BRINGING THE WORD OF GOD TO LIFE

On 8 July 2018, we celebrate Bible Sunday. The Church in Peninsula Malaysia has chosen the theme “YOUNG PEOPLE, FAITH AND VOCATION DISCERNMENT” which is the same theme as World Youth Day 2017. The Local Church encourages our young people to welcome the Word of God into their lives and to engage with the Bible in ways that are appropriate to them.

The world is so greatly advanced but the human heart is restless and growing in hopelessness, especially among the younger generation. The Church realises that there is a lack in development of faith and vocation discernment amongst young people. Thus, St. Paul’s writing to Timothy (2 Tim 3:15) recalls that the greatest kindness parents and grandparents can do for their children or grandchildren, is to get them to know the Bible early. Children experience true learning when they understand the Scriptures and Traditions in order to attain salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

There are two areas where parents and teachers can apply Scripture to encourage faith in young people to be disciples of Jesus include:

1) Starting them young for their ultimate future.

 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn away from it” (Proverbs 22:6). This verse reminds parents of their duty to pray with and for their children, instruct and teach them about Christianity, and set good examples of holy life. Within this environment of faith, they will grow in endurance, facing the trials of life and continue to walk in the path of truth and holiness.

2) Rooting our children in faith.

The first seven chapters of the Book of Proverbs exhorts the fear of God and obedient to parents. The fear of the Lord, (Pro 1:7) is about reverence towards God and respect for Him. Parents should instruct godly wisdom to their children so that they will learn to be wise in the present as well as in the future in order to choose the right thing to do. True wisdom comes from the Bible and when we implant these seeds of wisdom in them, surely they will remain in them, even when they grow old. A life which is rooted in faith will help our children stay in Church till the end.

Two areas young people can apply Scriptures to develop their faith and vocation discernment include:

1) Rekindle the Gift of God.

St. Paul reminds us “to stir the flame the gift of God that is within you…” (2 Tim 1:6). Young people are urged to watch and fan the flame in their hearts, to keep it burning brightly. They ought to set the flame ablaze by daily prayer, meditating on the things of God, using their gifts to improve the spiritual ability, which God has given them.

2) In the Spirit of power, love and self-control.

St. Paul says, “God has not given us a Spirit of timidity but a Spirit of power, love and self-control,” (2 Tim 1:7). Very often, our young people fear standing up for Jesus and for His Church. They are somewhat weak and timid in nature, when it comes to placing the Word of God in their lives. The Spirit of power and courage are with them, to meet difficulties and dangers in life. The Spirit of love –  to love God and His people, and the Spirit of self-control, to avoid temptations and pleasure.

On this Bible Sunday, let’s remember the message of the Holy Father for the young people, inviting them to enkindle faith in their hearts and hope in mission to bring Jesus joyfully to every street and corner of the earth.

(EXTRACT FROM THE KL BIBLICAL COMMISSION MESSAGE ON BIBLE SUNDAY 2018)

KEEPING OUR EYES ON JESUS

The Gospel reading (MK 6:1-6) describes about the rejection of Jesus in his hometown. The people are amazed by what they hear about Him, but they also cannot comprehend how someone they know so well might move so powerfully.

Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. He greatly desired to help his townspeople but he was unable to do so because they had rejected Him. He was saddened.

Probably some of us have experienced a little of this rejection. Rejection can easily turn into anger and even bitterness. Isn’t it hurtful to be rejected by anyone? It is hurtful to be rejected by one’s own people or one’s own family. We have wanted to help someone but our help was rejected. We feel frustrated and helpless because of this. We may decide not to help or care any more.

Like Jesus, we are rejected and misunderstood by people. We may be instigated and persecuted and if we are being rejected because of this, Jesus invites us to follow His example. We don't like to be challenged but we have been called by Christ to share the good news about him.

“Our eyes are on the Lord till He shows us His mercy,” (Ps 122).

WHAT IS NEEDED IS FAITH

In today’s Gospel there are two miracles worked by Jesus: a woman who is suffering a hemorrhage, restored to health and Jairus’ daughter who is dead, is brought back to life, (MK 5:21-43).

Jairus was heartbroken because his daughter has died. Just imagine the pain and frustration Jairus must have felt. The woman who had been sick for 12 years sneaked up in the crowd and grabbed Jesus’ robe. Both of them became so desperate and cried out to Jesus. They were healed by their faith in Christ.

When we encounter troubles or face desperate situations, first we should turn to Jesus in prayer. God says, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know,” (Jeremiah 33:3).

We need faith in Jesus Christ to meet our need, no matter how desperate it may appear. If you are struggling today, look to Jesus. If you are yet unsaved, come to Him and receive the gracious gift of salvation. What is needed is trust and perserverance in our faith.

GIVING IN THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Our Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed announced on 30 May 2018, the setting up of Tabung Harapan Malaysia, a fund to encourage all Malaysians to contribute what they can, to ease the burden of the country’s RM1 trillion debt. Since then, all Malaysians have come together in the spirit of solidarity, to reduce the burden of our national debt, and as at this week, donations have surpassed RM130 million.

