MOVING FORWARD IN EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

It has been two months since the re-opening of our church for Sunday worship. Initially, there was apprehension and uncertainty about the arrangements following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in order for our Parishioners to celebrate the Eucharist during the weekend. However the Parish Response Team (“PRT”) has successfully coordinated the weekend Masses (Saturday Sunset and Sunday morning Mass) involving all our 34 Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) members and carried out their tasks well, taking us from Phase 1 into Phase 2. Starting September 2020, they will prepare for Phase 3 and Phase 4.

In Phase 3, we will resume daily morning Masses, wedding Masses, infant baptisms, distribution of Holy Communion to the homebound and Rite of Initiation for the Christian Adults (RCIA). Starting 1 September 2020, our weekday program (Monday to Friday) will begin with morning prayer (LAUDS) at 6.30am and followed by the Eucharistic celebration at 6.45am. We ask that Parishioners pre-register before walking into Church for the weekday morning prayer and Mass. Once you enter the Church premises, your temperature will be taken and recorded at the guardhouse. You may then enter and occupy the allocated seat inside the Church accordingly. Once Mass is over, you will be required leave the Church premises immediately. We want to minimise movement within the Church compound to ensure safety.

We are still limiting the number of attendees at wedding masses and funerals to between 20 and 30 persons, respectively. There are a few couples who have requested for the Sacrament of Baptism for their infants and this will be celebrated accordingly when we move into Phase 3. However, we will impose a limit on the number of persons attending the baptism ceremony to only 6-8 immediate family members. The Sacrament of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) for the 2019/2020 RCIA Candidates will take place on Sunday, 30 August 2020 at 2pm. We will also lift the current restrictions and allow children below the age of 13, especially those who have already received the Sacrament of Holy Communion and also the elderly, those 70 years and above who are in good health, to attend Mass during Phase 3. Parents or any respective family members are required to sign a declaration form, which will be forwarded through all BEC leaders. 

The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) will resume bringing Holy Communion to the homebound in their respective BECs, but only fortnightly, for a start. I hope Parishioners will communicate with their respective BEC Communion Minister, when coordinating a homebound visit. We encourage the EMHC to take extra precautions when visiting the homebound, as they are among the most vulnerable in our community. I too have taken extra care when visiting the elderly and sick parishioners, bringing them Holy Communion and administering the Sacrament of Holy Anointing.

September will be a challenging month for the Parish Response Team (PRT) and volunteers, as they look into the logistics of coordinating Masses and celebrations here in Church. Although many parishes have been opened since August 2020, the SOP on non-Muslim places of worship still restrict attendance to only Malaysian citizens. The Church has a significant number of Parishioners who are non-Malaysians, and they have repeatedly requested to be allowed to participate in Mass. I hope the authorities will permit them to attend the Eucharistic celebrations soon.

As the Church in Malaysia starts to open its doors once again, it is time for us to reawaken our faith and start participating in-person at Mass. Although virtual services are still on-going to cater to those who are unable to attend Mass in-person, those of you who are eligible and able to be present at Church during Mass should make every effort to register and return once again to Church.

As we move into Phase 3 and Phase 4, we will carry out the new normal way of life in our religious practices at Church, without relaxing the stipulated SOPs. Let’s pray for our families and our community, so that our relationships will continue to flourish and be enhanced, for the better.

Pope Francis said, “May the Lord help you to discover new ways, new expressions of love, living as you do in this new situation. For in the end, this is a beautiful and creative opportunity to discover ourselves.”

BEAR THE HARDSHIP OF DAILY LIFE JOYFULLY

22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Homily)

We hear in the Gospel text this week i.e., “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt 16: 24).

 

I know a woman who converted to Catholicism. She was baptised after going through the RCIA programme and promised to be as true a follower of Christ.  It was not even a year when she started facing many crisis in her faith and her life. Her husband fell sick and was unable to work. She had to raise her three toddler children at that time whilst looking after and caring for her husband. She suddenly became the breadwinner of her home till today. One day, she had shared with her grieve and regrets for being a convert.

