CONTINUE TO FIX OUR GAZE ON GOD

It’s been over a month now since I moved to Kuantan, and it certainly has been a hectic time for me. Just like the weather - which has been rainy (with continuous downpour for days), sunny, windy and humid - my days here have been filled with various tasks and activities which have kept me busy.

Our Parish leaders have been gearing up, planning several formations, events and activities for the first quarter of 2022. However, we have to put those plans on hold due to the spike in Covid-19 cases. In the meantime, the Parish Integral Human Development (PIHDM) of St Thomas, the Apostle, had received 200 mattresses and 200 pillows which the PIHDM members distributed to some of the flood victims in Gambang, Pekan, Muadzam Shah and Tasik Chini. These areas were badly affected by the floods which devastated the state last December.

 

Despite a majority of Malaysians are fully vaccinated, we are currently experiencing some of the highest number of daily cases reported since the start of this pandemic. A couple of weeks ago, the numbers were cited at a little over 2000 cases a day, but now we’re looking at over 27,000 daily cases, which is alarming! The daily newspapers have indicated a 160% rise in the number of infections in the last 2 weeks, especially among children below 12 years old. We can’t help but ask ourselves - how long will we have to face these challenges? Will we have a more committed, accountable and transparent government? Where is our life heading towards now?

 

In this past two years, Covid-19 has affected many lives, caused economic instability and joblessness and pushed many into poverty. People are trying their best to find alternate ways to make ends meet and slowly recover from this pandemic. Many experts and medical personnel have warned that the infection rate may rise, even double or triple the present total numbers of cases. The prolonged pandemic has affected us emotionally, physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually.

Everyone is worried. Life is scary. We are hoping and praying that the Covid-19 vaccine will protect us from getting sick, but nevertheless, we must face this reality and move on with our lives with the virus living among us. Every one of us must be responsible and pay heed to the SOPs to safeguard ourselves, our family and our community.

 

Our God stands as a sign of hope and He will save us from all these difficulties, sufferings and turmoil. We may attain an answer in due time, but until then, let us continue to fix our eyes on God and be connected with one another. “Our endurance brings acceptance, acceptance brings hope and hope doesn’t disappoint us, for God has poured His love and mercy into our hearts,” (cf. Rom 5: 3-5).

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT, GUIDANCE AND NOURISHMENT

The 30th World Day of the Sick (WDS) was celebrated on 11 February 2022 with the theme - “Be Merciful, even as your Father is merciful,” (Lk 6:36) as chosen by the Holy Father. The WDS always falls in conjunction with The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and this year marks the 160th anniversary of the recognition of the Lourdes apparitions. The WDS was first inaugurated by Saint John Paul II in 1992, who encouraged people to offer prayers, care and concern for all those suffering from various illnesses, as well as their caregivers.  

Pope Francis invites healthcare workers and front liners as signs of merciful hands of the Father to “touch the suffering flesh of Christ” by giving their precious time and service to those who suffer. They need to carry out their duties with love and mercy, and extend their services beyond healthcare responsibilities. “Even when healing is not possible” the Holy Father encourages health caregivers to have “a sense of closeness” and “develop a capacity of listening and relating” to the sick and elderly.

 

The Pope also wishes for all healthcare institutions, palliative care, hospice centres and hospitals to give their greatest service to the sick and to those whom they care for, with genuine love and mercy. He encourages spiritual leaders not to be lacking in their pastoral duties when reaching out to those who are sick and living in isolation, as they require spiritual nourishment too. “I was sick, and you visited me” (cf. MT 25: 36) - when priests administer the Word and Sacraments to the sick, their journey of life will be strengthened, and their faith will grow in maturity.

 

In conjunction with WDS this year, we invited the elderly and the sick of our Parish to a special Mass and Anointing at 11.00am. About 150 parishioners participated in this celebration, coordinated by the Parish leaders. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick was done immediately after the Eucharistic celebration. After receiving the Oil of the Infirm - Oleum Infirmorum - they sat quietly in prayer before leaving the Church premises. Knowing that the sick are at a greater risk, SOP safety measures were strictly adhered to throughout the Mass celebration.