The three dioceses in Peninsular Malaysia decided to contribute towards this fund by donating the weekend mass collection towards Tabung Harapan Malaysia. Last weekend (23-24 June 2018) the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur pledged all its weekend mass collections towards the fund, and the Archdiocesan Finance Committee will present the total sum to the Finance Ministry in Putrajaya.

The generous parishioners of St Joseph’s Church contributed a whopping RM11,445.55 to Tabung Harapan Malaysia. I was astonished and pleasantly surprised at this sum, as it is considered double the usual amount collected weekly. I would like to thank each and every one of you for showing your solidarity and commitment as Malaysians. It truly was a momentous community effort, as many parishes reported a record high, in their weekly collection. From here we can see that the spirit of patriotism and generosity is prevalent in our Catholic community.

If you have missed out on contributing towards Tabung Harapan Malaysia during mass last weekend, you can always bank-in your contribution to Maybank account number 5660-1062-6452, before 31 August 2018.

Jesus’ response when the Pharisees were trying to trap Him, by asking whether it was right for them to pay taxes to the Roman Empire, comes to mind. If Jesus had said, “don't pay taxes” then He would have been labelled rebellious, and the Pharisees would have arrested Him sooner. Instead, Jesus took a Roman coin that would have been used to pay the taxes, and asked whose face and name was on it. They answered, “Ceasar”. Jesus then went on to say, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God," (LK 20:25).

Likewise, your contribution last weekend was to support our present government, and repair damage that was done towards the people and nation by their unjust predecessor. Therefore, it is only right that each of us contribute an affordable amount towards Tabung Harapan Malaysia.

The Gospel also goes on to say to give to God what belongs to God. The Church’s responsibility is to remind us of the distinction between political and religious sphere. As members of the Catholic Church, we should not lose our identity as Children of God, and to work and support our Church. These past four years, I have noticed your genuine support towards all our parish fund raising projects and events, and for that, I am truly grateful.

The Church also invites us to support generously and give additional offerings to those in need. Embrace and be thankful for the privilege of giving generously to God, and remember that it is God who gives us the ability to share. God is interested in your heart, giving in the spirit of generosity and God promises to bless the cheerful givers. St. Paul says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver,” (2 Cor 9:7).

SPIRITUAL IMMERSION AND AFFIRMATION

These past two weekends, two of our parish youths – Juliet Gregory and Gloria Michael Raj - contributed articles for our weekly bulletin, as well as for our parish website. They penned down their personal reflections about their experience at the Marantha Retreat Centre at Janda Baik, Pahang. The articles were well-written and if you have missed out on reading them, you can always visit our parish website at: http://www.stjosephsentul.org

If you’ve noticed, these past three weekends, we have published articles pertaining to personal retreat experiences, reflections and insights. Normally, I don’t publish or upload specific articles onto our weekend bulletin and website, but instead, I allow the prompting of the Holy Spirit to guide me. Looking back at the three subsequent weekend messages on personal directed retreats, I think we need to take time off from our daily routine and create space for ourselves to rest and relax from everyday distractions. In today’s society, most of us are concerned about work, family life, financial matters, etc. that we need to step out of our busy schedules and enter into a slower pace of life. Therefore, I strongly encourage everyone to attend a meditation or personal retreat, to help ourselves return home refreshed and renewed. Retreats or any other form of spiritual formation, is a perfect way to spend quality time with ourselves, and at the same time, it is an opportunity to recharge, relax and reflect.

On 31 August to 2 September 2018, our parish has planned to hold a spiritual retreat in English. Last year, when we invited priests from Divine Retreat Centre Porta, to our Parish retreat, there was quite a good response from parishioners. This year, we will be inviting retreat master, Rev Fr Roni George (Vincentian Congregation, who also runs the Divine-Porta Ministries), from Divine Retreat Centre in Sydney, Australia. I would like to invite our parishioners to block these dates in your diaries and make an attempt to attend our annual spiritual retreat. It falls during the long weekend. Instead of getting away for a long weekend holidays, I recommend making yourselves available for this annual parish retreat, to spend time with God. The organising team, led by Alan Jong, will announce more details about this retreat in the weeks to come.

Last Tuesday to Friday (19 - 22 June) I met with our Form Five students individually, at my office. They are preparing to receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation in August 2018, and many of them were quite nervous because they thought I would be questioning them about the understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, I was mainly chatting with them about the importance of the Church, and secular education which will determine their future.

Their catechism classes are coming to end in couple of weeks and in four months, they will be sitting for a very crucial examination. I encouraged them to start preparing for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) which will be held in November 2018. This SPM exam marks the end of their secondary school education, and it is a turning point in their lives. Their next life chapter will either be in college or university, and they may be away from their homes. From next year onwards they will be exposed to various external influences. I warned them not to get swayed by negative situations, but always place God in the centre of their lives and trust in His plan for them. God’s plan is always better than ours, and be assured that He will always lead us down the path of righteousness and happiness.