Friendship with Jesus Chris

The second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity is Jesus, the Son of God become Man. He came into the world to save us. But also, Jesus came into the world to establish a deep, dynamic, and permanent Friendship with us.

The Bible says that to find a true friend indeed is a treasure. Of all the friends that could exist in this world, friendship with Jesus is by far the best! He is the Friend that will never fail us. Even the best of friends are destined to fail each other sooner or later. But Jesus will never fail us. We indeed fail Him, but He will never fail us, never ...

Sin is saying “no” to the love of God who is madly in love with us and has a burning desire for us to correspond to that love. When we sin, we break the Heart of our Best Friend. Therefore, by saying “no” to sin, we are really saying “yes” to the love of God and “yes” to a deep and growing Friendship with Him.

May Mary, Queen of Heaven and good Saint Joseph pray for us. They were the ones who loved Jesus best, had the deepest friendship with Him on earth and now and for all eternity they will be His best of friends.

Jesus, be my best Friend now, tomorrow, and for all eternity. Amen.

Growing in Prayer Life

We must pray for a firm desire to pray more and to pray better. St Augustine says, "We must choose the object of our desire and then to live with all our heart.” Of course the object of our desire should be God.

Prayer is not always easy! But persevere in the struggle. As St. Teresa of Avila puts it: “We must have a determined determination to never give up prayer.” The devil will do all he can to trick us into believing that we are wasting our time in prayer.

He or she who prays well lives well. So pray always for the grace to have a growing desire for prayer, love for prayer, growth in our daily prayer life, and perseverance in prayer.

Just to help you in growing in prayer life, the first and best of all texts should be the Bible, the Word of God. In this God speaks to us directly. Highly encouraged would be the Gospels, the very heart of the Bible and the Psalms, the best prayer book ever composed by the Holy Spirit. Happy praying!

BIBLE SUNDAY: LIVING BY THE WORD (Part I, II & III)

BIBLE SUNDAY: LIVING BY THE WORD (Part I)

This Sunday has been designated Catholic Bible Sunday by the Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Team (PMPT). It presents an opportunity for us to hear afresh and be renewed in our attentiveness to God’s Word through reading and reflecting on the Word of God in our Church, in all liturgical celebrations and at home.

 WHY PEOPLE DON’T STUDY THE BIBLE:
1. “It’s archaic, out of date.”
2. “I don’t know the technique of studying the Bible. I don't have the   skills of reading.”
3. The problem of priorities. “I just don’t have the time.”
4. “I have my doubts about the Bible. It is difficult to understand.”
5. Laziness: “It’s such a boring and dull book, and I don’t enjoy reading it.”
6. “I can’t seem to make the Bible come alive.”

The Bible leads us to Jesus Christ and eternal life! It transforms us into the image of Jesus by renewing our minds and hearts. On this Bible Sunday we shall commit ourselves to study the Bible for personal improvement and find fulfilment in our lives.  Even if the Bible were the most boring book in the world; dull,  uninteresting and seemingly   irrelevant, it would still be our duty to study it!

Pope Francis encourages parents and children to share a few verses of Scripture when together at home in the evening. Such a habit without fail creates a prayerful atmosphere within a family, because Christ is speaking to that family.

The Word of God is inspired by God and it has the power to change and transform our lives. We always fail in our duty to study the Word of God. Success or failure in our Christian life depends upon how deeply we study the Bible and get it into our heart and our lives on a regular basis, and how obedient we are to it. If we are not reading the Word of God, then it only will be a matter of time before we fall apart spiritually. Ultimately the main  reason why we should read the Bible is because it is our duty! It is our Christian duty and not an option. When we study and imbibe God’s Word, it becomes a source of strength for our lives and we will be more effective in our Christian living.

Get into the Word! Read your Bible! Love your Bible!

 “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Heb. 4:12)

BIBLE SUNDAY: LIVING BY THE WORD (PART 2)

We hear the Word of God proclaimed at every celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the Church teaches that through this proclamation Christ himself speaks to us. It is essential therefore for lectors to speak the Word to the congregation clearly. When the Scriptures are read, Christ communes and dialogues with his people - especially when gathered for the Holy Eucharist.

Carry with you a bible or missal when you come for Mass. These days, one can download useful applications on to one’s smart phones. Many Catholics, for example, use UNIVERSALIS (www.universalis.com) where they can access Readings At Mass, Order of Mass, Yearly Calendar and other useful information. You are most welcome to follow the readings from your gadget while the Lectors/Priest proclaim the Word from the     pulpit. It is said that by following the prescribed readings of the day for three years, one would have read the whole Bible.

