NEW COMMITMENTS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2014

I wonder how we will make a radical difference in this year 2014? Will we make any better use of our time? When this year is over, we shall have next 362 days. Will we be looking at the future with anticipation, or with fear?

Let's learn to use the 8,760 hours of the year 2014 in the wisest way we can for us and for the greater glory of God.

Here I want to suggest how we can make a happier New Year by keeping close the seven simple attitudes in our lives:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Appreciate what you have.

4. Give to the poor by reaching out to at least 5 families.

5. Expect less from people but give more from yourself.

6. Recognise the value of time.

7. Love God deeply and love your neighbor as yourself.

Prayer for the New Year:

“Lord, help us to understand Your will and Your Word. Help us to prosper in our walk with You and our work for You. Grant us Your power to endure the difficulties and still enjoy the journey.” (Cf. Colossians 1: 1-12).

Mary, Mother of God, grant us your maternal care.

Family as a "Domestic Church"

The last Sunday of the calendar year is a wonderful time to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. It’s a time to reflect on the year just about to an end – on our successes and failures, our times of joy and sadness in our families – and then look ahead with hope and expectation in the coming year.

When we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we also celebrate our own families. Our families are not perfect. Honestly speaking, most families are a little messy. The purpose of this feast is to show the importance and sacredness of the family as the basic unit of Church life. On this feast of the Holy Family, the Church invites us, to make our natural families into more loving homes.

 

Late Pope John Paul II on his in the encyclical "Familiaris Consortio" (Family Life) describes the family as a “domestic church,” the foundational Church where holiness is awakened, nurtured and lived out. 

The Second Vatican Council elevates the family as a center of faith and mission, a witness to the message of Christ and an agent of transformation. 

The family, therefore, is a living reality that is called to be a vessel of peace, defender and herald of the Word, temple of the Spirit, and a steward of God’s love.

Family life is a full time job. Home is where we feel to talk about our tensions, troubles and difficulties. Let us renew our commitment to our God-given duties as spouses, children and parents. 

We pray that God will strengthen the bonds of love in our families. Let us also remember to pray for the families are in serious problems so that the Lord will guide them and help them their problems in a Christian way of life and to value and promote the sanctity of the family.

I would like to highlight few questions from the “YouCat” for you to ponder over them or to read before the year end:

# 368. What place does the family have in God’s plan of creation?

# 369. Why are families irreplaceable?

# 370. Why should the State protect and promote families?

# 371. How does a child respect his/her parents?

# 372. How do parents respect their children?

# 373. How should a family live its faith together?

# 374. Why is God more important than the family?

Let's Make Everyday Just Like Christmas!

Giving gifts is an important part of our celebration of Christmas. Christmas could be said to be the season of gifts. Gifts are a way of telling others that we love them. 

Christmas was originated by a gift. It was God who started it all: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..." (Jn 3:16)

Don’t lose God this Christmas. Don’t forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and greetings. Don’t forget about Jesus in all your parties and celebrations. Don’t let God's only begotten Son become His only forgotten Son this Christmas. Find those quiet moments in quiet places where you can think about Him, speak to Him and draw near to Him.

"Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." (James 1:17). Let us say, ‘Thank you Jesus for Christmas, You are the best gift anyone could ever receive.

Let’s make everyday just like Christmas! 

Our hearts are full of many gifts that we can give – "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, and self-control," (Gal 5:22-23).

MERRY CHRISTMAS
          AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR

Mary is Our Advent Model

"The virgin shall conceive and bear a son," (Mt. 1:23)

The end of Advent, the beginning of the Christmas season that approaches, is a time to reflect how is my relationship with God has progressed during the year that is about to end. How we can prepare ourselves?

Mary is our Advent Model. Mary is truly the model of how we should be living Advent in preparing for Christ’s arrival. God, the Father prepared Her from the first moment of her conception to be the worthy Mother of His Son. 

Let us enter into Mary’s response of faith, which is a guide for us along our own pilgrimage of faith. Let us listen to the beat of Mary’s contemplative heart, so that our Christmas may be as fruitful as that first Christmas.

Today, we ask Mary Our Most Beloved Mother to help us and show us how to find the way to celebrate a better Christmas so that our lives can be lived honestly and generously, so that we can turn away from sin and turn our hearts towards Jesus.  Mary will help us to get closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.

