A Spiritual Celebration in Mentakab

On Monday, 25^th January, I attended the 50^thsacerdotal ordination to the priesthood of Rev Fr Edward Soosay at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Mentakab. Even though the actual date of his ordination is 8^th January, he had chosen to celebrate it on this particular date. The celebration was attended by approximately 1,500 parishioners including 10 busloads of people from various parishes in the Archdiocese where Fr Soosay had served in the past.

There were two buses from our parish (84 parishioners) which left ‪at 2.30pm and arrived at the Church around ‪5pm. Fr William Michael and I left on our own by car and we arrived a little earlier than the buses. I waited at the church ground to welcome our parishioners. A bus from the Church of Visitation, Seremban arrived at the same time and the moment our parishioners arrived, I ushered all of them to the main entrance of the Church. We assembled at the entrance of the Church and I briefed them about the Holy Door of Mercy. 

This Church is chosen as a Door of Mercy because it is dedicated to Our Lady (also known as Mother of Mercy). At the entrance we said the prayer for the Year of Mercy and concluded it with one Our Father, Three Hail Marys and Glory Be! Then, we touched and kissed the Holy Door as we entered prayerfully. 

Before leaving for Mentakab I had explained to our two busloads of parishioners that this trip would also be part of our pilgrimage to one of the Holy Doors of Mercy as well. The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has chosen 5 Parishes as Holy Doors of Mercy: i) Cathedral of St John, Kuala Lumpur; ii) Church of Divine Mercy, Shah Alam; iii) Church of Sts Paul and Peter, Banting; iv) Church of St John Vianney, Tampin; and v) Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Mentakab, Pahang.

We had a very solemn Eucharistic celebration celebrated by Fr Soosay and followed by fellowship and entertainment organised by parishioners of Mentakab and Sentul. During the Eucharistic celebration I recalled how Fr Soosay inspired my vocation to the priesthood. In 1997, Fr William and I were seminarians, then and we were assigned to do a one-year pastoral experience at Church of St Joseph, Sentul under the supervision of Fr Soosay. One day, Fr Soosay took us to Mentakab. On our way back to Sentul, I asked him only two questions throughout the journey; i) “Why did you became a priest?” ii) “Father, if I were you I wouldn't even think about the priesthood and I would enjoy and live happily with all the money and property that I have!” He answered us truthfully about his faithfulness to the priesthood and sincerely he said there weren’t any division in his serving the Lord and people.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2016

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began in 1908 and focused on prayer for Church unity. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th to 25th January. During this Week we are called to celebrate our diversity and be faithful to Christ’s call for the unity of his Church.

 Once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “They May Be One So That the World May Believe,” (John 17:21) and therefore Christians come together to pray for this unity. The dates for the Week of prayer for Christian Unity commences on the feast of St. Peter’s Chair on January 18 and concludes with the feast of the Conversion of St Paul on 25 January.

This year the congregations and parishes all over the world are called to focus on the Theme for 2016: “Called to Proclaim the Mighty Acts of the Lord”(1 Peter 2:9). St. Peter tells the early Church that by hearing and encountering the Gospel they had become from “no people” to “God’s Chosen People” and have received the power of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. By virtue of our baptism, it opens up an exciting new journey of faith in our lives, uniting each new Christian with God’s people throughout the ages.

The universal Church is taking active steps to reunite and to bring together the separated members into one Body of Christ. If only all Christian ministers and leaders had the spirituality and humility of Paul to be loyal to Christ and His Church, then the unity of all Christians in Christ would be a much more of a reality today. We need the right attitude, in that we all belong to one faith, one Church, one baptism, one faith in Christ Jesus.

Do we see in the world around us the need for more love, peace and unity today? As we celebrate these two pillars of the one Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Church of Christ and as we pray for Christian unity, let us decide, as individuals and as a community, to work towards healing the wounds of division among Christians. Although the week of Prayer for Christian unity will soon come to an end, we must first pray and work for the unity among ourselves as Catholics before we reach out to the members of the different churches to be bound together and for unity to become reality. It is time to repent and reform our offences. We need not wait for the season of Lent to repent but let us ask for the courage to start doing it now, not just praying about it. Amen!

My Pastoral Experience With Bishop Bernard Paul

The announcement of the Holy Father’s appointment of Monsignor Bernard Paul as Bishop of Melaka-Johor Diocese on 19 November 2015 was indeed a blessing and an occasion for happiness for the people of the diocese and to our country. The Mass of Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Bernard Paul was held in Johor Bahru on 12 January 2016.

Bishop Bernard Paul was ordained as a priest on 21 July 1989 and has since served in the Diocese of Penang as Parish Priest and spiritual advisor for various ministries. He also held the post of Vicar General from 1996-1998 and later from 2012-2015. His Episcopal motto is the same with that of his priestly ordination theme, “TAKE, BLESS, BREAK and GIVE”, (Mt 26;26).

During my final year as a seminarian in the year 2002 at College General, Penang I was assigned to do a one-year pastoral work and exposure programme in the Church of the Sacred Heard in Kulim, Kedah. It was a weekend programme from Friday evening till Sunday evening. Fr Bernard Paul was then the parish priest.

Normally, on Friday afternoons I would ride my motorbike from Penang Island to the Church. The distance was about 160 kms (to and fro). I always looked forward to the weekends to get involved in the parish ministries and to learn about the people in the parish. I also had an opportunity to get to know this wonderful, kind priest who also became a spiritual coach to me. He was filled with great pastoral zeal and had excellent community building skills.

