LIVING A JOY-FILLED ADVENT

December is a hectic and stressful month for many of us, but it is the most cheerful, exciting, wonderful time of the year because of the holidays and festivities! It surprises us with a sense of wonder and a sense of giving. As we come closer to Christmas and New Year, we should strive to make our lives significantly better, by clearing a pathway and preparing our hearts to welcome Child Jesus to be born in us, once again.

As we enter more profoundly into the third week of Advent, also known as “Gaudete Sunday” (rejoice) - our hearts are rejoicing for Christmas is drawing near, and His coming is closer at hand. We look into the depth of our hearts and examine our spiritual and moral lives. During this crucial period of preparation, the Church demands us to be patient, more attentive to the Word of God and show our genuine love and charity towards others, which will lead us into a joyful Christmas and New Year. It is an appropriate time to bring our hearts to a mode of penance and anticipation, before the Christmas Eve Mass.

It is easy for us to lose sight of the significance and meaning of the four-week Advent. I myself have realised that I haven’t spent much time in prayer this Advent. Even though I have attempted to be with the Lord in prayer and meditation, I was somehow carried away with my priestly duties. For the past couple of days, I have been visiting the homebound, administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Anointing of the Sick and distributing the Holy Eucharist to the elderly and the sick at home and at hospitals. It was wonderful to visit them once again, and I hope that they may find wholeness, acceptance, affirmation and peace.

During the season of Advent, we celebrate a most prominent feast - the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - which falls on 8 December every year. The Immaculate Conception is about Mary’s pure (holy) conception from the time she was the tiniest baby in her mother’s womb. She was preserved from sin through the Grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit and she was born free from the stain of original sin. She was sinless all through her life. It was a great gift to us that God honoured Mary by choosing her to be the Mother of Our Lord Jesus.

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, we placed the most prominent figurines in the Christmas Crib - Mary, Joseph and Angel Gabriel. These figurines help us to reflect the mystery of God’s love that was revealed in humility and poverty – “although He was rich, He became poor for your sake, so that you should become rich through His poverty,” (2 Cor 8:9).

We pray and hope this Christmas will be more energetic, enthusiastic and spirit-filled, so that our lives will be blessed with joy and peace from God. We continue to remain in watchful and joyful expectation for the Lord to come – “Come, Lord Jesus! Come and visit your people. We await your coming. Come, Lord Jesus!”

LIVING IN ANTICIPATION

Christmas is fast approaching and we have four weeks left before the close of the year 2022. The next couple of weeks seem to be quite hectic and this can be irksome due to the lack of rest, watching the FIFA World Cup, shopping, travelling and the build-up of the holiday mood. The season of Advent reminds us about the need for us to be spiritually prepared for the coming of Christ at Christmas once again. We may have missed out on a wonderful spiritual Christmas celebration the last two years due to the pandemic, with low-key celebrations.

I believe most of you if not all, would have already started putting up Christmas trees, crib, and decorating your homes with lights. Our Church is now adorned with Christmas lights and decorations and we are now gradually progressing with the setting up of the crib. It is good for us to begin our interior and exterior decorations much earlier in order to create the atmosphere of Christmas.

As we gradually set up or add items to the Christmas decorations in our homes, do put in as much, if not more effort, in spending time with the Lord in individual and family prayers and reading the daily scripture following the liturgical calendar. The readings are so appropriate for the season of preparation for the announcement of the birth of the Child Jesus into the world. These can be read daily according to your own convenience, and at the same time, help you get a deeper understanding of Advent and Christmas.

The Advent Penitential Service in our Church is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 20 December 2022 at 8.00 pm. All our churches have opened up to allow parishioners to make their individual confessions during this Advent Penitential service. During the pandemic, there were so many restrictions to adhere to in order for us to make an individual confession. It is a time of grace, a time of reconciliation for us to amend our sinfulness as we await and anticipate His coming at Christmas. Let us take this precious moment to make ourselves available for confession with our respective priests before celebrating a spiritual Christmas.

