BE KIND AND GOOD

A very well-known Gospel from the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37). The parable takes place on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. The Gospel lesson is giving us a list of the things we can do in order to get into heaven. That is what the Jewish lawyer is asking Jesus – “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

What we can learn from this Good Samaritan as an example of loving our neighbour. Jesus teaches us the importance of caring for others. The reality is you never know how much caring can do until you do it.

The priest and Levite were both busy men, but they were too busy if they couldn’t spare the time to help a fellow traveller in need. The Samaritan gave freely his service to the wounded traveller.

We need to show our interest in our friends and neighbours and open our hearts and care for those in need. Speak a kind word to others. Bring hope to the hopeless, compassion to the crushed, and healing to the injured. Let us be kind and share the goodness to our neighbours always.

http://www.stjosephsentul.org/the-living-word-2/

BRINGING THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL

As Jesus traveled to Jerusalem from Galilee for the last time, He commissioned seventy-two disciples whom He sent ahead of Him in pairs to every town. It reminds us about our responsibility to join the task of sharing the good news with those who have not yet heard.

Jesus instructed these seventy disciples, and to all all of us, to ask God to send out more laborers. Why must we pray because this is the Lord’s work. It is through prayer that we will see that there is great potential in the harvest. It is through prayer that we will ask for the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers.

The need for reaching many people as quickly as possible with the gospel is urgent. We have the capacity to make God rejoice by our faithful ministry. We must remember that when carry the message of the gospel to others and do a favour for Jesus, we bring joy to the heart of Jesus. Are we ready to do a favour for Jesus by bringing the joy of the Gospel to ALL?

“Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.” (Psalm 65)

REFRESHED AND RENEWED

A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey, spending time in prayer in holy shrines and exploring new sites. It is also a kind of internal journey of self-discovery, as it provides the opportunity to take a step closer to God and to grow deeper in relationship with Him. 

Recently, I went for a 15-day pilgrimage with 39 other pilgrims to Eastern Europe. We visited Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. It was my second pilgrimage to these countries, after 15 years. All these countries have experienced war in the recent past, being subjected to communist regimes for ages. Poland seems to be the only country which has come out of those wars successfully. Now they are new members of the European Union, adding to its richness of culture, religious traditions and churches.

We landed at Zagreb, the capital of Croatia and began our road trip pilgrimage. A wonderful panoramic scene welcomed us, winding roads along the loveliest shores. I was reminded about the FIFA World Cup 2018, where Croatia came close to winning their first ever World Cup. 

 

After Croatia, we travelled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Medjugorje - meaning the “Queen of Peace” - located in Medjugorje, a town in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Medjugorje is a place where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to six children in June 1981. It is the next well-known Marian pilgrim center in Europe after Our Lady of Lourdes, in France and Our Lady of Fatima, in Portugal. We had a wonderful spiritual experience praying the Rosary while climbing Apparition Hill, at an altitude of 200 meters above sea level and also spending an hour with the Blessed Sacrament at the square in the Church of St James, Medjugorje. St James the Apostle is the Patron Saint of Pilgrims.

In May 2019, the Holy Father, Pope Francis gave the “green light for priests and bishops to lead pilgrimages” to our Lady of Medjugorje but the Vatican said “studies into the authenticity of the alleged apparitions are still ongoing” and “still require an examination by the Church.”

As we traveled up north to Hungary and the Czech Republic, we visited two historical cities – Budapest and Prague – known for their two prominent kings who are saints of the Church today – St Stephen of Hungary (975-1038AD) and St Wenceslaus, Martyr from the Czech Republic (921AD). Both saints were just and charitable towards their people and religious kings during their time.

St Wenceslaus’ monument can be found in the Cathedral of St Vitus in Prague Castle. He encountered many challenges in ruling his kingdom and in promoting the Christian faith. We celebrate his feast on 29 September every year. St Stephen of Hungary’s feast falls on 16 August. He established many dioceses and strengthened the life of the Church. His right arm is still intact and kept in St Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest.

Our last destination in the Czech Republic was at the Infant Jesus of Prague, a well-known statue in Europe. It is a 16th century wax-coated wooden statue of baby Jesus holding an orb and cross or globus cruciger. The statue is kept at the Carmelite Church, where we had a wonderful Eucharistic celebration with the Christmas readings and liturgy.

Among all the places we visited, Poland was the most enthralling place for me. We were in Krakow, Wadowice (birth place of St John Paul II) and we visited the Divine Mercy Shrine as well as the Auschwitz Concentration Camp site.

Saint Pope John Paul II, who became one of the longest reigning and most charismatic Pope in history, had strengthened the faith of Christians in Poland as well as the Universal Church through his leadership, teachings and writing. He was the first Pope to initiate World Youth Day and World Day of the Sick. During his papacy, the devotions of Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Luminous Mystery of the Rosary were introduced in the Church.

The first time I was in Poland in 2004, my pilgrims and I prayed for his health. This time around, my group and I asked St John Paul II to send God’s blessing down upon us all from heaven’s window. I admire Pope John Paul II and his zeal.I thank God for this fruitful and wonderful experience, and to have my spirits refreshed and renewed once again.