 

Although the number of cases due to the Omicron variant is high, we proceeded with caution and had the anointing of the sick and the elderly in order to provide pastoral care for them - spiritual support, spiritual guidance and spiritual nourishments. We celebrated with the Holy Father’s sentiments to console, affirm and strengthen them spiritually and physically. I am grateful to all family members, BEC coordinators and Parish Action Response Team (PART) for ushering and assisting the elderly and sick members of our Parish, from their homes, to be with us in Church on this WDS.

 

We seek the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, health of the sick - to guide us in our pastoral care for the sick and their family members, so that they may find meaning in their suffering. May they receive consolation and strength from Jesus Christ, her Son - who bears the pain of the world.

SHOW THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S LOVE

We began the month of February 2022 with Mass for three important festivities – the Chinese Lunar New Year, celebrating the Year of Tiger on 1 February, as well as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which also marks the World Day of Consecrated Life (WDCL) on 2 February.

With strict SOPs in place to combat the risk of Covid19, the Chinese New Year Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated at 8:30am with approximately 250 parishioners present. We had a wonderful celebration, which brought Parishioners together in unity and prayer. After Mass, we gave out red angpow packets and oranges to everyone before gathering at St Thomas Square (car park area) to watch a lion dance and light some firecrackers. 

Days before the Thanksgiving Mass, the Parish youth started their preparation by decorating the Church and the premises with red cloth, lanterns, banners, red angpau packets and flowers as a sign of longevity, honour, wealth, luck and prosperity. The youth choir also rehearsed for a few hours and the lectors and commentators practised for the Mass. In the last two days before Chinese New Year, everyone was working around the clock to make sure everything went well on the day of celebration. Congratulations and thank you to everyone for the collaboration, dedication and hard work in making our celebration meaningful and enjoyable.

 

On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, we celebrated the WDCL during morning Mass. Six Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) Sisters and two Franciscan Sisters of Immaculate Conception (FSIC) came forward after the homily to renew their vows of evangelical counsel – poverty, obedience and chastity. They renewed their evangelical counsels while holding lit candles and after that, the candles were placed at the grotto. 

 

The vows they make are so important in order to stay committed and to live the charism of the particular order, society or congregation. These Sisters have been doing amazing ministerial work in the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia with the underprivileged, migrants and indigenous communities as well as parishioners. We have extended the celebration of WDCL to Friday, 4 February with Holy Hour and adoration, especially for all young people and single adults to discern God’s will and respond to His call. 

 

The Holy Father, Pope Francis’ intention for the month of February 2022 focuses on Religious Sisters and Consecrated Women. He invites us to pray for all religious sisters and consecrated women - thanking them for their mission and their courage, and praying that they find new responses to the challenges and crises of our times. The Pope encourages them “to show the beauty of God’s love and compassion” to the poor, with the marginalised, with all those who are enslaves by traffickers” and also “to continue in their vocation of service to the Church.”

 

During this month of February, let us pray especially for the young people in our community to discern God’s call, respond to the challenges of our times and continuously contribute to the mission of the Church.

GLOW AND GROW IN OUR CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE

Since I moved into this Parish, many Parishioners and friends have asked me if I have settled down. It can be a challenge, settling down and finding routine when adjusting to a new environment. It depends on the individual - how quickly one can find a way to settle in after moving to a new place.

In the midst of unpacking - taking things out of boxes, arranging them accordingly, cleaning and organising my parish house and office - I have taken some time off to visit a few of the elderly in their homes. It has been almost 17 years since I’ve seen many of them. Many have aged, and a number too have deteriorated health wise and are physically weak. They look so fragile, anxious and are unable to express themselves in words, and can only hold back their tears.

