BUILDING A LIVING RELATIONSHIP

On Thursday, 16 May 2019, there was a breaking of fast (buka puasa) occasion with Muslim officials and Christian pastors and their communities at Royale Chulan Hotel Damansara in Kuala Lumpur. It was organised by Global Unity Network (UNITY) and Christians for Peace and Harmony in Malaysia (CPHM). The event was graced by more than 100 people, including representatives from various Muslims and Malay NGOs such as Imams, PERKASA, IKRAM, Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) and the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM). From our Parish – Gabriel (PPC Chairman), Eleanor (Chairperson of PMEIA) and I were invited by Ms Caroline Soon, who is a trustee from CPHM. This buka puasaevent has been organised by these organisations for the past 5 years and this was the first time we have attended, on behalf of the Catholic Church.

After hearing the azancall to prayer at 7.20pm by one of the members from UNITY, the guests started breaking their fast. While everyone was enjoying their meal, one of the heads of CPHM, Pastor Lee Min Chong delivered his speech, expressing the beauty of creation and seeing the goodness of all things. When the nation lives in peace, harmony and unity it is a beautiful sight in the eyes of God.

Then, the organising committee invited Encik Shah Kirit, the chairman of UNITY to say a few words, and he emphasised that his organisation is making every effort in promoting peace, harmony and unity among people of other faiths. He added that every one of us - regardless of race or religion, should return to God Almighty and pay attention to their spiritual life rather than focusing on the materialistic world.

Apart from speeches, there were also a few activities coordinated by the organising committee. Among them were quizzes pertaining to Islam and Christianity and individual sharing about their faith experiences, their relationships with Muslims and Christians and the challenges in the multi-racial country. Muslims and Christians are relatively two major religions in the world and we need to practice our faith freely, without creating tension with each other.

On my part, I shared my personal childhood experience with my Muslims school friends. When I was in primary and secondary school, I was very close to my Muslim friends – we studied together, played football together, cycled our bikes together and had meals together. On many occasions, I experienced buka puasawith my Muslim friends in their homes. Now, after more than 40 years, I have once again experienced buka puasaand it has brought back some good old memories. 

I still remember the national slogan – “Spirit of Muhibbah” (Spirit of Togetherness) to respect each other’s rights and feelings, and to enhance inter-religious relationships in Malaysia’s pluralistic society. Over the years we have lost this wonderful spirit in our nation. Whatever differences we may have, we should continue to engage with one another, building friendships and building our nation with peace, harmony and unity.

The aim of the Church in Malaysia is to promote religious dialogue among faith organisations and foster understanding, mutual respect and cooperation between people of different religions. Today we can see people dialoguing and engaging, to build a living relationship with those of other faiths, in a healthier manner.

Let us make every effort in promoting peace, harmony and unity “through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love…” (The Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions - Nostra Aetate, no. 2, 1965).

PEACE THAT THE WORLD CANNOT GIVE

Jesus concludes the long sermon at the Last Supper, He is going to His arrest, trial, torture and execution. But the last words He shares with His disciples is “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift…” (Jn 14:27).

Without peace we will not find joy in our journey of life. We need “Peace” in our neighbourhoods, work places, schools, governments, churches and most of all in our families. 

We look at the world and there seems to be little peace everywhere and few people find peace in their lives. We may face moments of panic, anxiety or fear. Fear and peace are basic realities that we all live with.

God’s peace is offered to everyone who wants it. As Christians, we must make more efforts to bring peace rather than fear. May each of us have the willingness and courage to offer peace.

“O God, let all the nations praise You!” (Ps 67)

MARY, MODEL OF FAITH

We are now halfway through the month of May - a month of praying the Rosary with Mary and I hope our Parish Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) have faithfully carried out the Rosary.During this month, our Catholic Church invites us to stay focused on Mother Mary, as her heart points us always to the heart of her Son, Jesus Christ. 

As BEC members, we should unite with Mary, Joseph and Jesus and sincerely pray that our hearts might be open to share the love of Christ with the other members of our BEC and as well as our parish community. It is hard to love one another when we are exhausted and drained out due to our daily struggles and workload. Every time we pray the Rosary in our homes or in our BECs, we are opening ourselves to the love of Christ, and His love gives us new life.

At every novena to Our Lady of Mother of Perpetual (OLMP) and evening prayer (Vespers) from the Liturgy of the Hours (the Church prayer), we pray the most fascinating prayer – the Magnificat. We find the Magnificat, in which Mother Mary begins with, “My soul proclaims the glory of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…,” (Luke 1: 46-56). Every verse offers praise and thanksgiving to God for His goodness, faithfulness and promises.We should make the Magnificat our personal prayer. It is a way of increasing our gratitude to God, who has done marvelous things (cf. Psalm 98) in our lives and a refreshing way to renew the spirit of thankfulness in our hearts. 

We tend to overlook our gratitude of God’s favours because of our busy and distracted lives. We are constantly bombarded with worries about finance, status and responsibility which in turn causes anxiety, displeasure and unhappiness. In the life of Our Lady, she didn’t always feel happy, and she considered her heart pierced (Lk 2: 35) from the moment she heard Simeon’s prophecy until her own Assumption into Heaven. Praying the Magnificatdaily can help us experience the joy and happiness we long for, in our hearts and in our homes.