A Segment in RTM

On Wednesday, 18th December, I was invited to take part in a recording for a special segment in RTM Channel 102's VASATHAM programme. The segment was on what Christmas is all about. There were also two other representatives from the Catholic Church - Nyanam and D'cruz Joseph from the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development (AOHD) ministry. The commentator for the programme is a well-know person by the name of Pandithorai.

This programme will be broadcast on Sunday, 22nd December from 1pm to 2pm. I would like to encourage all my Tamil speaking parishioners/friends to watch this informative programme. I am sure you will enjoy it.

The Coming of the Lord Stirs Joy

The 3rd Sunday of Advent is called “the joyful Sunday.” The coming of our Saviour will stir up the joy within us, in our homes, in our community and the Church.

During his lifetime, John himself had doubts about Jesus being the true Messiah and unsure about whether Jesus "who is about to come.” 

We all have doubts and fears that float up in moments of difficulty and trial. Be it doubt or fear, the lesson is exactly the same: Turn to Christ in every circumstance of life. Christ is our reassurance and strength when fear invades our hearts and clouds our minds. Thus, we echo the motto of the Baptist in all that we do: “He must increase and I must decrease”.

Where God is, there is joy and there is beauty. Our hearts can easily become frightened and weighed down by the hardships we face. Our hands can grow weaker. We can lose patience in our sufferings as we await the coming of the Lord. 

No matter what, we have to carry around our wounded hearts and we have to accept suffering willingly and joyfully. We must not allow any distress to break our friendship with God until He comes and heals us. May this Christmas stir up the joy within us.

Advent is the Time to Make Room for Christ

"Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight,” (Luke 3:4).

The real sign of Christmas is the coming of Christ as a gift to our homes and our hearts. It is a real sign of Christ presence, and we tend to forget easily.

Before all the excitement in this Christmas, today we need to stop and think about “What I need to change in my life?”  In our own life there are many things that we need to straighten out. Our resentment till now has never resolved.  How about our patience and tolerance with one another? What obstacle can I remove to prepare a way for the Lord? How often we look at our lives and our situations - and say “Lord I need help.” 

We must not forget that this Advent is a time to make room for Christ to enter into our heart. We need him to be a real part of our lives. We have to let go of the old way of thinking and acting and put on Christ in a real and visible way.

Peace is the theme of the Second Sunday of Advent. Whatever separates us from God's peace, whatever makes us restful relationship with God and with one another, we must get rid of it today. May Christ equip and prepare us for this advent in true peace!

Advent Practices!

Some simple ways to include “Advent Practices” in your busy schedule:

1)      Desire for the Lord. Make it a habit of silently praying, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Take a few deep breaths throughout the day. As you exhale, let go of tension, worry and anything else that is not of God. The best way to transform trials and tensions is to turn them into a prayer.

2)      Do something nice for someone every day. It might be an encouraging word, a phone call, a note of appreciation or a little act of kindness.

3)      Get rid of grudges. Use Advent as an opportunity to let go of any anger or resentment that you might be holding onto.

4)      Pray for patience. If you find yourself becoming anxious or upset, ask the Lord for the gift of patience. Then make a conscious effort to be a more patient person.

5)      Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and take advantage of the opportunity to cleanse your soul in preparation for the coming of Jesus at Christmas.

6)      Unite with Mary. Set aside time once a day to join Our Lady in praying the Magnificat (see Lk 1:46-55) and the Rosary with your family.

What is to Come?

We have begun the season of Advent. The word "advent" comes from the Latin "adventus" meaning, "to come." The stories of Advent are stories of thrilling expectation, stories of hope and stories of joy. 

On this First Sunday of Advent we are reminded that we should not spend all our time waiting and doing nothing. The best way to live each day is to live it as if it were our last day. That means having a serious prayer life and acting with a deep spirit of charity during the Advent.

Lord, I want to prepare myself well this Advent for your arrival at Christmas, so that I can offer you a fitting birthday gift. Help me to live each day to the full in order to grow in holiness and to keep my gaze fixed on the things of heaven.

