CONNECTING WITH GOD

The 50 days of Easter (20 April - 9 June 2019) ended on Pentecost, and we have all experienced great joy and salvation that never ends. After Pentecost Sunday, the Church celebrated Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church on Monday, 10 June 2019, as decreed by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (dated 3 March 2018). The Universal Church celebrates this day as Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church.

Pope Francis inserted this Memorialin the General Roman Calendar as a result of the 160^thAnniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin of Mary at Lourdes, France. Immediately after Pentecost - the birth of the Church - this Memorialappears in our Roman Liturgical Calendars, as a celebration of Mass and of the Liturgical of the Hours, because the Church doesn’t want to ignore the figure of a woman (cf. Gal 4:4), the Virgin of Mary, who is both the Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church. This Memorialencourages us to grow with the maternal sense of the Church, the Virgin who makes her offering to God.

In the Calendar of the Catholic Church, Ordinary Time begins the day after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. However, after celebrating Ordinary Time for nine weeks, we took a break for the major liturgical seasons - Lent and Easter. Now, the liturgical year in Ordinary Time resumes again, to Week 10, after Pentecost Sunday. We should not think that these long periods of Ordinary Times are unimportant and uninteresting, as they are an integral part of the Calendar of the Catholic Church. 

Every year, we have a total of 34 Weeks in Ordinary Time. During these weeks, God will continue to speak to us through various events and activities in our parish, including through Scripture readings and the celebration of Sacraments. This helps us to connect with God and Church, as well as in our personal lives, in a more meaningful way. In these Weeks of Ordinary Time, the Church will celebrate many interesting solemnities, feasts, memorials and optional memorial days. The Church will also set aside days in the liturgical calendar to honour saints and other devotions.

There are many mysteries in the Christian faith. The next two Sundays, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinityand the Solemnity of theMost Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), which depict the nature of God and the true and real Presence of God. How can we understand God who is described in the Scripture as both the one true God and the God we know as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit? As we celebrate the Corpus Christi - Jesus’ true and real presence in the Eucharist - we pray that He makes us alive in the Spirit, heal our wounds, restores our strength and pours His love and peace into our troubled hearts. Let us say “Amen” as we receive His Body and Blood.

As we’ve journeyed half way through the year 2019, let us continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will lead our parish through celebrations, formations, activities and events, so that we cultivate the Spirit of Easter and move towards a deeper understanding of Christ and His Church. We pray that Holy Spirit helps us to fulfil our mission of Christ and commitment to keep the spirit of New Evangelization by building bridges with everyone. May God bless you and your family always.

EVERY FAMILY NEEDS A FATHER – A FATHER WHO SHARES IN HIS FAMILY’S JOY AND PAIN, HANDS DOWN WISDOM TO HIS CHILDREN AND OFFERS THEM FIRM GUIDANCE AND LOVE.” POPE FRANCIS

TO ALL FATHERS - WE ARE GREATFUL FOR ALL YOUR GUIDANCE AND WISDOM. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

For the next three weekends, we will be celebrating a few important feasts in our Church liturgy, namely the Feasts of Pentecost, the Holy Trinity and the Body and Blood of Jesus (Corpus Christi). This weekend we reflect on the Feast of Pentecost.

Pentecost came from the Greek word ‘pentecoste’ meaning fiftieth day after Easter. We, Christian Catholics know the meaning of Pentecost - the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the birth of the Church. For many of us, when we speak of Pentecost, we quickly connect three unusual events that happened at Pentecost - the rushing wind, the tongues of fire and the speaking of tongues. However, if the emphasis is only on these exterior signs, then we will be missing the true meaning of Pentecost - the descent of the Holy Spirit, which is the most important event.

When we read the Acts of the Apostles, written by the Evangelist Saint Luke, it shows the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles, especially Saints Peter, Paul and Barnabas. The Apostles were living in expectation. Jesus had told them “to wait for the promise of the Father… and you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit… and you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” (Acts 1:4-8).

Every baptised Catholic has received the Holy Spirit during our Baptism. The Holy Spirit doesn’t come and go in our lives but remains permanently in us. There are different titles given to the Third Person of the Holy Trinity such as the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Helper, Counsellor, the Consoler, Friend and Sanctifier. 

This Pentecost weekend, we should get to know the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. We received these Gifts of the Holy Spirit on the day we were baptised: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and the Fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-2). How many of us actually remember them by heart? We should memorise and utilise these gifts and live through them in our lives. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are sealed in us, to become witnesses of Christ and to evangelise Christ. 

The Bishop says that he “seals” us with the Chrism Oil during Confirmation. The anointing of the Chrism Oil imprints a spiritual seal - the seal of the Holy Spirit in us “… you have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise,” (Eph1:13) and “… do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal…” (Eph 4:30). The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the significance of seal: “A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority or ownership of an object. Hence soldiers were marked with their leader’s seal and slaves with their master’s. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret,” (CCC, nos. 1295-1296).