St. Louis de Montfort said Mary is intimately united to the Trinity and she can unite us with God as well. He added, “Mary is the quickest, shortest, and easiest path to Jesus.”This month of May, we should get to know Mary, then love her and imitate her. Once we deepen our intimate relationship with her, then we should have a desire to make her known to others.

As we pray the Rosary, let us pray for the grace to imitate Mary in her most inspiring virtues and put them into practice, so that it may lead us to heaven. The first virtue is her unwavering faith in midst of all the trials of her life. Because of her great faith, she was known as “the first disciple of Jesus and the most faithful disciple,” (Lumen Gentium–  The Church in the Modern World, Vatican II).

The second virtue we need to learn from Mary is patience. We should have the desire to teach ourselves to grow in patience and to grow gracefully in age too. Our Lady patiently accepted all the contradictions and sufferings when she conceived Jesus and she patiently accompanied Jesus and stood under the cross with Him, for the salvation of the world.

The third virtue is to be in constant prayer. Mary had a constant spirit of perseverance in prayer, which led her to a profound union with God. We all need to pray constantly, asking her to teach us to pray as she unceasingly intercedes for us.

As we come to the end of the month of Rosary, and as we approach Pentecost, we ask the intercession of Mother Mary and the Holy Spirit to make us courageous and grow in our virtues, so that we will be united with her forever.

A NEW COMMANDMENT OF LOVE

Jesus says: “I give you a new commandment: Love one another;you must love one another just as I have loved you,” (John 13: 34).

What is “new” in Jesus’ teaching is that now God’s people are to love others as Jesus loved us and to lay down one’s life o and self-emptying for the sake of others. The presence of this love in us leads us - our willingness to serve others as Jesus served us.

Love starts at home but it should reach to the farthest ends of the world. If we are not really loving those who are close to us, then we are not really loving others.

Our love cannot remain at home. We need to find a way how to reach out to others who need the love that we can give. We give our service so that others may live with some sense of dignity.

Love takes time and we cannot be hurry to bring love for others and to bring real delight to others. 

“I will praise your name forever, my King and my God.” (Ps 145).

MOTHERS ARE A BLESSING

One of the most beautiful thing that God ever created is the love of a mother. Since mothers are so important to the family and society, the secular world annually celebrates her - and this year it falls on Sunday, 12 May. Mother’s Day is important as it reminds us to appreciate and thank our mothers - not only once a year but everyday.Whether we are grateful or indifferent to our own mothers - on a day like Mother’s Day we are invited to be thankful, to acknowledge and appreciate them for their love and care.

Mothers do wonderful and amazing things in their lives. It is difficult and tough to understand the pain a mother undergoes for nine months. It reminds me of a wonderful reading from St John’s Gospel (16:21), which says that when a woman is about to give birth, she is in great pain and anguish because her hour of labour has come. After it is all over, she forgets the pain and what remains is joy and happiness because she has brought a new born child into the world. Only a mother can understand another mother’s pain and joy. It is the joy that comes in knowing that the Spirit rests on every mother and they share that joy with us all the time.No one can ever take the place of a mother.

Mothers are a blessing to our home. Strong and nurturing mothers make a happy home and they hold the family together. All of us have a highest respect and admiration for all those who are blessed to be called mothers. Not forgetting the women who desire to be mothers and are looking to adopt, while millions of children are aborted each year. If you do not know what to say to your mother on Mother’s Day, at least you can say one thing, “Thank you, Mum for wanting me and loving me.” We honor and thank the woman who gave birth to us, and nurtured us throughout her entire life.

In my encounter with many mothers, only few mothers have shared that their children really care for them. A mother sacrifices her body, time and energy for her family 24 hours a day. Our mothers bring us into the world - they nurture us, raise us, teach us, instruct us, support us, protect us, provide for us, discipline us and most of all, they love us. They clean the house, prepare the meals, wash the clothes and oversees the family without much thanks from anyone. Today, we shall say to them, “Thank you for being my mother.”

On this Mother’s Day, we can learn wonderful lessons from Mother Mary, our Spiritual Mother, as we take once again her words of prayer and make them our own – “let it be done to me according to your word,” (Lk 1:38). Even as Mother Mary experienced pain and suffering in her life, “she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart,” (Lk 2:19). She was so obedient to the will of God and fulfilled it without any hesitation or fear and brought the Saviour into the world. She gave her heart and soul to raise Jesus. She is a great example for all of us, especially to all mothers in the world.

Jesus Christ sets a great example for us about how to honour our mother at the various stages of life. So today, let’s consider how Jesus honoured His Mother on several different occasions so that we too can follow in His steps. Jesus teaches us that we need to respect and honour our elderly parents and that it is our responsibility to take care of them at their old age. We not only respect and honour our parents on Mother’s Day, but every day of our lives.

These are the thoughts I shared with 40 prisoners in one of the cells at the Kajang Prison on Thursday, 9 May 2019, to remind them of the importance and significance of mothers in their lives and celebrated Mass with them.

Thank you for looking after us so well. We love you! Have a lovely Mother’s Day!