The Year of Faith 2012/2013

We have already come to the end of the Year of Faith (11th October, 2012 to 24th November, 2013). A time that called you and I to dedicate ourselves entirely to the renewal of faith.

During this Year of Faith, we were enabled to experience a lot of challenges and opportunities to grow spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. 

As for me one of the greatest challenges is to always remain faithful to the teaching of Jesus, to His message and also to make it relevant to young people. I found working with youths a challenging yet rewarding experience.

As we look forward to the future especially after this Year of Faith, what positive outcomes can we hope for?

What exciting challenges or opportunities do you foresee for yourself and your family beyond this Year of Faith?

But more importantly, are we aware that even though the Year of Faith is officially over, our faith life must continue till the end of time. What are some of the steps that you will be taking to ensure that your faith continues to grow and flourish? 

Long Live Christ the King!

Today is the last Sunday of the liturgical year - traditionally recognised as the feast of “Christ the King”. This week we conclude with a proclamation of the kingship of Christ, and a call upon all of us to declare our loyalties and commitments to the rule of Christ.

The Kingdom of Christ is something more appealing, more permanent and more rewarding than the temporal advantages offered by the kings, presidents or politicians of the world. Christ offers Truth. His Kingdom is not in power, wealth and popularity but Truth. His Kingdom is qualitatively different from the Kingdoms of this world.

His is the Kingdom where power and money mean nothing in terms of a person’s value, but where humility and sacrifice mean everything.

We have chosen Christ as our King. We stand by Christ, holding fast to our belief in the better world that is to come, and together with our King, we move forward through sacrifice and service.

Jesus is our Victor,

Jesus is our Ruler, 

Jesus our Lord and Redeemer.

Long live Christ the King!

The Time is Near!

"The time is near at hand!" (Lk 21: 8)

The one big question we Christians need to keep on asking ourselves is not when or how the world will end but how well are we prepared for the end of our journey.

33rd Sunday's Gospel (Lk 21: 5-19) serves to prepare us for the Lord’s coming. What we are challenged to do today is to turn our fingers toward ourselves and ask truthfully, “Am I ready?” Before we allow ourselves to take comfort in thinking the end of time is far off, we are also called to acknowledge that our personal time in this world is limited. Surely, the end of the world will come but it is yet far…far from our understanding, perception and prediction.

Jesus warns us, “Not to be misled” by those who would say, “The time is near.” Jesus is urging us to be well prepared for the end of our lives by engaging ourselves in our daily task – which is far most challenging. We have to be prepared to face the challenges of the world, tensions, conflicts and difficulties ahead of us.

Our state of readiness to meet the Lord depends on the type of life we choose. Jesus is actually asking us to be well prepared for the end by facing the world courageously and bravely with all its trials, conflicts, and sufferings by trusting and building confidence in Him.

Psalms: "The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness and peace"

Life doesn't End with the Grave!

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Reflection

Why do we believe in the resurrection of the "body" (YouCat # 153)

If you asked the question to the Jews at the time of Maccabaeus and prophet Isaiah, they would answer: “the dead will not come back to life, the shadows will not rise again, God has wiped out their very memory,” (Is 26: 14).

Only much later, that is about 170 years before Christ, the Israelites began to speak of life after death. We, Christians have strong faith in life after death. In fact, eternal life to a Christian does not begin with death, but it begins with faith and begins with our meaningful life on earth.

That’s why we see in today’s Gospel Jesus responds to the Sadducees, enemies of Jesus who refused to accept the growing belief in the resurrection of the body in other words life after death. To affirm that Jesus says, “The dead do rise to life," (Lk 20: 37). He says that life in the resurrection will be completely different quality and altogether will be a new experience.

The Church gives us hope and brings meaning of life and purpose of death. Life does not finish with the grave!

Heaven is Within Our Reach

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, (Mt. 5:1-12).

Today we celebrate with and for the assembly of saints in heaven. The festival of All Saints should inspire and strengthen us to live in faithful witness to Christ and to work in His Church. (The Greek work "witness" is martyr). We must continue living as Children of God to "bear witness to the truth," (Jn 18: 37). Heaven is within our reach. Heaven is not far the privileged few but for all of us. That is the intention of God. The saints are gift of God to His Church and to His people. They are our friends in Heaven and we should not hesitate to pray to them.

