HE LIVES AGAIN, ALLELUIA!

The celebration of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum this year proceeded smoothly, meaningfully and prayerfully in our Parish of St Thomas, Kuantan. It was truly an exciting celebration for all of us, as we were finally allowed to increase the seating capacity in Church. We had overwhelming crowds at every Mass and Service during the Triduum and in order to be able to accommodate everyone, we increased the seating capacity by putting up canopies at the open spaces within the Church compound. We strictly and diligently adhered to all safety measures throughout the celebrations. 

The celebration of Jesus’ resurrection to new life has turned out to be the greatest and most joyful celebration during this endemic. As for me, it was my second celebration of Holy Week and Easter Triduum with the St Thomas’ community. My first, was when I was posted as assistant Parish Priest, way back in 2003. I was then a newly ordained priest, and I felt nervous and anxious before and during the celebrations. With some experience under my belt, I am now more confident in celebrating the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Victorious King.

 

I was quite happy journeying with my Parishioners throughout this Lent season and preparing them spiritually. However, when Lent first started, I felt uneasy as my heart was not at peace. I couldn’t be physically present to kick-start the season on Ash Wednesday and on the 1st Sunday of Lent as I was in self-quarantine. I felt spiritually low but gradually I geared up and got into the momentum of the Lenten journey with the rest of my congregation.

 

After celebrating in a quieter manner the past two years, this year we had an opportunity to celebrate the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus by gathering together all our parishioners. The Parish Integral Human Development committee (PIHDM) took the initiative of inviting our indigenous people (orang asli) from Kuala Rompin for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses. Approximately 40 orang asli and 30 migrants from Indonesia and Vietnam participated in our celebrations and we provided them with the necessary accommodation for the night in the Church compound. We also had our local varsity students and army personnel from East Malaysia attending and celebrating with us throughout the Holy Week and Triduum.

 

I personally felt great joy seeing new life emerge in our Parish community as many Parishioners have come back to Church in-person after a long absence during the pandemic. Let us move forward spreading peace, love and joy among all our Parishioners during this Easter season and beyond.

THE RISEN LORD IS SEEN THROUGH OUR FAITH

Easter! A season that all of us Catholics look forward to! We have worked hard and made every effort in improving ourselves spiritually, and now we should give ourselves a pat on the back for spending 40 days repenting and preparing for Easter, in a truthful and faithful way. 

However, some of us may have become a bit negligent in some areas of our lives and failed to root out sins. Although we should have been a little more self-disciplined to become more holistic, but unfortunately, some may have fallen short of our Lenten promises. Nonetheless, it is never too late to try and make it the bestseason, as we continue to strive to overcome of our sins, failures, worries and feelings of rejection, resentment, hurt, bitterness and anger.

We still have the opportunity to celebrate Jesus, who is now risen and alive today. Jesus is alive! He is risen as He had promised (Matt 28:6). He is with us despite whatever feelings and emotions we may encounter now. God has not abandoned us but instead, he has nurtured our spiritual life and strengthened us. This is true because Jesus Christ is risen in our midst and is one with us. He is not gone from our sight. He is seen through our faith. As we conclude this Lent and Holy Week, we realise that all our attempts, even our failed ones - to make the season fruitful, have somehow lifted our spiritual well-being to greater heights.

Easter has arrived - “Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!” It is the greatest fete for us all, especially after the low-key celebrations for the past two years due to the pandemic.

Our past weeks’ journey has brought spiritual renewal in us, as we raise our voices and sing, “This is the day the Lord has made, we rejoice and are glad,”(Psalms 118: 24). Easter is the most important season for us Christians. It is also known as a “Feast of Faith.” As St Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and our faith is in vain… and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Easter will last through to the celebration of the Ascension (26 May) and it will end with Pentecost Sunday (5 June). During the next seven weeks of Easter, the abiding and intimate presence of the Risen Lord will bring faith-filled joy into our community, surely! We pray for one another, especially for our young people – that they receive a message of hope in the resurrection of the Lord as they find a way to the Church once again and embrace the faith with love, joy and peace.

Let us bring the true spirit of Easter to those who are undergoing economic crisis, illnesses, loneliness, joblessness and emotional turmoil during this challenging endemic time. With you and for you I pray - that the Risen Lord blesses you and your family abundantly. I wish you a joy-filled Easter!

CALLED TO BE IN COMMUNION WITH CHRIST

On Tuesday, 5 April 2022, the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur celebrated the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Kuala Lumpur. Almost 60 Diocesan and Religious priests, including several foreign priests participated in the Mass, which was celebrated by Archbishop Julian Leow. An important ceremony which takes place during the celebration of the Chrism Mass is the renewal of priestly promises. Archbishop Julian conveyed his appreciation to all priests in the Archdiocese for their dedication to their respective parishes, ministries as well as their community.