Christmas is a time for exchanging gifts. When we were young children, we were overwhelmed with many gifts but as we grow older, our Christmas gifts are not as many. Children look forward to receiving presents or gifts during this season. We would like to provide 250 goody bags as gifts to disadvantaged children on Christmas day. We will ensure that these vulnerable children receive some gifts. We need a few volunteers to assist in our campaign of collecting and wrapping these gifts before distribution this Christmas. Our intention is to bring a little smile and hope to these vulnerable children whose hopes are often shattered and grief penetrates their hearts. 

What better way to share the love of Child Jesus at Christmas?

The Holy Father, Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of December 2022 is “volunteer, not-for-profit, organisations”. The whole world desires more committed volunteers, institutions and organisations to seek the common good of all. Let’s be more committed to human development by working together with each other for people’s needs – “to the demands of justice, to the defense of the poor, to the care of creation” - without looking for benefits, profits or awards.

WE WAIT IN HOPE

Awaited Prime Minister (PM) Of Malaysia! 

It was a very happy moment indeed for all Malaysians when the appointment of our 10^th Prime Minister was announced.

 

After waiting for almost five days after the Elections, on 24 November 2022, His Majesty YDPA Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, officially announced the decision to appoint the 10th^. Prime Minister of Malaysia - Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. His Majesty entrusted him with the mandate to form a Unity Government (Kerajaan Perpaduan) – an inclusive government.

 

The word “perpaduan” isn’t a new term for us, as it has been frequently used in the Malaysian context for years (especially during our school days) and promoted by most of the political leaders in the past. However, over the years it seemed as though division and diversion in many areas, aspects and sectors in our nation was prevalent instead.

 

Once again, this term echoed when the YDPA decreed to form a “Kerajaan Perpaduan” which is a concept new in our history. A few coalition parties emerged during the GE15, each with their own manifestos. It is going to be a big challenge for our new PM to bring all the coalition parties together, to work collaboratively in order to form a brand-new unity government, and ensure unity in this multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious country.

 

Although previous governments and authorities have governed our nation carelessly, God has now blessed us with a new Prime Minister - a veteran in politics and a reformist - giving hope to our people and our nation. Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim was not only voted by the “rakyat” but also selected by the YDPA and all the Malay Rulers. They have confidence entrusting him to lead of our nation.

 

We hope that PM10 will carry out his manifesto with integrity, by bringing unity in diversity and embracing all our differences. With all his capabilities, hardships and experiences over these past years, we pray that he will bring stability amidst political turmoil and enhance the economical growth of our beloved nation. We pray that the Lord gives him the enthusiasm and strength to go on in his mission – to form a caring, clean and stable government for all Malaysians, and not just a select few. 

Awaiting A Lovely Advent Season!

 

Advent is a season of grace and a season of reconciliation. The word advent comes from the Latin root, “adventus”which means “coming” – the coming of Christ at Christmas and His Second Coming. A better word to express Advent is expectation and anticipation of the coming of Christ – the Emmanuel – God is with us, who has never left us abandoned, but lives among His people.

 

During this first Sunday of Advent, let us work towards preparing our hearts and homes for the coming of Christ at Christmas. The hustle and bustle of the holidays are all right, the shopping for gifts and family gatherings are great too! However, let’s keep in mind that this season is not merely a season for decorating, feasting, shopping, parties and holidays, but instead, is a season to pay attention to our relationship with God and with one another.

 

Whether we face loneliness, financial or job stress, grief, or illnesses, let us celebrate this Advent enthusiastically and prayerfully, so that God will give us the courage, faith, hope and love in all our commitments. 

 

Blessed Advent, everyone!

TOGETHERNESS IN SPITE OF DIFFERENCES

Our Family Day 2022 in conjunction with World Day of the Poor (WOP) was an exciting and memorable event for the Parish of St Thomas, Kuantan. It was held last Sunday, 13 November from 9:30 am onwards, at our church grounds. We began with a thanksgiving Mass, to remind us of the essence and importance of works of mercy towards the underprivileged and marginalised. Of course, the main intention of this event was fundraising towards flood relief during the monsoon season which is expected to occur soon and also to spend time with the underprivileged in our community.

