COMMITTING TO VISION AND MISSION 2020

At the end of 2017, the Parishioners of St Joseph’s Church set our parish vision – “Committing Ourselves To New Evangelisation” for three years (2018-2020) with three pastoral priorities as our parish missions. We laid our Parish vision and mission primarily to nurture, to renew and to make us grow in faith and holiness as one people of God. Every year on the last week of the liturgical year (34th Sunday in Ordinary Time), several of our committee members set a day and time to review, revise and re-examine our parish vision, mission and pastoral priority so that our parish always moves ahead in the right direction.

I am grateful to all of you for your collaboration and commitment towards our parish vision and mission. Each of you has contributed and shared your life, gifts, talents and love in the service of the Church as true stewardships. These past two years, we have been faithfully working hand in hand to make sure we carry out our parish mission and pastoral priorities on “Empowering Transformational Youth” (2018) and “Engaging in Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Dialogue” (2019). Now, we are at the threshold of our third strategy plan, which is  “Embracing the 5Ls” – (Lost, Last, Least, Little and Lonely) in the year 2020. 

On Saturday, 23 November 2019, about 10 of us from the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) and Parish Coordinating Council (PCC) came together once again to put our values and objectives into our parish mission and pastoral priority for the year 2020. Keeping in mind our three years’ vision on the work of evangelisation, we started with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Morning Prayer (Lauds) and an hour of silent adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Then we discussed, shared, and established the values and priorities, focusing on the “5Ls”. After 3 hours of praying and reflecting, we drafted our final mission statements for the year 2020: “As disciples of hope, we, the parishioners of St Joseph’s, are sent forth joyfully to embrace, to care for and to heal the Lost, Last, Least, Little and Lonely.”

Our Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has chosen a theme – “Sent with Joy to Heal” for the year 2020. We have merged the above theme with our pastoral priority on the “5Ls” together with the values – embrace, care for and heal. The Lost, Last, Least, Little and Lonely are broken people and in need of healing. As a part of an evangelising community, we must always be on the frontline in contributing towards greater justice, peace and love for others.

Pope Francis says, “The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel,” (Evangelii Gaudium [EG] – The Joy of the Gospel, #114). As disciples of hope, we must constantly be ready in bringing the love of Christ to others in any place - on the street, town, work place and be available to those in need. We need to get involved by words and deeds in people’s daily lives in order to bridge distances - to embrace, to care for and to heal them. It is our duty to defend the rights and dignity of those who are poor by listening to their cries and to treat them as our brothers and sisters, (cf. EG no. 199).

Our encounter with the “5Ls” must not only involve listening, but more importantly being one with our fellow brethren. We should always strive to enrich our faith, strengthen our vision and mission and make the difference. Let’s commit ourselves in the spirit of New Evangelisation through our ministry of teaching, encouraging, reaching out and praying for the “5Ls”, regardless of race, status or faith. 

MAY WE HAVE A BLESSED AND HOLY ADVENT

AS WE PREPARE FOR THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD!

STAY AWAKE AND BE READY

The Gospel  (Mt 24:37-44) records for us an extended conversation Jesus had with His disciples about the second coming of Christ.

On this First Sunday in the new liturgical year, the Gospel clearly tells us that no one knows when the second coming will happen, but only God knows. Jesus warns His followers to “stay awake!” because we do not know on which day the Lord will come.

Advent is a time of preparation and the one preparation we can do is repentance. Take off the dirty old selves and put on the clean new selves. We are to be ready for the coming of Christ through our act of repentance. Repentance does not just happen once, but it is a daily occurrence for us.

Let’s make time to renew our encounter with Jesus through faith and let’s also take time to engage in the works of mercy during Advent, ensuring justice for those who are least among us. 

“I rejoice when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.” (Psalm 121)

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/committing-to-vision-and-mission-2020-1/

JAPAN – THE LAND OF SAINTS AND MARTYRS

Japan is a country that I’ve always wanted to visit, and earlier this month, I had the opportunity to do so. From 4-13 November 2019, about 46 of us (consisting of Muslims, Hindus and Christians) made our pilgrimage and tour to Japan. It was led by Susan Yee and Doris Yap from Petaling Jaya. Fr Albet Arokiasamy from Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong and I were appointed as Spiritual Directors for this group. We landed in the morning at Narita Airport in Tokyo on 4 November 2019. Our trip started in Narita and then we went on a quick half day Tokyo city tour. After that, we gradually travelled up to the north of Japan, taking a total of five days with various stops and overnight stays before heading down south to Narita on a different route, to conclude our trip.

We travelled in two buses and along the way we stopped in a few great cities, towns and villages for sight-seeing. It is a country with astonishing mountain scenery, a long history of culture and tradition and not forgetting wonderful sushi and sashimi! The Japanese food was delicious everywhere! Japan is a peaceful country and it is ranked in the top 20 in Asia. It was so adventurous to travel during autumn with the temperatures ranging between 6-18 degrees Celsius. The colourful autumn leaves were marvellous and vibrant. It was my first experience of autumn, which delighted me.

Another memorable experience was going up to Mount Zao Okama (1841 meters high) by cable car to the height of 1631 meters to view the platform where we experienced snow. From that platform, it took Fr Albet and I a bit of courage to climb on our own up to the summit of 1703 meters. We rewarded with a great view from the mountain top, with the temperature below -4 degrees Celcius. It was so cold!! When it started getting dark, we quickly ran down to get the cable car in order to return to the foot of the mountain. It was a great accomplishment for us and the snow experience was priceless!