Each year at the Chrism Mass, we priests renew our commitment and promises made at our ordination into priesthood. We express our total re-dedication to the ministry and our personal faith into the priesthood, as a sign of closeness to Christ and His Church. We give thanks for the gift of the priesthood, which we treasure - as St Paul reminds us, “you have in you a spiritual gift… do not neglect it” (1 Timothy 4:12).  We are reminded to be grateful for the Parishes in which we serve and to the Parishioners and community too. As priests, we are constantly called and challenged to be in communion with the Church, in order to carry out the mission of Christ.

DRAW NEAR TO GOD

For the past two years, Covid-19 has halted many programmes, activities and rites for RCIA candidates at both the Church and Archdiocese levels. During this time, most parishes tried their level best to facilitate the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) classes to help candidates prepare for the Sacrament of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion on Easter Vigil.

On Wednesday, 30 March 2022, our Parish’s RCIA coordinator invited our candidates to be physically present for a 3-hour spiritual recollection in the Church. They spent the first two hours talking about their spiritual journey, while reflecting and finding their way to God, as well as discovering the importance of prayer life as they walk towards Catholicism. At the end of the session, the candidates were given several questions for their own reflection, and homework about their journey - whether they feel ready to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

During the last one hour of their recollection, the candidates were taken into the church to spend a few minutes gazing in silence at the Blessed Sacrament. The Blessed Sacrament, which is Jesus “truly and really present in the Holy Eucharist” was exposed to them next to the baptismal font, which is where they will be baptised on Easter Vigil. The font at our Church is made of timber logs and has been a permanent fixture at the sanctuary since the 1970s. The candidates were then anointed with the Oil of Catechumens (also known as the Oil of Exorcism) which is traditionally applied before adult baptism takes place. The oil is believed to strengthen, help turn away from evil and to avoid temptation and sin.

When the spiritual recollection was over, the candidates were taken on a short tour inside the church while being briefed about the Stations of the Cross. They were also given a short lesson about our Parish and the religious items displayed in and around the church. Hopefully the tour has opened-up their eyes, hearts and minds as they gained insight into the rich history and significance of the Catholic Church and of our Parish.

The Rites of Election and Scrutinies have been held since the First Sunday of Lent, during the different Masses. The candidates were present at the different Masses to introduce them to the various language groups within our Parish. This way, all our Parishioners will get to know and welcome them into our community.

COME BACK TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART

Almost two months ago, we planned on meeting parishioners living in the interior areas of Kuantan, but, due to several unforeseen circumstances, our trips to oil palm plantations and Orang Asli settlements were delayed. However, with the assistance of Sr Theresa Petrus and Sr Anita Philip from the Franciscan Sisters of Immaculate Conception Sabah (FSICS) and the Parish Integral Human Development Ministry (PIHDM), we finally managed to visit them and celebrate the Eucharist with these communities. 

Last week - together with Sr Theresa and Sr Anita - we visited the Indonesian community living in an oil palm plantation at Sri Jaya (90kms from Kuantan). There were about 20 families and several young people from two different locations (Kampung Luit and Kampung Hobi) who came together for the Eucharistic celebration, which was held under a small tent in an open space. Last Sunday, we celebrated Mass in Batu 10 Gambang (25kms from Kuantan) at St Theresa’s Chapel for the army personnel, and this week we went to an indigenous village in Batu 3, Kuala Rompin (150kms from Kuantan) with two PIHDM members and Sr Maria (FMM). There were approximately 10 families in this village. We couldn’t make it to another kampung at Batu 8, Kuala Rompin, as some of them were placed under quarantine due to COVID-19 infection. Over the course of the next two weeks, we will endeavour to visit more Orang Asli villages and stations in order to celebrate Mass and to get to know these Parishioners.

 

In every location and in every village, Parishioners welcomed us with great enthusiasm and joy, as they were eager to finally have the opportunity to participate in the Eucharistic celebration. After Holy Week, we plan on visiting these places again to administer Sacraments such as baptism, 1^st Holy Communion and marriage, which have been pending or postponed since the start of the pandemic in 2020. We thank God for bringing us all together and may He continue to bestow His abundant gifts on these faithful Parishioners, as we journey together towards Easter.

We are already halfway through Lent and in our preparations for Easter. How have you lived out your Lenten practices? What have you learned about yourself, your faith and God? On the first day of Lent - Ash Wednesday - the Church invited us to arise and return to the Lord, which echoed from Prophet Joel about homecoming – “Come back to Me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, and mourning…” (Joel 2:12-13).

Lent reminds us to return to God. However, we often look at Lent as a season of “giving up something” instead of finding our way back to Him. For the rest of this season of Lent, let us strive each day to search for God deep inside our hearts and surrender to Him. Instead of pulling our lives away from God, let us arise and return to Him by saying, “Not as I will, but as You will.” (Matt 26: 39).