We managed to bring people together from far distances - the Orang Asli from Kuala Rompin and Muadzam Shah, as well as the Indonesian plantation workers from Maran, by providing shuttle bus services to transport them. Whereas the local Kuantan dwellers were transported by our very own Parishioners, who have created a strong, healthy relationship with these families and have proven to have an enormous impact on their lives. As a Church, we hope to establish a positive relationship to provide assistance and service, whenever possible. Furthermore, the gathering is one of the best ways to remind us of the essence of family in our lives and to bring awareness of interacting with each other despite our differences.

This very special day was flavoured with a wide variety of food stalls, exciting games and other fun activities. Among the highlights of the day were the various performances such as line dance, traditional and cultural dances, singing, musical performances and lucky draws. Everyone participated in fun activities together and spent quality time with family and friends, new and old. It was a day of great celebration that not only got everyone exhausted, but thoroughly satisfied and happy too, and filled with the hope of having a similar get-together next year!

 

We are very grateful to God for providing us with wonderful weather that day! As we know, we are in the midst of pre-monsoon, but every one of us went down on our knees with hands stretched out towards heaven before God (cf. 1 Kings 8: 54) praying for pleasant weather and He certainly did not disappoint us! Everything went on smoothly, except for a slight drop of rain that for a moment threatened to dampen our celebrations for a while! For this, we praise and thank you, Lord.

 

I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the organising committee for their hard work and excellent coordination of the event and for making our Family Day 2022 a successful and memorable one. Thank you also to all the Parishioners of St Thomas, friends and benefactors who generously helped us make this event a success. We really couldn’t have done this without all of you! 

 

A special thanks to all our invited guests - the Orang Asli, migrant and refugee communities, and those from within the Kuantan city area. Thank you for being with us on this special occasion. Your presence was highly appreciated and we hope that you enjoyed your time spent with the communities and Parishioners of St Thomas Church, Kuantan.

 

We had a fun-filled event and I am certainly looking forward to more events in our Parish in the future.

WITH LOVE, RESPONSIBILITY AND SOLIDARITY

“For Your Sakes, Christ Became Poor” (cf. 2 Cor 8: 9) is the theme chosen by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for the 6th World Day of the Poor (WDP). The Holy Father encourages us to show “greater solidarity and responsibility for the poor in our society” by not forgetting them, and the hardships they face in their lives.

The Universal Church observes WDP each year on the 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and this year it falls on 13 November. It is celebrated annually in honour of the poor, socially marginalised and underprivileged, as we carry out the mission of the Church with the spirit of solidarity, responsibility and mercy.

In His message, the Holy Father highlights that the war in Ukraine has added to the death and destruction of humanity. Furthermore, this senselessness of war has caused the deportation of thousands of vulnerable people - men and women, children and the elderly, to neighbouring countries. There are still a great number of people who remain in war zones, living in fear and uncertainty - lacking food, water and medical care. They are in need of relief and peace, and most of all our prayers for them.

During his visit to Jerusalem, St Paul met the Apostles Peter, James and John, and he urged them not to forget the poor. The community of Jerusalem was going through hardship because of a shortage of food at that time. The Apostles organised “a great collection to aid the poverty-stricken in Jerusalem” and encouraged the Christian community in Corinth to contribute every first day of the week to support and be generous towards the poor.

Since then, the Church does collections during Mass to provide for the needs of the poor. We, Christians give “with joy and a sense of responsibility, to ensure that none of our brothers and sisters will lack the necessities of life.” The Peninsula Malaysian churches have set the second collection on the first Sunday of every month for the poor, and this is used for the basic necessities of those in need.

I have observed the WDP celebrations since serving in my previous Parish of St Joseph, Kuala Lumpur, when the Holy Father promulgated it at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016. Underprivileged people from the community were invited to be part of our celebrations with food, games and entertainment. All proceeds from that event were then utilised to continue helping the poor.

This year, the celebration for WDP & Family Day continues at the Church of St Thomas here in Kuantan. Our main objective of this WDP event is to bring the poor, migrants and refugees as well as the Orang Asli within our community together. There will be many food stalls, games, funfair and entertainment, and all proceeds from the sale of coupons and donations will be channelled towards flood relief during the monsoon season, and for the basic necessities and education of the needy.

May our celebration of World Day of the Poor & Family Day 2022 be a grace-filled day with solidarity, love and care for those who need it the most.