 

I shared with her that Our God doesn’t make mistakes in choosing her to be His follower. He doesn’t just close His eyes and randomly pick anyone. God chose her and He has one or more purpose. He knew all of her weaknesses, and strengths, and abilities! He chose to use her to be His followers so that her life may shine as a hope for those around her who doesn’t know Jesus. She must place God first then every other need in her life and every other desire of life. God provides everything she needs to be happy and fulfilled. To be that follower of Christ, it is a life-long commitment, as she must surrender herself to the Lord and to His will. 

 

None of us likes to face suffering, hardship and pain. We are not free from any physical illnesses, sicknesses, worries, anxieties, frustrations, etc. We will never be prepared for any of those, let alone to carry crosses fully with all our heart, in our lives. We just want to avoid crosses and run away from these reality of life – from trials and sufferings.

 

What should our attitude be towards trials, sufferings and hardships? 

We must understand that these trials and hardships are placed in our path to test our faith, our endurance and our perseverance. 

 

The first reading (Jer 20: 7-9) is one of my favourite texts.

At times, I truly felt the way Jeremiah felt in his ministry. Jeremiah said, "You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced!” Being a very young Prophet, he felt that his life was full of tortures and humiliations, that he had to face continuously at battle with his own people.  Jesus himself, underwent humiliations, sufferings and cruel death.

 

God does not seduce us. God tests us and He disciplines and build us up, as we face these trials and sufferings. Jeremiah learned from his anguish and responded to God’s call to be a Prophet eventually. As for me I know following God’s call is a life-long commitment. At times, I feel very exhausted doing God’s work and to look after the growth of my Parish. I strongly believe that the Lord provides me the time and energy as I set my priority in my daily commitments. He gives me the strength to do His will in my ministry that is to live my priesthood and to live a life of love. Definitely rejuvenated every day.

 

So what is your cross? What cross must you take up and carry in order for the Lord’s work to be done?  Why do we trust God and why do we follow Jesus even though He leads you into difficult and sticky situations, allowing us to go on with very painful moments in life?

 

The world may load us down with heavy baggage till we may find ourselves hard to move ahead and feeling hopeless in living our daily commitment as disciples of Christ. What Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “Get behind me Satan?” Whenever we find difficulties and struggles in following the footstep of Jesus, we should just say to the Satan – “Get behind me, Satan!

 

We must love God and we must be willing to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice as Jesus did in your very personal and intimate way. We need to have a consistent discipline in praying, spending time reading the Word of God, discerning His will in our lives and desiring to serve His people.

 

Jesus has reminded his disciples and all us today of what attitude we need to have when we undergo suffering and anguish in life. Remember this. First, we must be able to accept all kinds of crosses, sufferings and hardships in this life. Do not deny our Christian faith. Then we have to be patient, trust God, have confidence in following Jesus’s footsteps.  We need to be loyally living faith in Christ, cheerfully and joyfully.

CARRY THE TORCH OF CHRIST HIGH

In the state of Terengganu, we had three main Mass centres and they were located in Kemaman, Dungun and Kuala Terengganu. They had quite a small community scattered throughout the state.  In all the states in Malaysia, only Terengganu does not have a church in a form of a proper building. They have their masses in the shop lots and classrooms. When I was ministering with this community, one of my dreams was to build a church. We had developed an architecture church building plan but unfortunately it did not materialise even till today.

 

Then, I was transferred to Church of the Visitation, Seremban. Visitation Church has the biggest congregations compared to any church throughout the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. Here too, my dream was to build a second church. We have come out with the architecture building plan but it also did not materialise it the end.

 

If you realise, some of the churches in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur took almost 15-30 years to get approval from the authorities in order to put up a church building. Nonetheless, one of the beauty of our Church in Malaysia is, we are still alive and active, even when we are only 10% of the total national population. We see the real faith of our Christians, not on the existence of a building but their faith lies alive on the living God, in Jesus, the God who lives among us.

