CATHOLIC CLERGY CONVENTION – EAST MEETS WEST

For the first time in history, the Catholic Church in Malaysia organised the Malaysian Catholic Clergy Assembly (MCCA), from 16-20 July 2018 at Majodi Centre, Plentong in Johor Bahru. The main theme of the Assembly was “May They Be One” (Jn 17: 21) and the sub-theme was “Friendship, Learning and Challenges”. There were altogether 280 of us including Cardinal, Archbishops and Bishops, Priests and Deacons. The Catholic Church in Malaysia consists of 3 Archdioceses (Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu) and 6 Dioceses (Penang, Johor-Melaka, Sibu, Miri, Keningau and Sandakan).

One of the most enjoyable times that I experienced during the 5-day Assembly was coming together for prayer, Eucharistic Adoration and Eucharistic Celebration. It was fascinating and delightful to see all the Malaysian Clergy coming together in prayer as a Church. This reminded me of my seminary days where we used to gather, without fail, for prayers and other spiritual exercises. In our priestly ministry, we pray as individuals and as a community with our congregation, however during the Assembly, it gave us the opportunity to come together, praying as a Church and as a Clergy.

We also had good spiritual input given by Archbishop Emeritus John Ha from the Archdiocese of Kuching, based on the theme. His profound input focused on mission and communion. Both are inseparable entities in our priestly ministry in order to be disciples of the Lord, we need to be one and to be in communion. He reminded us that wherever we are or whatever the situation we face, as ordained clergy, our strength and our unity lies in the way we live our vocation and exercise our ministry to draw all people of God into communion. Archbishop Simon Poh from the Archdiocese of Kuching spoke about the challenges being faced by the Malaysian Clergy in the areas of evangelisation and mission, either in East or West Malaysia and how we can strengthen our Church in Malaysia.

Besides the presentations and sharing, we had group discussions and workshops based on Family, Islamisation, Youth, Secularization, Evangelisation and Mission Witnessing, Disparities Between East and West and Vocation. These workshops have helped in building our friendship, learning to understand the uniqueness of both East and West Malaysia, as well as the diversity and challenges that we face as one Malaysian Church.

We have a role to play in making our country a better, to encourage our Church communities to carry out their commitments seriously, and to spearhead the Church to be the “salt and light” of our nation. The Church should also be at the forefront of holding the new government accountable in protecting the people’s rights and freedom regardless of race, culture and religion.

During the Assembly, the Clergy visited parishes in Kota Tinggi, Masai, Skudai and Johor Bahru. We had the opportunity to meet parishioners from East and West Malaysia in these respective parishes, and they welcomed us with praise and worship, entertainment and fellowship.

The MCCA was truly a blessing for the Malaysian Clergy as it presented us with an opportunity to meet and interact, share ideas and thoughts, as well as reflect on our journey. Many of us hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and it was good to catch up and reminisce. I was happy to have met friends that I hadn’t seen for over 15 years. This Assembly has created warm memories, brought about laughter and given me the gift of new friendships. Personally, I feel blessed with much happiness and I am looking forward to the next East meets West assembly.

We pray that the Lord Jesus continues to bless our beloved Church in Malaysia!

If you put all four of the Gospel accounts together, this is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Jesus was concerned about the people’s physical needs, (John 6:1-15).

Jesus cares about our physical needs as well as our spiritual needs. No one ever cares for us like Jesus. If you come to Jesus, He will provide your needs and He will not send you away hungry or empty hands.

The boy simply gave what he had to Jesus – five loaves and two fish. He was not worried about being hungry himself. He knew Jesus would take care of him.

Jesus used what he gave. Jesus took his little sack lunch and blessed it, broke it, then He fed the five thousands. The disciples fed the hungry with little and the little produced more.

Out beyond our doors is a world full of hungry people. Some of them are hungry spiritually. Some of them are hungry physically. Jesus is moved with compassion about their needs. He is looking for people just like us with five loaves and two fish to use them to feed the multitude.

“You open wide Your hand, o Lord, and grant our desires,” (Ps 144).

DOING GOD’S WILL

Life is incredibly challenging and it is to seek happiness in the Lord, as St Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!”, (Philippians 4:4). It is the Lord who brings hope we are desperate for. When we face tough times in our lives, we should stay close to the Lord by submitting to His will.

Often, we cry over unanswered prayers. We start blaming God and blaming everyone, including ourselves. “Why doesn't God answer my prayers?”, “Why doesn't He see my needs?” and “Why doesn't He care for me?” What is there to be perturbed about? We have no reason to feel anxiety, worry, fear or doubt. Since God is trustworthy, He will respond to our prayers with His goodness, and no matter how long it takes, we need to remain calmness, our prayers have great strength.

God wants to empower us and deepen our relationship with Him so that we may grow in our Christian maturity. Sometimes His answer is “NO” or He may choose to answer in a different way. When God doesn't grant what we ask for, then we should remember that He has a better plan for us. As we grow in our Christian maturity, by discovering and rediscovering ourselves, we may gain a better perspective of knowing His character and His promises. He is always faithful in answering according to His will, which always turns out to be the BEST.

Before His promises are fulfilled and our prayers answered, we should wait patiently for His answer. In the midst of waiting, we may tend to grow weary, discouraged, frustrated, abandoned, ignored, uncared for and impatient. This may cause tears and make us feel miserable, but It is worth not rushing ahead or forcing to make things happen. In His time, surely He will make all things beautiful when we spend time learning and discovering His will and through God’s word when He whispers to us.

