STAY FOCUSED ON JESUS

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Homily)

I was in Beijing for a vacation 3 years ago. Among the many historical places I visited, I would never forget two sites – The Imperial Palace which is also known as The Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China.

There was a huge crowd present at both sites and I felt lost in the Forbidden City, jostled and sandwiched by the crowd. After going through so much anxiety and hassle for about an hour, I finally met up with my tour group. We then made our way to the Great Wall of China. I went up alone to the top of the Great Wall of China but on my way down, I ended up in different exit. It took me almost 5 hours to get back with my group, once again.

My tourist guide told me that I was not focused and that I didn’t have a sense of direction. In other words, I didn’t pay attention and I was not focused on my tour guide’s instructions. That was why I had lost my direction twice. In these two tourist spots, I was so afraid and frightened when I lost my direction. I didn’t pay attention to the instructions given by my tour guide. I failed to remain focused and alert.

In our Gospel today (Matt 14: 22-33), Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the strong wind, he took fright and began to sink. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus at all times. Our focus should be on Him always. Focus is very important in many aspects of our lives. What happened to Peter and me when we failed to keep our focus on the instructions? Peter lost his focus when he noticed the strong wind and he began to sink. And Jesus, saved him.

 

What happened to Peter, happened to me. Just like Peter, I was not paying attention to my guide, and I lost the way twice in Beijing. When, we don’t keep our eyes focused, we lose our directions, and our goal. It is same thing when we drive a car; if we don’t stay focused, we may ended up in a wrong place, or even worse, it may lead us to a dangerous situation.

This is the lesson that Jesus teaches both His disciples and us. Without focus we may lose our faith and our trust. If Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on water. If I had only focused my attention on my tour guide’s instructions, I would not have got lost in the crowd.

We tend to have these anxieties, feelings of uncertainty, and a fear of everything. We may be afraid of exams, tension amongst our peer groups, family problems, physical illness, emotional issues, or financial problems. Whatever it is that we may go through, believe that Jesus is in control of our lives. Just stay focused on Him.

 

During the storms of life, we may tend to feel afraid and frightened, but, we need to stay focused on Jesus and fix our eyes on Him. We need to be aware of the Power of the Holy Spirit at work within us. He will save us from all things. He will make us grow in faith. He will keep our faith alive. 

 

My dear young people and catechism students, today we specially invited you, together with your parents and teachers, to be present in this morning Mass. You may have many friends whom you communicate with through social media – phones, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Today, Jesus reminds you that when we stay focused on Jesus and when we walk towards Him, we have nothing to be afraid of. He will come to “our boat” of life – He will come to us and all our worries and troubles will experience a sense of calm – just like in the moment “the wind dropped.”

 

In the first reading, Elijah heard / felt God’s presence; not in a strong wind, nor in shattered rocks, nor in an earthquake, nor in the fire, but instead, in a gentle silence God whispered to him. God is always whispering to us in times of difficulties and in times of instability in our lives. We should not be overtaken by the fears, difficulties or storms of our lives BUT INSTEAD we must learn to cope with our fears, anxieties and struggles. He is always present in all our trials. We don’t need to worry about anything. As St Paul says, we should not cut off our lives from Christ but we should keep our prayer lives growing and glowing. 

 

In all the storms and trials of our lives, God gives us a gentle and calm spirit to save us whenever we begin to sink or drown. Let’s not lose our focus on Jesus BUT instead, we should be courageous as we grow in faith in Jesus as we overcome our trials and storms of life.

 

Fr George PackiaSamy (FrGPS)

Church of St Joseph, KL

 

9 August 2020

CELEBRATING THE EUCHARIST IN PERSON

On 28 June 2020, we reopened our Parish for Public Masses. Since the reopening, we have been extending our invitation to all the 34 Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) within our Parish jurisdiction. Many of our BEC leaders have been taking the initiative to register their respective BEC members for the Weekend Mases according to the schedule laid down. We started off with only one mass on Sunday at 9am.

However, from the beginning of August, we have been celebrating two Masses every weekend (Saturday Sunset Mass at 6pm and Sunday Mass at 9am). This included a Tamil Mass on Sunday (2 August) at 9am. We will continue to celebrate Mass in Tamil on the first Sunday of each month so that the Tamil-speaking Parishioners will be able to participate. The first Tamil Mass saw a total of 190 Parishioners in attendance out of the 216 who registered. 

The Parish Response Team (PRT) will introduce another category for our Weekend Mass participation apart from the BECs and Tamil-speaking Parishioners. This new category of Parishioners will include all Catechism teachers and their high school students, RCIA facilitators and the candidates, as well as the youth. They will be invited to join Sunday Mass at least once a month. These Parishioners have always been involved in the various activities of our Church before the Movement Control Order (MCO) and quite a number of them have been unable to attend Mass in person since the start of the restrictions. By including them as a group for Mass once a month, this will create an opportunity for them to be in the presence of the Eucharist in-person, instead of just watching the live-stream mass.