May we allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of transforming us to grow in holiness. Let’s become docile instruments in the hands of God, who is the Holy Spirit! May this Pentecost bring us to an even deeper assurance of God’s abundant love for each one of us. May the Holy Spirit fill us with a fresh understanding and renewed courage to share His love with those around us. This is our spirit of evangelisation and mission. We pray the traditional prayer to the Holy Spirit: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle within us the fire of your divine love.” 

Come, Holy Spirit, I need you

Come, sweet Spirit, I pray

Come in your strength and your power

Come in your own gentle way.

COME HOLY SPIRIT

On this Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit puts light and fire into us once again. The Spirit is perpetually present in us to assist us living our Christian way of life.

The Holy Spirit is the oxygen of our faith. We get a new gust of air or wind when we need it if we pay attention and yield to it. The Spirit fills the void in our heart. The Spirit responds to our deepest aspirations. We need the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to deal with our lives so that we are kept in the way that leads to the truth.

At Pentecost, the Spirit made the Apostles to go forth from themselves and turned them into proclaimers of God’s wondrous deeds with boldness to every corner of the world.

Let the fire of the Holy Spirit burn in our hearts and stir the enthusiasm to be the fruit of a life lived in the Holy Spirit while serving God for the sake of the world.

“Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.” (Psalm 103).

THE SPECIAL GRACE OF CONFIRMATION

We have 53 confirmation candidates (28 of them are Form 5 students, 20 of them are Myanmaris and 5 from RCIA) who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, 7 July 2019 during Mass at 6.00pm. Through this sacrament, our candidates receive a special grace by which their faith is deepened and strengthened, so that it will be strong enough not only for their own needs but for the needs of others, with whom they shall try to share it.

Over the past 4 days, I met with the Form 5 students individually, at my office. I called it a “pre-confirmation chit-chat” to basically get to know them, to find out about their faith journey and to ascertain their understanding and readiness for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Prior to the session, each student was asked to write a 50-word reflection about their expectation, their faith journey and their relationship with God - and during our chats, I listened to them express their feelings of excitement and trepidation as they journeyed forward in faith. The chit-chat sessions were a prelude to their upcoming confirmation spiritual retreat (camp) which will be held on Friday, 7 June to Sunday, 9 June 2019 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

These Form 5 students have attended Catechism since preschool, and soon their formal religious education will come to an end. But before that happens, I wanted to highlight some important details:

First, I talked about the upcoming Confirmation Retreat at which activities, games, fellowship, prayers and spiritual guidance takes place. I reminded them that this spiritual retreat allows them to set aside time to be with God and to nurture their personal integration of what they have learnt in catechism over the years.

Second, was to remind them that they need to make a sincere and genuine confession before receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. During the Sacrament of Confirmation, they will be sealed with the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord (Isaiah11:1-2). I explained about these gifts and what Confirmation is all about:

Like Baptism, Confirmation is given only once, for it imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the ‘character,’ which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the sealof the Holy Spirit and complete the Sacrament of Initiation, and empowers us to be witnesses to Christ, (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1302-1305). 

During the chit-chat, I showed to them the oil of Chrism (Sacrum Chrisma– Sacred Chrism) which was consecrated during the Chrism Mass. This oil of Chrism is reserved only for Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders. It is also used for the consecration of New Church.

Third, I reminded them about their duty and responsibility of coming for Sunday Mass faithfully to fulfil their obligation, even after their Confirmation. I also spoke about the importance of commitment by being involved in Church activities and ministries.

Fourth, I shared the important of the Education. In a few months, these Form 5 students will sit for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations. Therefore, they need to put in extra effort and increase their study hours to prepare for it, in order to attain good results and achieve their ambitions.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is a spiritual “growing up” as it gives us a special grace, and the Form 5 Confirmation candidates are well on their way to a grace-filled chapter of their lives. I hope that they continue to read their Bible, in order to grow spiritually, and I pray that ALL our candidates continue to learn and live their faith daily, sharing it will everyone they meet.

BUILD A UNITY

The prayer of Jesus (Jn 17: 20-26) is part of the Priestly Prayer which Jesus offered at the Last Supper. In this Priestly Prayer, we find Christ prays for the unity of the Church. Jesus gives us the Spirit of unity and we are united by the glory given to us by Christ.

The Catholic Church always prays for the ecumenical dialogue and unity in our Christian Churches. The glory of the Church is supposed to be unity and is to build a unity of faith and communion among people.

Faith makes us appreciate the human relationships and friendships because it grasps their ultimate foundation in God and in His love for a service of the common good. 

Faith in the Church is capable of enhancing the richness of human relations, their ability to endure, to be trustworthy, to enrich our life together. Faith helps us to build our communities and leads us towards a future of hope. What a joy to be engaged and united with one another in prayers.

“The Lord is King, most high above all the earth,” (Psalm 96)

http://www.stjosephsentul.org/the-special-grace-of-confirmation/