On Day 5 of our trip, we had a Eucharistic celebration at the Church of Akita, Japan. After Mass we gathered at the wooden statue of Our Lady of Akita for the Recitation of the Rosary, followed by the Stations of the Cross at the garden. The miracle of Our Lady of Akita started on 13 October 1973, when Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa discovered tears, sweat and blood on the wooden statue of Mary in a convent in Akita. On 22 April 1984, Bishop John Ito (Diocese of Niigata) had authorised his entire diocese to venerate the Holy Mother of Akita.

As for me, one of the most fascinating things I learnt was about the Samurai Martyrs in Yonezawa, Japan. It is a story of the Martyrdom of 53 Yonezawa Christians and their families, who were beheaded in 1629. These Samurais were witnesses of Christ and they were proud to be Christians.

Japan is known as a land of saints and martyrs even though it has less than a 2% Christian population, with majority Catholics. At least 2138 Christians were officially martyred between 1640 and 1873. During the 16thCentury, the Catholic faith reached Japan through St Francis Xavier (1506-1552). He was a Jesuit missionary and he converted 800 people during his 2+ years in Japan and from that moment the Church continued to grow. In fact, Christianity “has struggled, and will always struggle, to take root” but the Church’s mission will never fail in Japan.

Saint Paul Miki was born in 1562, a Jesuit priest and a native of Japan. He became very well-known among the Martyrs of Japan. On 6 February every year, the Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Paul Miki and the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki (a group of native Japanese Catholics and foreign missionaries). They were stabbed to death with lances for their faith on 5 February 1597. They were beatified in 1627 and they were finally canonised in 1862 by Pope Pius IX. Pope Benedict XVI beatified 188 Martyrs in Nagasaki on 24 November 2008, and most likely, Pope Francis will beatify or canonise a few Martyrs during his Apostolic trip to Japan on 23-26 November 2019.

“After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain,” (St Paul Miki).

KINGSHIP OF CHRIST

On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Church invites us to acknowledge that Jesus is our King, the King of Truth and Life, the King of Holiness and Grace, the King of Justice, Love, and Peace. He is Perfect in Every Way. He is Righteous beyond Measure. He is a Servant King.

In today's Gospel (LK 23: 35-43), Jesus tells Pilate that “everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” The Solemnity of Christ the King, is a day for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the truth by listening to the voice of Christ and to recognise the reign of Christ by obeying his Word. 

As we celebrate the Kingship of Christ today, let us remember the truth that he is not our King if we do not listen to him, love him, serve him, and follow him. 

Let us resolve to give Christ the King the central place in our lives and promise to obey his commandment of love. Long Live Christ the King!

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/japan-the-land-of-saints-and-martyrs/

THE HOPE OF THE POOR SHALL NOT PERISH

The Church of St Joseph, Kuala Lumpur, has been observing the World Day of the Poor cum Parish Family Day for the past three years. Ever since I was assigned to this parish, I have noticed that the whole parish - parishioners and leaders of various ministries – generously extend services and outreach towards the poor, the needy, marginalised, migrants and refugees.  

We always lend a helping hand and offer a listening ear to the cries of the poor in whatever little way we can. We live the life of love not merely with words but with our deeds. We carry out the mission of our Church by reaching out to the poor. We realise that being mediocre is not the hallmark of a true Christian, as we have been called to go the extra mile by giving the very best of His love and care for the poor.

This weekend (17 November 2019), we are celebrating the Third World Day of the Poor cum Parish Family Day in our Church. The Holy Father suggests Catholic Communities set aside the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time each year as the World Day of the Poor. As we observe it, he wants us to reflect on how poverty can be at the very heart of the Gospel.

The theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor is, “The Hope of the Poor Shall not Perish Forever” (Psalm 9:18). The Holy Father reminds us that “the poor are not numbers, but people who need our assistance and our companionship.” Therefore, we need “to protect, defend, care, concern and save” them from all afflictions. These are only possible when we have simplicity of heart, humility of listening and the courage to move with the heart of compassion towards the poor. We should not look down on them, but instead give them dignity and lift them up from their poverty. As we put our efforts to lift them up, we “live our mission with the style of poverty, graciousness and humility.”

When the Holy Father published his message for the World Day of the Poor on 13 June 2019, on the feast of St Anthony of Padua, he reminds us that we should be in solidarity with the poor. These poor individuals and families have left their homeland – many are orphaned and victims of various kinds of violence, deprived by economic, political and social issues. The thousands and millions of homeless, marginalised and afflicted are often neglected by society and by nations.

The Holy Father invites us to cultivate our personal encounter with Christ through the work of charity. It is a great challenge and it is our responsibility to “look into their eyes of the poor” and to give our hope by wiping away their tears and comfort them in time of their need. We need to make ourselves close to their hearts and give them the hope in their lives so that they too will never be disappointed and deprived in the society. 

The Pope added that we should not stop “sowing tangible seeds of hope” in the hearts of the poor because “they enable us to encounter the face of Christ.” We need to remain as “instruments and opportunities for peace, solidarity and promotion of dignity” for the underprivileged individuals and families and for every one that we meet in our lives. 

My dear committee members of World Day of the Poor, Ministry of the Poor and other committees and parishioners - I truly appreciate your great effort, enthusiasm, dedication, involvement and your constant love for the poor, which society seems to exclude. Let us come together this Sunday to celebrate with them and restore hope in their lives.