We can call on our patrons/patronesses and our favorite saints, and also our departed grand parents, parents, relatives and friends whom we believe are already in communion with all saints and with God, (cf. YouCat #146).

Saints of God, pray for us.

God Gives Grace to the Humble!

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted," (Lk 18:14)

In the Gospel, the Pharisee was comparing himself to other people while the tax collector was comparing himself with God.

We should judge our goodness and holiness by looking at God, not by looking at those around us. Often, we think, “I am not as bad as most people.”

WHY DID YOU COME TO CHURCH? 

a) To be seen!

b) To seek God!

To Be Seen!

The Pharisee was truly good and holy person who kept the law faithfully, fulfilling every law and even went beyond what the Law required. He was a model of what we would call a living saint. Obviously, the Pharisee was at the temple for others to see how good he was. It was a public performance and religious show. He was there to be seen by all and to be heard by the other worshipers.

When you are preparing to come to Church, are you thinking more about who will be there to see you or you come to Church to impress others the way you pray rather than your personal conversion and your connection with God.

To Seek God?

Tax collectors were generally regarded as people of low moral standards. Because tax collectors worked for the pagan Romans, mixed up with them and constantly handled unclean money. He didn’t focus on the other people but he focused on his own sinfulness. He beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This is the most moving of all prayers, and one that God cannot fail to hear.

Why do you go to Church every Sunday? Is it just your habit, a part of your weekend routine? Perhaps you came because your parents or your spouse pressured you to come. Or maybe you feel guilty if you don’t come. Or you come seeking to connect with God that one day you might be abled to get into heaven?

When we come to God's house, we should be primarily concerned about seeking God’s face. 

When we have this attitude, I am sure we can go home reconciled and at peace with God and with one another.

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble," (1 Peter 5:5).

World Mission Sunday 2013

Pope Francis in his message for World Mission Sunday 2013 (20th Oct) said that our faith in Christ “is a precious gift, not reserved for a few but offered with generosity.” He added, “Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the joy of salvation!” This precious gift is not meant to be kept to ourselves but it has to be shared to all. When we keep it only to ourselves, “we will become isolated, sterile and sick Christians.” 

In this Year of Faith, we take the opportunity to increasingly strengthen our friendship with the Lord and open our minds and hearts to know and love Him, (cf. Porta Fidei, no. 15). Every Christian is obliged to play a role in spreading the faith, to communicate it to others, to live it in charity and to witness to it. We cannot proclaim or announce Christ without the Church. The Pope said, “Evangelisation is not an individual or private act,” but “it is always ecclesial.” He quoted what Pope Paul VI said, “When an unknown preacher, catechist or pastor preaches the Gospel, gather the little community together, administers a Sacrament, even alone, he is carrying out of an ecclesial act.” This affirms that every missionary or evangeliser is never carrying out his apostolic work alone or should never involve pressure or force. His evangelism is a part of a single Body that is a Church animated by the Holy Spirit.

On this Mission Sunday the entire Church should remember how Paul and Barnabas at the end of their first missionary journey, “reported what God had done with them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, (Acts 14:27).  Let us ask God today to make us strong in our faith, firm in our hope and persistently and courageously to “shout the Gospel by our action."

Islam Hadhari and Its Principles

The usage of the word “Allah” remains unresolved. The Christians have been told that they have no right to use the word “Allah” for God. Today in Malaysia, we are living in an age which is completely different in many aspects from previous times. When we look at the Islamic extremist groups and the fundamentalists in the country, even though they are mostly small minorities, we notice that their political aims are stronger than their religious aims. They claim to be returning to the true form of their religion as it was in the past, but they have gone in the opposite direction. In the course of time, all these extreme and fundamentalist groups do not last and will not impress nor influence people very much and will gradually die away.

I like very much the 10 fundamental principles for the Islam Hadhari or Islamic Civilisation outlined by the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in September 2004. The 10 Principles of Islam Hadhari are: faith and piety in Allah/God, a just and trustworthy government, free and independent people, a vigorous mastery of knowledge, a balanced and comprehensive economic development, a good quality of life, protection of the rights of minority groups and women, cultural and moral integrity, conservation of the environment, and strong defence capabilities. It was basically to bring Muslims into the modern world and integrate them into the modern economy. Furthermore, it is also about respecting and living in peace with each other in the multi-religious society. It called upon Malay-Muslims to treat well and fairly their non-Muslim fellow citizens in all their dealings. It was quite balanced principles dealing fairly with all races and focuses on human development, civilasation, intellectual and spiritual.