CONNECTING WITH GOD

The 50 days of Easter (20 April - 9 June 2019) ended on Pentecost, and we have all experienced great joy and salvation that never ends. After Pentecost Sunday, the Church celebrated Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church on Monday, 10 June 2019, as decreed by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (dated 3 March 2018). The Universal Church celebrates this day as Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church.

Pope Francis inserted this Memorialin the General Roman Calendar as a result of the 160^thAnniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin of Mary at Lourdes, France. Immediately after Pentecost - the birth of the Church - this Memorialappears in our Roman Liturgical Calendars, as a celebration of Mass and of the Liturgical of the Hours, because the Church doesn’t want to ignore the figure of a woman (cf. Gal 4:4), the Virgin of Mary, who is both the Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church. This Memorialencourages us to grow with the maternal sense of the Church, the Virgin who makes her offering to God.

In the Calendar of the Catholic Church, Ordinary Time begins the day after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. However, after celebrating Ordinary Time for nine weeks, we took a break for the major liturgical seasons - Lent and Easter. Now, the liturgical year in Ordinary Time resumes again, to Week 10, after Pentecost Sunday. We should not think that these long periods of Ordinary Times are unimportant and uninteresting, as they are an integral part of the Calendar of the Catholic Church. 

Every year, we have a total of 34 Weeks in Ordinary Time. During these weeks, God will continue to speak to us through various events and activities in our parish, including through Scripture readings and the celebration of Sacraments. This helps us to connect with God and Church, as well as in our personal lives, in a more meaningful way. In these Weeks of Ordinary Time, the Church will celebrate many interesting solemnities, feasts, memorials and optional memorial days. The Church will also set aside days in the liturgical calendar to honour saints and other devotions.

There are many mysteries in the Christian faith. The next two Sundays, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinityand the Solemnity of theMost Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), which depict the nature of God and the true and real Presence of God. How can we understand God who is described in the Scripture as both the one true God and the God we know as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit? As we celebrate the Corpus Christi - Jesus’ true and real presence in the Eucharist - we pray that He makes us alive in the Spirit, heal our wounds, restores our strength and pours His love and peace into our troubled hearts. Let us say “Amen” as we receive His Body and Blood.

As we’ve journeyed half way through the year 2019, let us continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will lead our parish through celebrations, formations, activities and events, so that we cultivate the Spirit of Easter and move towards a deeper understanding of Christ and His Church. We pray that Holy Spirit helps us to fulfil our mission of Christ and commitment to keep the spirit of New Evangelization by building bridges with everyone. May God bless you and your family always.

EVERY FAMILY NEEDS A FATHER – A FATHER WHO SHARES IN HIS FAMILY’S JOY AND PAIN, HANDS DOWN WISDOM TO HIS CHILDREN AND OFFERS THEM FIRM GUIDANCE AND LOVE.” POPE FRANCIS

TO ALL FATHERS - WE ARE GREATFUL FOR ALL YOUR GUIDANCE AND WISDOM. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

For the next three weekends, we will be celebrating a few important feasts in our Church liturgy, namely the Feasts of Pentecost, the Holy Trinity and the Body and Blood of Jesus (Corpus Christi). This weekend we reflect on the Feast of Pentecost.

Pentecost came from the Greek word ‘pentecoste’ meaning fiftieth day after Easter. We, Christian Catholics know the meaning of Pentecost - the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the birth of the Church. For many of us, when we speak of Pentecost, we quickly connect three unusual events that happened at Pentecost - the rushing wind, the tongues of fire and the speaking of tongues. However, if the emphasis is only on these exterior signs, then we will be missing the true meaning of Pentecost - the descent of the Holy Spirit, which is the most important event.

When we read the Acts of the Apostles, written by the Evangelist Saint Luke, it shows the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles, especially Saints Peter, Paul and Barnabas. The Apostles were living in expectation. Jesus had told them “to wait for the promise of the Father… and you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit… and you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” (Acts 1:4-8).

Every baptised Catholic has received the Holy Spirit during our Baptism. The Holy Spirit doesn’t come and go in our lives but remains permanently in us. There are different titles given to the Third Person of the Holy Trinity such as the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Helper, Counsellor, the Consoler, Friend and Sanctifier. 

This Pentecost weekend, we should get to know the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. We received these Gifts of the Holy Spirit on the day we were baptised: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and the Fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-2). How many of us actually remember them by heart? We should memorise and utilise these gifts and live through them in our lives. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are sealed in us, to become witnesses of Christ and to evangelise Christ. 

The Bishop says that he “seals” us with the Chrism Oil during Confirmation. The anointing of the Chrism Oil imprints a spiritual seal - the seal of the Holy Spirit in us “… you have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise,” (Eph1:13) and “… do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal…” (Eph 4:30). The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the significance of seal: “A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority or ownership of an object. Hence soldiers were marked with their leader’s seal and slaves with their master’s. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret,” (CCC, nos. 1295-1296).

May we allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of transforming us to grow in holiness. Let’s become docile instruments in the hands of God, who is the Holy Spirit! May this Pentecost bring us to an even deeper assurance of God’s abundant love for each one of us. May the Holy Spirit fill us with a fresh understanding and renewed courage to share His love with those around us. This is our spirit of evangelisation and mission. We pray the traditional prayer to the Holy Spirit: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle within us the fire of your divine love.” 

Come, Holy Spirit, I need you

Come, sweet Spirit, I pray

Come in your strength and your power

Come in your own gentle way.