Ever since the suspension of catechism classes, the teachers have taken the initiative to reach out to their students by conducting online classes, while parents are encouraged to assist, connect and cultivate faith education at home, since parents are the primary faith-educators of their children. Taking into consideration the need to connect and integrate our children with their faith in the Catholic Church, the PRT has taken the initiative to gather them for Mass this Sunday, 9 August 2020. The targeted groups or ministries include:

i)            Catechetical Ministry – Catechism teachers and their students who are 13-years old and above.

ii)      Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) – The facilitators and candidates of year 2019/2020. These candidates are waiting to receive their Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist which will take place by the end of August 2020.

iii)      EduCare Ministry – There are several teachers who volunteer themselves helping out students from underprivileged families to cope with their school subjects. 

iv)              Youth ministry – Young adults from colleges and universities and working single adults.

The Catholic Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia have suspended all religious or faith education, all meetings, gatherings, formations, RCIA sessions, activities and events in the Church due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Even though schools have reopened in our country, the Church in Peninsular Malaysia has decided not to restart sessions/classes for these most vulnerable group of students, for the time being. We simply do not want to put “at risk placing further pressure on our heavily strained health services,” (Pastoral Letter from Catholic Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia, 12 March 2020).

“Parents have the first responsibility for education of their children,” (CCC #2223) and parents also have responsibility in educating their children in religious sentiments in line with the Church by guiding them in the light of the Church. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).

Photo: 2018

Photo: February, 2020

HAVING THE HEART OF COMPASSION

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020 (HOMILY)

Ever since, I was assigned to the Church of St Joseph, one of the ministries that I am always fascinated by is the Parish Integral of Human Development (PIHD). Under this PIHD umbrella, we have few sub-ministries and one of them is Ministry of the Poor. In these six years, we have reached out to the needs of poor families, especially to assist them meet the basic provision like groceries, twice in a month, household items and other necessities. Besides that, we have meaningfully and successfully carried out various projects and events, celebrating as a parish family with the poor. Most of these families reside around our vicinity, and what did we do? We distributed many things like school uniform and celebrated the World Day of the Poor and Parish Family Day.

 

The successful-ness of the work is because we have a group of effective, efficient, highly motivated and inspired leaders and parishioners in their outreaches to these families. They have taken the great task fully in their hands and stepped forward in their outreach. The key word here is “having the heart of compassion”.  I strongly believe that they have this heart from none other than – our Lord, Jesus Christ! This heart of compassion must have moved our team to get closer and to meet the need of the poor families, eye to eye.

 

In today’s Gospel (Matt 13: 14-21), Jesus fed the five thousand people. Jesus was moved with compassion once He saw the hungry crowd. His humble heart led Him to perform the miracle of multiplication of the five loaves and two fish.

 

Compassion refers to the “inner part” of our body that arises to a strong inner feeling or desire, to reach out to someone who is suffering with the goal to relieve that suffering. When we feel compassionate towards someone, then we tend to enter into the person’s life empathetically, and with all we can – help that person out.

 

Here, Jesus heard and listened to the need of the huge crowd and He responded to their needs as how we as leaders and parishioners, have reached out to the needy with compassionate heart through our outreach to the poor. Jesus realised the needs are so great for the poor. We ourselves have seen and heard of the hunger of the poor, and hopefully – we have brought some hope into their lives. We shall continue to carry out our mission of hope to the poor.

 

God is asking us to be a part of His plan by being compassionate towards the poor.  We need to cultivate this spirit of compassion in reaching out or giving something in order to meet the physical or spiritual needs of our neighbours, as well. When we take this challenge as individuals or communities by bringing forward what we have, it doesn’t matter how small it would be, we can bring happiness in the life of others. As we take the opportunity to love and serve our neighbours, we are fulfilling the Commandments, “You shall love neighbour as yourself.”

 

By being kind, compassion and love towards the need of others or doing something for others is to bring the love of Christ and to make the difference in the life of our brothers and sister. God of providence provides our need and in return we need to take care of others. As leaders and as Christians we should act with kindness and care deeply for the needs of others and in return God will take care of our needs. In the Second reading, St Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us, “with God on our side, who can be against us?” With God is on side, nothing can separate us, or take away or lessen His love as we show our love for those who are in need.

Photo: 2014

MAKE A CONNECTION THROUGH COMPASSION

On 26 July 2020, the Church celebrated the feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus. This year, the Holy Father Pope Francis, wished for all young people to reach out and show an act of tenderness and kindness “to the elderly who are most alone in their homes or retirement residences.” There are many elderly people who are alone - either at home or in care facilities - who are longing for companionship, love and care. They could be parents or even grandparents who have been abandoned for many months or sometime years. The Holy Father urged young people not to neglect their elderly.