Islam Hadhari was most strongly criticised by these Islamic extremists and fundamentalists and they see it as just a political concept promotion and it does not represent the faith itself. They don’t learn to see themselves as partners who have to deal with common problems of individuals and society as well. They should have a mutual understanding and friendships which can only be achieved through dialogue. They have to learn and respect the value of other religions. They have to think positively and appreciate of one’s personal growth and to strive for “religious maturity.”

Pope Benedict XVI recalled the statement of Vatican II Council in August 2005 in Germany with regard to the Muslims in the declaration of Nostra Aetate (DECLARATION ON THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH TO NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS) and confirmed that the intention of the Catholic Church was “to pursue the way of interreligious and cultural dialogue in order to face together the many challenges of our time”. The world Muslim leaders responded positively to the Pope’s appeal “to continue dialogue and to work together” and “to foster knowledge of each other’s religion”.

As a Malaysian, I realise that the government's efforts in forming the so called “1Malaysian” concept and the willingness to enter into dialogues without any prejudice in the pluralistic society are going to waste.

As Christians and as a minority in this country, we must not back down from the challenge of defending and upholding our rights in freedom of worship. Let us continue to invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Social Grace - Gratitude

On the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we heard in the Gospel, “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?" (LK 17:17). But only one of them thought it worthwhile to return and say thank you. The other lepers failed to show appreciation to Jesus but kept everything for themselves and gave nothing back. Jesus expressed disappointment at the attitude of the nine who stayed away and forgot to thank and praise God.

We are no longer a people who are quick to show gratitude. A study from a few years ago revealed that, in fact, very few parents and teachers teach children about such things as “the social grace” which includes gratitude. The expression of gratitude is one of the most fundamental signs of respect for one another.

We must make it a personal rule to thank and praise God for everything that happens to us. Even when a misfortune happens to us, if we thank and praise God that it will turn into a blessing and eventual happiness. We are expected to thank God not only for our happy days but for the upsetting ones too.

I would like make reference to the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (YouCat) which talks about the need to put our gratitude for God first and our parents, second.

i) Why did God make man?  (YouCat no. 59)

God man everything for man. Man, however, who is “the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake”, was created in order to be blessed. This happens when man knows, loves, and serves God and lives in gratitude toward His creator. Gratitude is love that has been acknowledged. Someone who is grateful turns freely to the giver of the good and enters into a new, deeper relationship with him. God wishes us to acknowledge His love and even now to live our whole life in relation with Him. This relationship lasts forever.

ii) How does a child respect his parents? (YouCat no. 371)

A child respects and honours his parents by showing them love and gratitude. Children should be grateful to their parents in the first place because they receive their life from the love of their parents. This gratitude establishes a lifelong relationship of love, respect, responsibility and obedience, rightful understood. Especially in times of need, sickness and old age, children should lovingly be there for their parents and care for them carefully.

Making Time for Prayer!

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her," (Lk 10:42)

Many critics of prayer complain that we pray a lot but it doesn't seem to do any good. Very often we get disappointed when we don’t get what we are asking for. First, there needs to be love for God in our heart. God needs to be a Friend to us. Second, we need to be persevere in prayer when things are difficult and I am truly sure in the end we shall get what we want or that God will give us what is best for our needs. If we persevere in prayer with love, we will get all that we need as how God wills it should be. 

Are we open enough in our prayer to let God work as He wants; to follow His plan and not ours? So cooperate with God’s plan instead of insisting on our own plan. Even if we don’t see the results of our prayer that doesn't mean God is not listening to us. He does what is best for us.

“… Get up in the morning and give the day to God, asking for His BLESSINGS and ‘to be there’ in all your meetings and needs. Thank Him, especially at mealtimes. At the end of the day, place everything into His hands, ask Him for forgiveness, and pray for peace for yourself and for others. A great day – full of signs of life that reach God.” (YouCat No. 499).