 

Today’s Gospel (Matt 16: 13-20) gives us an affirmation that the Church of Christ is built through the confession of St. Peter who proclaimed, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Whereas in St. Paul’s letter to Ephesians, he says that “For you are … built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Cornerstone,” (Eph 2:20). Therefore, the Universal Church is built on the foundation of the Word of God, of the Apostles and prophets and by the people of God all generations. 

We, as a Church, build our faith in One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Church. These are the four inseparable marks of the Catholic Church and we build our foundation by these teachings of Jesus Christ as our Cornerstone. We begin the life of the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism where we become members of the Church. As members of the Church, we are invited together to stand with Christ as we continue to build His Church in His Word, with His teachings, by His plans, and entirely following His will. In this Church, we come together to build our strength and our hope. We do not only, sit here on the pews to worship our God, but when we leave the Church after the celebration, we step out into the world to become a living stone ourselves in carrying out the mission of Christ.

There is a Christian hymn – “Carry the Torch” with the lyrics: “We will carry the torch, we will lift up the flame, we will march through the darkness with the Light of His Name, until the glory of God is seen by the world, we will carry the torch of the Lord.” We, as a Church and people of God, will carry that torch of Christ high to go all over lands and seas, to live out our faith. Our Church in Malaysia, may still be young but we all will always strive to make our Church alive, active and vibrant as we confess our faith in Jesus, the Son of the living God.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we feel there are many things that we miss in the life of the Church. We have missed the fellowship with one another. We missed our participation in worships and activities in the Church. We have missed our formations - in order to update our knowledge of God. Our faith is diminishing time to time. But, as one Church, we will stand strong united in the foundation teaching of Jesus Christ, the living God and the Cornerstone and carry the torch of Christ high till the ends of the earth.

THE PROTEC CAMPAIGN – GRATITUDE FOR ALL OF GOD’S CREATION

All the Archbishops and Bishops of Malaysia have launched a new 5-year Malaysia-wide campaign called “PROTECT OUR EARTH, PROTECT OUR CHILDREN” (PROTEC). The PROTEC campaign aims “to protect mankind from self-destruction” (Laudato Si #79) and ensure “intergenerational solidarity for current and future generations” (Laudato Si #159). This campaign is to deepen our gratitude for all of God’s Creation, as we incorporate ecological spirituality into life’s practicalities.

Planet Earth, is the third planet from the Sun, and based on what we know, it is the only planet that is populated by living things. Over time, Planet Earth has undergone distortion with rapid development and together with the ongoing effects of climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems have been lost.

Pope Francis inaugurated “Laudato Si’ Week” (16-24 May 2020) at the Vatican to commemorate the 5thanniversary of the publication of his eco-encyclical, which was first published in June 2015. On this Laudato Si’anniversary, the Vatican invites us to reflect on the importance of “caring for our common home” and the need for us “to create and strengthen constructive attitudes for the care of creation.”

The PROTEC campaign will take off on the Special Fifth-Year Laudato Si’ Anniversary, as we focus on one different theme each year over the next 5 years. Here are a few details that we need to keep in mind: 

i)               The PROTEC campaign will be launched simultaneously in ALL Archdioceses in Malaysia on 1 September 2020.

ii)              The PROTEC campaign is a 5-year program, beginning 1 September 2020 – 31 August 2025.

iii)            Each year, we will have one theme to focus on, and the theme will be made known on 1st September of each year and end 31st August the following year.

iv)            For the start of Year One (1 Sept 2020 – 31 August 2021), our focus will be – USE LESS ELECTRICITY.

To respond to the ecological crisis, the Archbishops and bishops of Malaysia call upon every parish, religious congregation, church organisation office, house of formation and all the faithful, to implement and promote the recommended practices, in order to save lives on Planet Earth.

From 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021, our campaign will be to reduce the consumption of electricity in our respective homes, offices and parishes. There are many ways in which we can reduce electricity usage, as the following tips suggest:

a)     Unplug electrical items and electronical devices when they are not in use. Although they may consume a small amount of energy, but when we put them together over a long period of time, it adds up.

b)    Switch off the lights when they are not in use. We also can reduce the number of bulbs in a room. Replace ordinary light bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs. It may be slightly more expensive to begin with, but it will last longer than regular bulbs. 

c)     Turn off the air conditioner or fan when you leave your room or house. 

