has announced it on 13 June 2017, the feast day of St Anthony of Padua, the great Franciscan Doctor of the Church, to make it the event a regular annual observance.

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) who was born in Lisbon, Portugal, took the words from St John: “Let us not love in words but in deeds” in order to identify with the poor. On this November 19^th the Holy Father invites us to proceed with a week, “Of numerous moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete aid.” He also suggests, “Invite the poor and the volunteers to take part together in the Sunday Eucharist, so that the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, is revealed even more genuine the following Sunday.”

On a regular basis, our Parish Integral of Human Development Ministry (PIHDM) has been doing something every week in terms of providing cash and provisions (groceries) for the poor who are staying around our vicinity. The poor in our neighbourhood always seek protection, assistance and love. Without fail we have been working continuously the “works of mercy” stressed by Holy Father during the Jubilee Year of Mercy 2016.

Every first Sunday of the month we have a second collection for the poor during all the weekend Masses. We collect approximately RM2,500 to 4,000 plus in order to support the poor and the underprivileged. We have almost 250 adoptees mainly the refugees and we spend RM10,000 to RM15,000 every month. Our expenses are more than our income but we trust in God’s providence.

When it comes to the outreach to the needy in our neighbourhood, it is all about “heart, head and hands.” The “heart” is the one where we reach for “the lost, the last, and the least.” The “head” is to do with the outreach plans and strategy through planning, games, activities, etc. for the needy. The “hands” is to do with the outreach with one another and empowerment where the members or volunteers are trained, equipped with resources in order to bring others to the Lord Jesus.

The PHIDM provides space for learning, mobilising, connecting, and engaging every parishioner to involve in their outreach. Most of the time they find their work and commitments are overloaded and they do not have the manpower to assist the poor. We know everyone is busy, stressful with our own personal carrier and we too are overcommitted with many other tasks at home and work places. Despite this,  over the years this ministry is steadily growing in their outreach to the poor and marganislised. They too have brought a lot of success through number of events. No matter what, we do still struggle to engage all parishioners to build bridges with those in need and to find place of effectiveness and service in the community.

The PHIDM is a vibrant ministry in or parish looking for more volunteers and donours to serve the poor. We try to listen unceasingly of the struggles of the poor people and find ways to address to them and try to bring an awareness to them. United with a passion to serve the needy, let’s together as one family of St Joseph to fulfill our vision and mission.

St Anthony of Padua: “Actions speak Louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”