As a sign of hope, I administered the Sacraments of Reconciliation, the Holy Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick. I spent a little time chit-chatting with them and their families, hoping to provide some much-needed company. I have promised to visit them again and will be sure to assign extra Holy Communion Ministers to regularly bring Jesus to them through Holy Communion. I will continue to make my house visits in the weeks to come, as I am looking forward to meeting my Parishioners, but I will be sure to strictly adhere to the prevailing SOPs.

This weekend (29-30 January) we will be celebrating Catechetical Sunday with the theme: “A Path to Holiness,” (1 Cor 12: 2) as chosen by the Malaysian Catechetical Commission (MCC). We will invite parents and catechism teachers to renew their commitment to faith education during Sunday Masses in English (8:30am) and Mandarin (10:30am). 

All catechism teachers and parents will be renewing their commitment as catechists of transmitting their faith onto their children. As they renew their commitment, they need to understand their crucial role of sharing their faith in Christ and His Church. The teachers will be commissioned by the Church to take their responsibilities of sharing the faith with our younger generation with passion and dedication. However, parents and guardians are the primary catechist of their children, and they will be invited to proclaim their commitment of passing their faith and Gospel values on Catechetical Sunday too.

It has been a tough time for both teachers and students to fully participate in online classes, as it is not the most effective way of imparting faith education. However, due to strict SOPs, and taking into account health risks, classes this year will continue to be held online instead of in-person. 

We appreciate all our catechists for their dedication and in giving their time and talent generously. We give all our support, encouragement and most of all our prayers so that they may provide effective learning to our students, as they begin their faith education formation for the year 2022. Together, let us grow and glow in our Christian way of life.

COME AND PAY HIM HOMAGE

Every year, the Ecumenical Churches and Christian communities throughout the world celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year, the celebration began on 18 January 2022, and will conclude on the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January 2022. The Church invites us all to pray during these eight days, in response to Jesus’ prayer, that “they may be one” (John 17: 21).

Christians from across the globe are diverse. Although we come from different backgrounds, cultures and traditions, we continue to strive for unity, solidarity and being in communion in the One Body of Christ and to keep our gaze fixed on Him – “Our Lord and Our God” (cf. John 20:28). Let us work together to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Rom 14:19) of our faith in Jesus Christ. We give our support to one another in order to promote Christian unity and pay Him homage. 

 

The theme for The Week of Prayer this year is “We saw the Star in the East and we have come to worship Him” (Mt 2: 27). Like the Magi who came to Bethlehem and paid homage to the Infant Jesus, we too are invited to come and worship Him during the Eucharistic celebration. Since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in our country, many Catholics have not returned to Church to fulfill their Sunday and other days of obligation. It is time for us to make our journey back to Church and pay homage to Christ Jesus and rejoice in Him, as the Magi did in Bethlehem. Let us take every opportunity to pursue God’s will so that He may lead our Christian communities with righteousness and holiness.

 

This weekend, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Universal Church celebrates the Sunday of the Word of God. The first-ever celebration was held on 26 January 2020. The Holy Father’s intention of inaugurating this Sunday celebration was to encourage all Catholics throughout the dioceses in the world to “study, learn and love the Holy Scriptures.” It is very important for us to know our Sacred Scripture and the Word - for it to dwell richly in the soil of our hearts - so that we may believe what we read, teach what we believe and practice what we teach.

 

The Word of God is close to us, indeed, “the Word is very near to you: it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance,” (Dt 30:14). The Word of God is not beyond our reach nor distant from us. Therefore, we must discipline ourselves by reading and reflecting on the Word of God every day. When we choose to do so, the Word will take flesh in our hearts and will beautify our journey of faith and way of life.

 

We are still in the beginning of the year, and if we have not yet cultivated reading, studying and praying the Word of God daily, then we need to begin today! As we celebrate the Word of God Sunday, let us make a sincere commitment and discipline ourselves in welcoming the Word of God closer to our hearts, so that His word will illuminate the darkest areas of our lives. May His word dwell among us, always!