We need to get our children involved in helping to reduce electricity and also teach them the importance of saving energy. We need to change our old habits in order to conserve electricity at home. If we religiously follow the above given tips and implement other energy-saving initiatives, we will see the rewards of our efforts via our electric bills, perhaps saving a few hundred ringgit every year. Let us together as a family, do what is necessary and what is possible to focus on the PROTEC campaign theme “USE LESS ELECTRICITY” which starts this September 2020 till August 2021.

THE CROWNING OF MARY AS A QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 2020 (HOMILY)

Many Catholic parishioners have shared with me that protestant church members have questioned us about Mother Mary and even about her Assumption into Heaven.  Jesus’ Ascension into heaven is clearly stated in the Bible whereas it nothing was mentioned about Mary’s Assumption into Heaven. We are thought as just creating this doctrine without any biblical foundation, leading that the Universal Church allegedly embarks on wrong teachings.  

 

The Protestant churches believe only in “Sola Scriptura”, also known as Scripture alone, being their highest teaching and inspiration. We, Catholics, learn our teaching and get our inspiration which come both traditions and scriptures, as both of them are inseparable. If you look at everything that the churches teach about Mary and her role, you will find that references to her all showed us how to grow and be closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. This inevitably guide us to develop a greater and deeper understanding of our faith, in the life of the Catholic Church and the destiny of our lives.

Therefore, this Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven is, of course not stated in the Holy Scripture. Absolutely inspired, Pope Pius XII declared that this Feast was to be given its honour and respect, so much so that it became a doctrine of the Catholic Church on November 1^st, 1950. He announced, “The Immaculate Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

 

Today,  we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption. Today, again, marks Mary’s life here on earth and her going to heaven to be with her Son, in the presence of God. Her body and soul assumed into heaven means there are no bones and no tomb of our Lady to venerate or respect. It said that she did not die like other human beings but God has taken her into heaven directly in a unique way. Of course, there is no biblical basis for this teaching. It is purely taught by Roman Catholic Church. She was “uniquely graced, protected from sin, so that she might co-operate and with her Son’s saving mission.” 

 

During her earthly life, Mary chose to lead the plans God had for Her. She obediently obeyed to the will of God as she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to your word.” She realised that doing God’s will was (and still is) utmost importance, and greater than her own wills.

 

This we must learn from Her. We need to discern and know God’s will for us, and trust on His plans for the salvation of human kind, whom He loves dearly. She graced Her life with humility and simplicity, especially when She responded to the announcement Angel Gabriel had for Her. “Let it be done to me according to your words.” (Luke 1:38).

 

It is not easy at this present age to be faithful Catholics, let alone be truly practising Christian. We need to be firm in our believes, and we should listen and do what pleases our God.  Doing His will sets us apart (also) as the disciple of Christ and God takes delight in us.  When we take courage to do His will, we will find hope in our lives. On this earthly life, let our lives be assumed into the same holiness of Mother Mary, as we reflect on Her  characteristic in fulfilling the will of God through her humility.

 

The Assumption reminds us that our true homeland is in Heaven. We are just passing through this life, almost like a tunnel. This is the hope this feast offers to us. Where she has gone, we hope that we too be in heaven one day in communion with Jesus, Her and all the other Saints in Heaven. That will be a forever heavenly party. This is the hope that we must look forward to. Through the Mary’s assistance, our body and soul will be in communion with God in heaven, in the most glorious manner.

 

Let us pray for the grace to grow in holiness as we disciplining our mind, body, soul and spirit.

 

And so we say to her:

Hail, holy Queen! Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!Amen!

 

Have a great day and enjoy this Solemnity Feast of the Assumption of Mary to the fullest!

 

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/caring-for-those-most-vulnerable-3/

CARING FOR THOSE MOST VULNERABLE

The Church has always been supportive of, concerned about and caring towards the elderly, the sick, the suffering and the dying. Priests pray over them, anoint them with the Sacrament of Holy Anointing, hear their confession and give them Holy Communion, and they rejoice with the gifts of healing and reconciliation (cf. James 5: 13-15).

