FULFILLING THE MISSION OF CHRIST

Every year in September, the clergy members in Peninsular Malaysia gather for their annual spiritual retreat, which is held at three different locations: the first week of September in Cameron Highlands, the second and fourth weeks in Penang, and the third week at MAJODI Centre, Plentong, Johor. This six-day retreat begins on Sunday evening and concludes on Friday evening. Twenty-three of us were at the retreat at the MAJODI Centre, conducted by Rev. Fr. John Mc Gowan, ODC, a priest from the Carmelite Congregation in England. He has been a priest for 42 years and is currently assigned to the Parish of St. Joseph in England.

On the first day, the retreat Master highlighted several key points from the Vatican II document on the Ministry and Life of Priests, known as Presbyterorum Ordinis (PO). He reminded us that the Sacrament of Holy Orders leaves an indelible mark and encourages us to embrace our role in representing Christ, Persona Christi (cf. PO #2). He reminded us that as Priests, our primary duty is to communicate the Gospel using language that resonates with people and to convey Christ’s message through words and actions (cf. PO #4). Additionally, he stressed the significance of celibacy as a valuable gift to the priesthood, along with the virtues of humility and obedience (PO #16), guided by the Holy Spirit.

The next day, he led us in studying the teachings of St. Paul’s Epistles and his spirituality, where “Love is all you need.” As Priests, we often encounter obstacles, struggles, and challenges in the ministry. St Paul truly understood the pain and suffering of Christ, and for him, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Eph 1: 21). This is the central message of Paul because, from his conversion till his martyrdom, he proclaimed the Gospel of Christ, imitated Christ and pursued the knowledge of Christ. Jesus, who initiated the vocation to the Priesthood in us, is our source of strength and wisdom throughout our ministry. Whoever lives for Christ, His love will never let us down (cf. Rom 5:50).

Our attention then turned to the Synod of Synodality 2023 for the next two days. It was a great opportunity to review a few documents like Evangelii Gaudium, Christifideles Laici, Evangelii Nuntiandi, and Instrumentum Laboris. These documents are designed to help us discover our unique charisms and draw inspiration from our love for Christ and the Church. They also underscore the importance of our collaboration with the laity and our shared responsibility in strengthening the Church and fulfilling the mission of Christ.

As our retreat came to a close, we deeply explored the spirituality of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus and the importance of prayer in the life of priests. Her profound influence based on her life and teachings on humility, love, the missionary spirit, and prayer are truly remarkable and inspiring. We seek her guidance through exemplary virtues of humility and unwavering love for the Church and missionaries. As the patroness of missions and missionaries, we humbly ask for her intercession to nurture with the spirit of love, humility and prayer.

“Let us love since that is what our hearts were made for.” (St Theresa of Lisieux)