One day I was a little down, thinking seriously about wanting to know my charism, on how the Holy Spirit was moving in my life and how I should respond. I approached Fr Bernard and expressed what was in my heart. After a long conversation with him, he gave me 5 spiritual exercises to follow during that weekend. I did it prayerfully over the weekend and the following weekend he sat with me and explained them meticulously. I was very contented with his feedback and which made sense for my spiritual maturity.

I am really grateful to Bishop Bernard Paul for helping me to discover my vocation to the priesthood at that time. Till now those spiritual exercises help me to live my priesthood courageously and responsibly.

For many of us, at times we are not aware of the path we should take and for this we need to grow in spiritual maturity. Spend some time every day or at least once a week to enter into a deep prayer and have a new start and fresh beginning in our lives. God has given us a lifetime of moments to receive his mercy and forgiveness and to start anew. As we have just begun a New Year, let us pray that Year 2016 brings us a lot of new opportunities, new blessings, and new happiness to us and to our families.

The Miracle at a Wedding Feast

We are in 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time in our liturgical celebrations. We shall continue to take on a gospel journey with Jesus through His public ministry and our life journey as Catholic Christians.

This week we shall reflect on the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11). The first miracle of Jesus was turning the water into wine at the wedding of Cana.The Bible begins and ends with a wedding; i) Adam and Eve’s in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:23-24) and ii) the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9; 21:9; 22:17).

Marriage is the symbol of the covenant relationship God desires with His chosen people. God is the Bridegroom and humanity His beloved, the bride.

That’s why in today’s Gospel, Jesus performs His first public “sign” at a wedding feast. Jesus is the Divine Bridegroom. By His New Covenant, He will become “one flesh” with all humanity in the Church. By our Baptism, each of us has been betrothed engaged to Christ as a bride.

 “Do whatever He tells you..,” (Jn 2:5). Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus commanded them to do. It was obedience to the instructions of Jesus that enabled them to experience the miracle. We must obey the instructions or commanments that the Lord gives to us and we must live according to the word of God.

On this day do pray for all married couples that through the intercession of Mother Mary, the Lord will bless and strengthen their Sacrament of Matrimony as they keep all their marriage promises alive forever.

Prayerful Hope For The Future - 2016

In Gratitude and Thanksgiving for the Past and Prayerful Hope for the Future

As we bid farewell to the eventful and memorable year of 2015 and welcome 2016, let’s take a moment to sit back and reflect on the past year. There have been moments of joy and sadness, success and failures. Let’s ask ourselves what have we learned through all the events that have come to pass.

If we see the hand of God guiding us, showing us the way throughout 2015, then we can forge ahead as a people of Joy to take on 2016! How can we be joy-filled amidst the clouds of uncertainty that we know will yet hover above us into the New Year? Essentially, it is because we know that Jesus IS in our midst! He is with us if we lose ourselves in Him, get out of our selfish lifestyle and let Him move and live among us. It takes an act of faith, of mercy as we reach out to others in need.

Soon we will be doing the registration for the catechism students. We encourage parents to register your children. Our children are capable of understanding deep teachings and profound mysteries. All the wonders and joy mean nothing, if we fail to let our little ones   experience the wonder of God in their lives. The Church wants them to experience the wonder of a tiny baby born long ago, a baby who was the Son of God made man. It is our catechism teachers’ duty to educate them gradually so that they may express their Christmas proclamation, “The Word Became Flesh and Lived Among Us” and tell the story of Jesus who walks with us in their own words. They are doing their best to help your children learn,  in the simplest of ways, the mysteries of the Child-Jesus, Church teachings and traditions.

As an outflow of God’s mercy towards us sinners, we can  confidently stretch out our hands to grant mercy and forgiveness to our brothers and sisters. When we do not hold grudges against others but forgive, then only can we be reconciled with one another and with God. First of all, we need to learn to be patient. Patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf Gal 5). In fact it is the key to focusing on the goodness that dwells within. Recognizing and believing this will move you in the right direction to enrich and prosper your life in unprecedented ways.

So, with a heart filled with thanksgiving and gratitude, I as your Parish priest, humbly implore God to bless you and your families with ten-fold blessings – with all that is good, righteous, beautiful and true! In the Year of Mercy, let us fire up our hearts for Christ and be determined, through prayers and works of mercy, to live and share a life that is happy and at peace with one another.

As we start the New Year 2016 we ask ourselves how we can be different than before! Will you enthusiastically say “yes” to God’s love and plan this Year of Mercy?

The New Year brings hopeful expectations to many of us. Perhaps this is the year that we allow God to radically change us ever humble, patient, kind and zealous to build up His Kingdom on earth. 

We, Catholics must be comfortable in sharing our Faith start with our own friends and families, and then go to the people who are little distance.

For the Jubilee of Mercy, we might consider these commitments as Catholic Christians to witness Jesus through works of mercy.

1 Pray daily and meditate on the mercy of God, “be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful." 

2 Go to Confession regularly to receive God's mercy deeply.

3 If you are caught in an addiction of any kind, get help!

4 Go out and demonstrate the mercy of God. Start with your own friends and family, and then go to the people of other faiths.

God is saying, “I am going to do a new thing," and He is going to open doors that you never even dreamed possible. 

Mary, Mother of God is perpetually interceding for our transformation into Christ.

Have A Blessed and Spirit-Filled New Year!