 

When the Movement Control Order (MCO) restrictions were eased in May 2020, I started reaching out to those who were hospitalised, in the old folks homes and the homebound, upon request and also in urgent cases. Towards the end of June 2020, with the reopening of churches, there was a kind of demand from the elderly, the sick and the homebound for the Sacraments as they were unable to be present for the Eucharistic celebration in Church, due to the strict guidelines imposed. They were considered a high risk category, and therefore the Extra Ordinary Communion Ministers (EOCM) and I couldn’t visit them and were unable to move forward in bringing Holy Communion to the elderly and the sick.

 

Many of our Parishioners have forwarded their requests, suggestions and comments pertaining to the homebound and the elderly who are above 70 years old, and thus unable to attend Weekend Masses. However, the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur Task Force is still in the midst of assessing, reviewing and studying the arising issues of homebound visits. We want to remain vigilant, safe and protected from this dangerous virus, and not further contribute to the spread of this pandemic.

 

During the RMCO, I visited patients in hospital. It was not an easy task to do during the COVID-19 outbreak, as there were many safety and precautionary procedures that needed to be adhered to before gaining access into the respective wards. Even family members of patients had to face similar difficulties. Once, after completing and adhering to all the necessary procedures pertaining to the hospital safety measures, just as I was about to enter the ward, a doctor asked me “Why are you taking such a risk to meet a patient?” His cautionary remark alerted me to the fact that, should I inadvertently contract the virus, I would then unknowingly risk infecting many others too. So since then, I have cut down my hospital visits, unless it involves an urgent case.

 

Looking at the current situation, every one of us should seriously take necessary precautions to care for ourselves and cooperate fully with the front liners - medical professionals, doctors, nurses, healthcare-givers, security officers, etc. We should be mindful to minimise visiting the sick and the dying at the hospital, as these areas are considered high risk. We should also minimise our movement in public places and always remain vigilant and safe by wearing a mask and practising good hygiene at all times.

 

The same goes for visiting the sick and the elderly who are homebound. Although they are safer being at home, we still need to be extra careful and mindful of their situation. However, due to the many requests from our Parishioners and families over the last two weeks, I have slowly started to resume my homebound visits. I hope to be able to complete this task within the next two weeks. There are a few of elderly and the sick who meet me personally for the Holy Anointing and Holy Communion in my office.

 

From September 2020 onwards, our Parish will most likely begin to allow the Extra Ordinary Communion Ministers (EOCM) to bring Holy Communion to the homebound. We must always care for and remain hospitable to those most vulnerable in our community. By providing an opportunity to meet their spiritual needs, we can bring comfort and consolation to them. Our presence will bring blessing and hope, and we pray that with our assistance they will be restored to better health.

STAY FOCUSED ON JESUS

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Homily)

I was in Beijing for a vacation 3 years ago. Among the many historical places I visited, I would never forget two sites – The Imperial Palace which is also known as The Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China.

There was a huge crowd present at both sites and I felt lost in the Forbidden City, jostled and sandwiched by the crowd. After going through so much anxiety and hassle for about an hour, I finally met up with my tour group. We then made our way to the Great Wall of China. I went up alone to the top of the Great Wall of China but on my way down, I ended up in different exit. It took me almost 5 hours to get back with my group, once again.

My tourist guide told me that I was not focused and that I didn’t have a sense of direction. In other words, I didn’t pay attention and I was not focused on my tour guide’s instructions. That was why I had lost my direction twice. In these two tourist spots, I was so afraid and frightened when I lost my direction. I didn’t pay attention to the instructions given by my tour guide. I failed to remain focused and alert.

In our Gospel today (Matt 14: 22-33), Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the strong wind, he took fright and began to sink. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus at all times. Our focus should be on Him always. Focus is very important in many aspects of our lives. What happened to Peter and me when we failed to keep our focus on the instructions? Peter lost his focus when he noticed the strong wind and he began to sink. And Jesus, saved him.

