WE ARE ALL CALLED TO SERVE

PARISH PASTORAL ASSEMBLY 2017

On Saturday, 28^th October, we had our Parish Pastoral Assembly (PPA) for the year 2017 with 125 attendees. It was an overwhelming response; in fact, there was an improvement in attendance compared to last year’s PPA. It shows an increase of a sense of belonging in our faith community and parish as well.

I would like to personally thank you for your presence and for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend this memorable assembly. I believe you would have been enriched in your discussions during the PPA and learnt more about the parish structures and thrust of the Archdiocese for the next five years. I too would not forget the PPA core-teams of our parish who came a week before the PPA to discuss about the eight cluster findings, action plans and strategies. The eight clusters are Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC), Family Life, Unity, Parish Integral Human Development (PHID), Formation, Inter-Religious Dialogue (IRD), Youth and Social Media. As a parish community, we are grateful to Archbishop Julian Leow and the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur Pastoral Team led by Monsignor Mitchel Anthony and his team for animating and coordinating the PPA for us.

Since 2015 till now we have been journeying with a-three year parish vision, “Towards Strengthening Our Faith Community.” To achieve this vision we have set our mission for each year on “FAMILY,”  “BECs” and “FAITH COMMUNITY”. As we were journeying these past three years, we were praying and engaging ourselves with the Word of God, worshipping and celebrating our relationship with the Trinity God through the Sacraments in ways that enhance our spiritual growth. Each of us has put our efforts to enflesh our commitment to live out our vision and missions in these past three years. I appreciate that every one of you has shown your growing interest in your own faith and you have devoted your time and energy to help one another in order to strengthen our faith community.

We shall take up all our discussions, reflections, findings, action plans and strategies from this PPA collectively and move further by committing ourselves with the spirit of New Evangelisation towards Year 2020. In a couple of weeks’ time some of our Parish leaders will come together to pray and reflect on the mission statements for the years 2018 – 2020. We shall hope for the best with the spirit of building our community in the light of Christ within our community and with other faith communities as well. We, as parishioners of St Joseph, shall commit ourselves to act as the living presence of Christ in our families, communities and in a larger society. We too shall continue to bring the presence of Christ as we build our relationships, heal the brokenness, serve others and welcome each other with love. We shall work hand in hand loving as Christ loves us and serving as Christ serves, “Not to be served, but to serve,” (Mt 20:28).

I have shared my thoughts and prayers of our parish vision and mission to you and invite you to more fully take part in the life of our parish in the coming years. We have few more events before closing of the year 2017, mainly the memorial service of late Monsignor Anthony Thomas on 5th November, 1^st World Day of the Poor cum Parish Family Day on 19th November and distribution of school uniforms for the poor children and provision of groceries for the poor families in December 2017. Let’s take every opportunity to bring the living presence of Christ by sharing and serving one another in the above events. May God, who has begun the good work in us, bring it to completion, (cf. Phil 1:6).

LOVE GOD AND LOVE NEIGHBOUR

The Greatest Commandments and the true meaning of Love God, Love neighbour and Love one self, (cf Mt 22:34-40).

We must be connected with God and build our relationship with God. God created us with a hunger for a relationship with Him. God did not create us to live apart from Him.
Who is our neighbour? We need relationships with others. Relationships with unreliable and untrustworthy people can be tough. That is why some of us just avoid relationships with those people.

God loves you deeply and He wants you to love yourself, not in strange way but take care of yourself and know who you are in Christ.

We believe that by loving God and loving our neighbour and love ourselves we can make a difference in our families and communities. It is because bonding with God, others and ourselves are the fundamental basis for our happiness.


Love God with all you heart, soul, and mind. Love people unconditionally and sacrificially as God loves us. We will have inner satisfaction and contentment that no amount of success, wealth, or popularity can provide.

MARY IS OUR MOTHER, ALWAYS

On 13 October 2017, the Holy Father, Pope Francis posted on YouTube a message to people of Portugal for the closing of the centennial of Marian Apparitions at Fatima: that every Christian who stays close to the Virgin Mary is “like a child near his mother.” He advised the people in Portugal and to all Christians never to abandon praying the Rosary as per request by the Virgin Mary on her Apparitions at Fatima, Portugal in 1917.

The month of October is a month dedicated to the Rosary and a month that invites every Catholic to focus on the importance of Marian devotion in the life of the Church and in the life of every individual.  This weekend I would like to further my thoughts on the message of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her continuous invitation to pray for the conversion of sinners. In six apparitions in Fatima, the Virgin Mary requested the peasant children to pray the Rosary especially for peace in the world.  In this month of the Rosary, we are encouraged to light up candles and pray for peace in the world.

As we come to the close of the centenary jubilee commemoration of Our Lady of Fatima’s apparition in Fatima, it is an appropriate month for us Catholics to reflect further on the message of Fatima today and always.  It is very important for Christians to revisit the messages received by Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta during the months of May to October 1917 because they offer for us a way of life and a way to live Fatima’s message. There are few simple ways we can live the message of Fatima.