God’s will is such an important concept and we strive to do His will. Most of us talk a lot about finding God’s will for our lives. We want to know which college to attend, what course to choose, who will be our life partner, what job to take, etc. Our parents would like to see the very best for their sons and daughters. They would like to see their children’s life filled with good, and not the unpleasant. It is in the same manner where the Heavenly Father wants to see His children live a happy life.

During my young adult years, after a major conversion experience in my faith life, the Lord called me to respond to the call to the priesthood. I found it hard to commit myself in responding to His invitation. I had some other plans and agendas in my life. I was demanding a crystal clear sign of His calling. There were a lot of irresistible temptations and feelings of confusion inside of me and I was afraid to commit myself to Christ and His Church. Today, I feel great, knowing that Jesus and His Church are in my life. Some of us are really afraid to surrender to God’s will because we are afraid that it be more demanding and difficult to respond to. Be assured that God’s will for us leads us to the greatest joy that we could ever imagine.

We sometimes want to see the end of God’s plan, but He is more interested in showing us the next step rather than the end. That’s the way God reveals His will to us – gradually, so that we take the next step courageously, even if we can’t see the final destination. His will never contradicts His promises, but the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts will guide us to the final goal.

FAITH AND PRAYER

Today’s Gospel says that the disciples have just returned from their first mission trip without Jesus. The apostles gather together with Jesus and report all they have done and taught. Jesus says to them, “You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while,” (LK 6:31).

The disciples spend themselves in preaching ministry and once they return He pulls them away in order to recharge their batteries. Without the Lord Jesus, we are nothing. We need that intimate connection with Him. If we neglect our time with the Lord, it won’t be long before we run out of energy. We cannot be His servants without His Power, and that Power only comes from Jesus.


Jesus knows that we may fail in our ministry because of exhaustion and tiredness. Every leader, catechism teacher and servant must be grounded with faith and prayer. We are all uniquely gifted with spiritual gifts, talents and abilities to serve our families and parishes.

Jesus has placed us in our parish with a special plan and purpose. He is going to use us in the ways that we never thought possible.


Do you want to make a difference in your parish? So, keep up the holy task that you are undertaking.

THE MISSION OF CHRIST

Jesus send the twelve to preach repentance, (MK 6:7-13). He sent them out two by two on a mission. These 12 disciples are being trained by Jesus to be His first witnesses.

Jesus wants them to be single minded about their mission and He doesn't want them getting distracted by the things of this world. He doesn't want them carrying a lot of extra baggage when they go for mission - Pack light and God will provide your needs.

Jesus has a mission for every Christian. Today’s Gospel (MK 6:7-13) provides encouragement and guidance for those who desire to serve the Lord. The Church is called not necessarily to be successful, but only to be faithful to God’s command.


There is a great need in the world today –  the need is for repentance. With a repentant heart, believe the Good News of forgiveness in Jesus. Let us determine to further the Church’s mission to help others hear the call to repentance and welcome Christ into their lives.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

The 21^st FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup is currently being held in Moscow, Russia. The tournament kicked off on 14 June 2018 and will end on 15 July 2018. The first FIFA World Cup football tournament for men was started off by Jules Rimet, a French football administrator, with the sole intention of uniting nations. The tournament took place in Uruguay from 13-30 July 1930, with only thirteen teams participating.

The FIFA World Cup happens every four years. However, prior to the World Cup tournament, there is a two-year qualifying process, involving over 200 teams from around the world. From this process, only the top 32 countries are selected for the World Cup tournament. This year, the host team (Russia) and the defending champion of 2014 (Germany) automatically qualified, as is the norm. A total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues, located in 11 cities, in and around Moscow. There are altogether 736 players in 32 squads, at this year’s World Cup.

FIFA World Cup is the world’s most watched sport and it is estimated that 3.2 billion people have watched so far, this year. Among the many football tournaments such as European Football Championship, Africa Cup of Nations, COPA America, English Leagues, etc., I enjoy the World Cup the most. Every four years, when 32 countries from around the globe gather together for football’s biggest and grandest tournament, I try my best to watch most of the matches. Football is a most beautiful game and it is a sport almost everyone likes it. During my primary school years, I played football for school and district. Through football,  I learned some of life’s most important lessons, such as discipline, hard work, commitment, courage, teamwork, struggle and endurance.

Many have asked me which team do I support? Not one in particular, but I have my favourite teams such as Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina, Portugal, South Korea and Japan. However this year, almost all my favourite teams have lost in the early rounds, except for France which has qualified for the finals. I felt a little upset as my teams were knocked out one by one, and surprisingly, the underdog teams performed better.

Two Asian countries – Japan and Korea, played well, but unfortunately failed to advance to the quarter final stage. Japan has risen up the FIFA ranking since 1993, and they have qualified for the last six World Cup tournaments. Korea however, is the most successful football team in Asia, and they have participated in 10 consecutive World Cup tournaments. This year, Japan played extremely well, until they were knocked out by Belgium in the Round of 16. I certainly hope that one day, they will win the World Cup.

We have now come to the finals of the World Cup 2018, with France and Croatia all set to battle it out for football’s highest honour. The world waits anxiously for Sunday, 15 July 2018. France has made it to the finals for the third time in history after a 1-0 victory against Belgium in the semi-finals. Croatia, on the other hand, are in the finals for the first time ever, after upsetting England 2-1 in the semi finals, going into extra-time. So let’s wait and watch, the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 – FRANCE vs CROATIA – who will win???