 

What happened to Peter, happened to me. Just like Peter, I was not paying attention to my guide, and I lost the way twice in Beijing. When, we don’t keep our eyes focused, we lose our directions, and our goal. It is same thing when we drive a car; if we don’t stay focused, we may ended up in a wrong place, or even worse, it may lead us to a dangerous situation.

This is the lesson that Jesus teaches both His disciples and us. Without focus we may lose our faith and our trust. If Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on water. If I had only focused my attention on my tour guide’s instructions, I would not have got lost in the crowd.

We tend to have these anxieties, feelings of uncertainty, and a fear of everything. We may be afraid of exams, tension amongst our peer groups, family problems, physical illness, emotional issues, or financial problems. Whatever it is that we may go through, believe that Jesus is in control of our lives. Just stay focused on Him.

 

During the storms of life, we may tend to feel afraid and frightened, but, we need to stay focused on Jesus and fix our eyes on Him. We need to be aware of the Power of the Holy Spirit at work within us. He will save us from all things. He will make us grow in faith. He will keep our faith alive. 

 

My dear young people and catechism students, today we specially invited you, together with your parents and teachers, to be present in this morning Mass. You may have many friends whom you communicate with through social media – phones, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Today, Jesus reminds you that when we stay focused on Jesus and when we walk towards Him, we have nothing to be afraid of. He will come to “our boat” of life – He will come to us and all our worries and troubles will experience a sense of calm – just like in the moment “the wind dropped.”

 

In the first reading, Elijah heard / felt God’s presence; not in a strong wind, nor in shattered rocks, nor in an earthquake, nor in the fire, but instead, in a gentle silence God whispered to him. God is always whispering to us in times of difficulties and in times of instability in our lives. We should not be overtaken by the fears, difficulties or storms of our lives BUT INSTEAD we must learn to cope with our fears, anxieties and struggles. He is always present in all our trials. We don’t need to worry about anything. As St Paul says, we should not cut off our lives from Christ but we should keep our prayer lives growing and glowing. 

 

In all the storms and trials of our lives, God gives us a gentle and calm spirit to save us whenever we begin to sink or drown. Let’s not lose our focus on Jesus BUT instead, we should be courageous as we grow in faith in Jesus as we overcome our trials and storms of life.

 

Fr George PackiaSamy (FrGPS)

Church of St Joseph, KL

 

9 August 2020

CELEBRATING THE EUCHARIST IN PERSON

On 28 June 2020, we reopened our Parish for Public Masses. Since the reopening, we have been extending our invitation to all the 34 Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) within our Parish jurisdiction. Many of our BEC leaders have been taking the initiative to register their respective BEC members for the Weekend Mases according to the schedule laid down. We started off with only one mass on Sunday at 9am.

However, from the beginning of August, we have been celebrating two Masses every weekend (Saturday Sunset Mass at 6pm and Sunday Mass at 9am). This included a Tamil Mass on Sunday (2 August) at 9am. We will continue to celebrate Mass in Tamil on the first Sunday of each month so that the Tamil-speaking Parishioners will be able to participate. The first Tamil Mass saw a total of 190 Parishioners in attendance out of the 216 who registered. 

The Parish Response Team (PRT) will introduce another category for our Weekend Mass participation apart from the BECs and Tamil-speaking Parishioners. This new category of Parishioners will include all Catechism teachers and their high school students, RCIA facilitators and the candidates, as well as the youth. They will be invited to join Sunday Mass at least once a month. These Parishioners have always been involved in the various activities of our Church before the Movement Control Order (MCO) and quite a number of them have been unable to attend Mass in person since the start of the restrictions. By including them as a group for Mass once a month, this will create an opportunity for them to be in the presence of the Eucharist in-person, instead of just watching the live-stream mass.