On 13 October 1917, it was the 6^th and final apparition of our Lady of Fatima to three peasant children and to them She said, “Do not offend the Lord our God anymore, because He is already so much offended.” Therefore, we should examine our conscience and identify every area of our lives in which we need His mercy and compassion. The Sacrament of reconciliation is available for us to make confession of our mortal and habitual sins. We too should approach someone to help us or counsel us to overcome our sins. These will help us continue to journey towards conversion of life and guide us back to Her Son, Jesus Christ.

It is important for us to make reparation for our sins and repair the offenses against God and with our fellow brothers and sisters.  Our sins harm our relationship with God and it affects the entirety of human solidarity and harmony.  We should communicate to God often in prayer and say sorry for the sins we have committed and do penitential acts and penance as a form of reparation.  We can also make small acts of self-denial, like fasting, with the intention of offering it for the conversion of sinners.

The Church always speaks of the importance of the Rosary in one’s prayer life. By praying the Rosary daily we can ask Mary to have a heart like Hers. Each time we pray and meditate/reflect on the mysteries of the Rosary we enter Christ’s life and Mary as well.  She will always bring us into union with Her Son, Jesus Christ. It is through Her that we come to know Jesus Christ better and to have a profound knowledge of His mystery.

As we are coming closer to the end of the Month of Rosary, let’s thank God for the gift of the Virgin Mary in our lives as She is a powerful intercessor for our cause.  We shall continue to foster Marian devotion and live Her message in very simple ways.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

GIVE THE LORD GLORY AND HONOUR AND PRAISE!!!

Let’s look at the political question put to Jesus “Is it permissible to pay taxes to Ceaser or Not?” (MT 22: 17). Holding up a coin Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God,” (MT 22:21).

Taxes are important in any country because a government cannot function without taxes. Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. As followers of Christ we are taught to support the government and those in authority, not rebel against them. We may not like our leaders, their politics, their policies, or their ideals, but through prayers we can bring a change in them.

When Jesus says in the Gospel, “repay to God what belongs to God.” He gives us everything we have and requires only that we give back to Him 10%. If we do, He promises to pour out a great blessing but we may be tempted to say, “God, I just can't afford it!”

We owe God our praises because He is a great God. We pay taxes to the government, but to God we give ourselves. God is urging us to: “Give the LORD glory and honor.”

MARY … BY MANY NAMES BUT STILL OUR MOTHER

Many of us have been for pilgrimages around the world visiting various Shrines of our Lady either locally or abroad. Our pilgrimages and our honour to Our Lady have inspired our devotion to Her and have led us to conversion and confession. Mother Mary has inspired me very much since my seminary days and She is still inspiring and stirring me in my own priestly ministry till today. She has always echoed in me to not be afraid. Most of the nights before I go up to my room I used to visit our St Joseph’s Shrine and Our Lady at the Grotto. I just ask them to accompany all of our parishioners in all things that we undertake here in our parish. I am sure many of you also make personal requests to St Joseph and Mother Mary. Some of us have really forgotten their accompaniments and their real presence in our lives. This year we reflect very much on Our Lady of Fatima as the Church celebrates Her 100 years apparition in Fatima, Portugal.

Mother Mary has many names or titles. In the Litany of Our Lady we can refer to many different titles of Mary.  Some of her titles refer to a city or town name corresponding to an apparition location, for instance, Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Fatima or Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are also devotional titles of Our Lady, e.g. Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Our Lady of Sorrows, etc. There are other titles, which associated with a unique history. One such devotion is to Mary under the title of Our Lady Help of Christians. There are some churches which have dedicated titles of Mary. Each title of Mary is unique, and has its own origin and history and the devotions are more or less are the same calling us to pray the Rosary. Each time when we pray the Rosary, it draws us closer to Jesus and helps us to grow in our spiritual life.

Most of our Catholics have great devotions to Our Blessed Virgin Mary because of her role in salvation history. The Catholic Church is trying her best to teach us in various forms to equip our knowledge about Her through homilies, readings and viewings or hearings from various audio-visual. Many of us are taught from childhood to honour Mary and to have devotions to Her by praying the Rosary and we are still faithful to it. We have our personal experiences when we were wandered from our Catholic faith. She has interceded for us endlessly and brought us back to Jesus and Catholic Church. The Rosary is central for our individual’s faith and in the faith of our Church. She has been real in our life right?

Do not give up saying the Rosary daily. You may feel nothing is happening in your life and things are not going well right now. Just remain faithful to Her and Her husband, St Joseph. They will bring all your prayers and desires into reality. They will bring you much closer to their Son, Jesus Christ when you surrender to the will of God. Jesus will do everything according to His plan and bring all things possible.

As we know 13^th October 1917 is known as the sixth and last Apparition of Our Lady to three peasant children in Fatima and the Church celebrates the 100^th year anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s apparition. To commemorate this day, on 13 October 2017 (Friday), the regular weekly morning Mass comers had Rosary immediately after the Morning Mass at 7.15. In the evening at 7.30, the Prayer group and Legion of Mary of our parish conducted the Rosary in the Church. Our Lady of Rosary has given a message to the world to continue to say the Rosary daily. Let’s not give up reciting the Rosary daily in our lives. She will stand by us in all things that we do and obtain for us whatever we ask.

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY PRAY FOR US!