The Holy Father also encouraged us to “make telephone calls, video calls, send text messages and send them hugs.” It would also be very kind and thoughtful if we could spend time listening to them, talking to them, having meals with them and most of all, being physically present by frequently visiting them, while adhering to healthcare guidelines.

Pope Francis also said, “An uprooted tree does not grow or bear flowers or fruit.” He has connected the elderly as our “roots” and we should always stay bonded and united with them, as how a tree remains connected to its roots. Through our social interaction and communication we stay united and rooted in them, bringing joy into their lives and ensuring they do not feel lonely or alone due to the absence of companionship.

I didn’t have much time with my grandparents. They died when I was young, but I still remember my grandmother taking care of me while my parents were at work. During my early years in the seminary, I had an awesome exposure programme called “Works of Mercy” with the elderly and the sick in homes and hospitals in Penang. I truly enjoyed serving and visiting them.

The Holy Father’s words should inspire not only young people but every one of us, to show kindness and love for the elderly people in our lives. They are a living source of family history, memories of happiness and struggles, as well as wisdom. They look to us for kindness tenderness, love, care and companionship. Our gestures should also go beyond our family circle - to include the homeless and even to those who are begging on the streets. I am sure that many of us have seen or come in contact with these people or perhaps even experienced working with them. A compassionate heart is all it takes to connect to those most in need.

Homeless people are often ignored and their existence overlooked. We hardly share a smile or say a warm “hello” when we pass them. If possible, we don’t even want to have eye contact with them, nor do we stop and enquire about them. We are afraid to start a conversion and we walk away as quickly as we can.

The next time we encounter a beggar or stranger on the street, just stop and say “hello” to that person. When we have a short conversation with them or say something to a stranger, we are making a personal connection with that person. Although we may be inclined to give them a small amount of money or share some food with them, we should always remember to keep them in our prayers. Pray that their basic needs as a human being are met, and that they are living their lives with the dignity every person deserves.

We can also seek the intercession of St Martin of Tours – the Patron Saint of the homeless and those people who are on the streets - to pray for them. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me,” (Matt 25:34-35).

THE TREASURE AND THE PEARL

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (Homily)

Today’s first reading from the 1^st Book of Kings, God appeared to Solomon in a dream, “Ask what you would like Me to give you,” (1 Kgs 3: 5). Solomon said that “I am a very young man, unskilled in leadership,” (v, 7) and he asked God “an understanding mind,” – wisdom “to discern what is good and evil,” and to govern God’s people. Solomon didn’t ask for a long life or riches beyond imagination, but simply only wisdom. God rewarded Solomon with the gift of wisdom, making him the wisest person that ever lived.

God is willing to grant us any wish, like  how He granted to Solomon. Most of the time we ask for long life or riches or many other worldly things. First and foremost we must wise up to ask Him what we want in our lives. We must ask God for wisdom to know His ways and the desire to do His will, and to discern what is good and what is bad like Solomon. Very often we have a tendency to choose the wrong things to request. That is why we need wisdom to discern His will and to choose good always.

In today’s Gospel (Mt 13: 44-52), we see the first two parables giving us the same lesson. Both persons had discovered “the field” and “pearls” and they had decided to sell everything in order to purchase them.

Just before joining the seminary, I was doing quite well in my life, by standards set by people and environment me, but I felt that there was something lacking in me, still. I was searching for it, that special something, so that I could treasure it my whole life. In the search, the desire to become a priest became irresistible. After almost four years of discerning I had decided to join the seminary, with the initial reluctance. Finally, I decided to let go, starting with some of my possessions, my job, and finally my family. My 8 years discernment and studies, was finally that something for me. To choose Priesthood became that treasure for me.

So, in relation to today’s Gospel, becoming a priest is the gift that God has given me, liken to that “treasure hidden in a field” founded by someone, and “the pearl of great value” was found by a merchant. Yes, Priesthood is my treasure and I treasure it till now and I pray to keep this treasure till the end of my life. Jesus is my “treasure” and He is my “fine pearl”. His Church is my treasure. His people are my treasure. This gives me joy, every day and I pray for the gifts of wisdom and understanding to discover and rediscover Jesus as my treasure, always.       

When you have your spiritual longing and searching for spiritual truth, just spend your lives pursuing God. I am sure one day you will  find the deepest longings of your heart and all other things will fade away becoming secondary. You will find joy and satisfaction on what exactly you were looking for in your lives.

This treasure is just “hidden” in you and you may just walk by it every day. Once you find it and you will realise the value of the treasure, that will be your ultimate goal.

We are called to imitate the two great men in the Gospel today, who surrender all their earthly possessions in order to inherit the eternal life. In this shortness of life, just discern about the value of the Kingdom of God and what is pleasing to God. Do good and cease evil and your life is definitely going to be purposeful. In all things that you do, place your trust in Jesus and surrender to Him.