Ever since the suspension of catechism classes, the teachers have taken the initiative to reach out to their students by conducting online classes, while parents are encouraged to assist, connect and cultivate faith education at home, since parents are the primary faith-educators of their children. Taking into consideration the need to connect and integrate our children with their faith in the Catholic Church, the PRT has taken the initiative to gather them for Mass this Sunday, 9 August 2020. The targeted groups or ministries include:

i)            Catechetical Ministry – Catechism teachers and their students who are 13-years old and above.

ii)      Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) – The facilitators and candidates of year 2019/2020. These candidates are waiting to receive their Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist which will take place by the end of August 2020.

iii)      EduCare Ministry – There are several teachers who volunteer themselves helping out students from underprivileged families to cope with their school subjects. 

iv)              Youth ministry – Young adults from colleges and universities and working single adults.

The Catholic Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia have suspended all religious or faith education, all meetings, gatherings, formations, RCIA sessions, activities and events in the Church due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Even though schools have reopened in our country, the Church in Peninsular Malaysia has decided not to restart sessions/classes for these most vulnerable group of students, for the time being. We simply do not want to put “at risk placing further pressure on our heavily strained health services,” (Pastoral Letter from Catholic Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia, 12 March 2020).

“Parents have the first responsibility for education of their children,” (CCC #2223) and parents also have responsibility in educating their children in religious sentiments in line with the Church by guiding them in the light of the Church. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).

Photo: 2018

Photo: February, 2020

HAVING THE HEART OF COMPASSION

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020 (HOMILY)

Ever since, I was assigned to the Church of St Joseph, one of the ministries that I am always fascinated by is the Parish Integral of Human Development (PIHD). Under this PIHD umbrella, we have few sub-ministries and one of them is Ministry of the Poor. In these six years, we have reached out to the needs of poor families, especially to assist them meet the basic provision like groceries, twice in a month, household items and other necessities. Besides that, we have meaningfully and successfully carried out various projects and events, celebrating as a parish family with the poor. Most of these families reside around our vicinity, and what did we do? We distributed many things like school uniform and celebrated the World Day of the Poor and Parish Family Day.

 

The successful-ness of the work is because we have a group of effective, efficient, highly motivated and inspired leaders and parishioners in their outreaches to these families. They have taken the great task fully in their hands and stepped forward in their outreach. The key word here is “having the heart of compassion”.  I strongly believe that they have this heart from none other than – our Lord, Jesus Christ! This heart of compassion must have moved our team to get closer and to meet the need of the poor families, eye to eye.

 

In today’s Gospel (Matt 13: 14-21), Jesus fed the five thousand people. Jesus was moved with compassion once He saw the hungry crowd. His humble heart led Him to perform the miracle of multiplication of the five loaves and two fish.

 

Compassion refers to the “inner part” of our body that arises to a strong inner feeling or desire, to reach out to someone who is suffering with the goal to relieve that suffering. When we feel compassionate towards someone, then we tend to enter into the person’s life empathetically, and with all we can – help that person out.

 

Here, Jesus heard and listened to the need of the huge crowd and He responded to their needs as how we as leaders and parishioners, have reached out to the needy with compassionate heart through our outreach to the poor. Jesus realised the needs are so great for the poor. We ourselves have seen and heard of the hunger of the poor, and hopefully – we have brought some hope into their lives. We shall continue to carry out our mission of hope to the poor.

 

God is asking us to be a part of His plan by being compassionate towards the poor.  We need to cultivate this spirit of compassion in reaching out or giving something in order to meet the physical or spiritual needs of our neighbours, as well. When we take this challenge as individuals or communities by bringing forward what we have, it doesn’t matter how small it would be, we can bring happiness in the life of others. As we take the opportunity to love and serve our neighbours, we are fulfilling the Commandments, “You shall love neighbour as yourself.”

 

By being kind, compassion and love towards the need of others or doing something for others is to bring the love of Christ and to make the difference in the life of our brothers and sister. God of providence provides our need and in return we need to take care of others. As leaders and as Christians we should act with kindness and care deeply for the needs of others and in return God will take care of our needs. In the Second reading, St Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us, “with God on our side, who can be against us?” With God is on side, nothing can separate us, or take away or lessen His love as we show our love for those who are in need.

Photo: 2014