 A Brief Appreciation of the Catholic Bible:  The Catholic Bible was compiled by a Catholic Council 300 years after Jesus Christ died. The Catholic bible comprises 73 books (46 books of the Old    Testament and 27 books of the New Testament), written over a period of about eight centuries. Although originally written in   Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, it has been translated into more than 1000 languages. 

Please take note: The most popular section of the Old Testament is the 150 Psalms which are classified as hymns, petitions and thanksgiving. You are encouraged to pray with the words of the Psalmist. It is in the Book of Psalms that God said, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm: 46:10)

A Suggestion: The printed prayer below can be cut and pasted onto the inside cover page of your Bible. Pray it daily each time you open your Holy Bible:- 

“Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your Holy Word. May it sanctify us by your truth, because your Word is Truth and it is alive and active. Help us by your Holy Spirit so to listen to your holy Word, read it, study and imbibe it and always hold fast the joyful hope of everlasting life.  May it be a guide to our steps, a light to our paths and a source of strength for our lives.

May your words abide in us so that when we pray, you will grant us the clarity, joy and peace to overcome the strongholds of    bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, fear, doubt, discouragement and other negativities. Give us faith to receive your Word, understanding to grasp the truth and the will to practise It. Amen.”

BIBLE: LIVING BY THE WORD (PART 3)

Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, understanding it and assimilating it into our lives. Therefore, preaching the Word of God is necessary and that’s why Jesus says:

                      “A sower went out to sow his seed,” (Mt 13: 3; LK 8: 5). 

The sower who went out is the preacher and we (not only the priests) are commissioned to preach God’s life-giving Word.

Moses preached the Law of God to the whole people of Israel in the land of Moab, (Deut 1 & 2). In the times of the  Old Testament , God appointed prophets as His messengers to speak His word to the people. In the time of the New Testament , God sent His Holy Spirit to His people to preach His Word to all.

Finally Christ, both in his humanity as well as divinity, came to preach the Word of God. He sent out the apostles to preach to all nations and to baptize them (Mt 28: 19 - 20). Preaching the gospel is therefore an apostolic as well as a divine task for all Christians.

The Word of God is so filled with manifold goodness that it is like a treasury of all good things. From this Word comes faith, hope, charity, love, all the virtues, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all the gospel beatitudes, all good works, all merit in this life and the glory of paradise.

Let us first cleanse our hearts from all evil and humbly accept the Word which God has planted in our hearts and which can save us. For the word of God is light to the mind and fire to the will, enabling every listener to know and love God and to discern His will. When we obey His Word, we can triumphantly live out His way of life and become a trusted light to our neighbours, family and friends.

Let us pray for all missionaries, priests and religious working with Mother Church, that they may have the courage and heart for the Gospel. And let us together be involved in the sowing of the seed!

I hope you do spend time in reading, meditating and praying with the Word of God on a regular basis. I am happy to see that a majority of you come to church to fulfill your Sunday obligation as the Lord's Day. However, there is one thing that I find disturbing while celebrating Mass. It’s seeing some of you standing outside the Church and participating in the celebration. Why won’t you come inside and worship together with the rest of the community? Even if you come late, it’s ok. You are still welcome to enter the Church.

How would you feel if I came to your house, stood outside your door, greeted you and left without entering your house? I am sure you would feel that it was not right and would be unhappy about it. Similarly, when you come to God’s house and remain outside, how do you think God feels?

Do give this some serious thought. Do you want to disappoint God? If you want to grow spiritually then you must improve yourselves little by little. Do take your seats inside the Church and participate as one community, one Church for the Sunday liturgy.

I would also like to urge all of you to prepare yourselves when you come for the Sunday Eucharist. If we receive Jesus with little preparation, poor participation in the Holy Mass, with a cold heart and no thanksgiving, you may find a kind of stagnant in your spiritual growth. St Paul warns us to be aware of whom it is that we are receiving (1 Cor 11: 17-33).

We are all unworthy sinners, yet God welcomes us with open arms ... so the doors of the Church are always open to everyone ... saint or sinner ... all of you are welcome, so don’t be stranger. Do help someone back to Sunday Mass. God bless you and your family..

ARE WE MISSING OUT ON JESUS’ INVITATION?

What do we understand of the Gospel of St John Chapter 6, on the account of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, Jesus – Bread of Life discourse and the disciples’ testimony that Jesus has the words of eternal life? St John the Evangelist offers a kind of encounter with God. It is Jesus’ invitation to love and to live a life worthy of God’s children and which will sustain us for ALL times. When we stay truthful and faithful to Jesus, we can encounter God.

In giving us the Bread of Life, Jesus does not offer temporary nourishment, He gives us the eternal bread of His word. It will not pass away. It will nourish and give life to us forever. Jesus is this bread, and in offering to share it with us he calls us to have faith in him.

Jesus invites us to “come to Him, “believe in Him,” “look upon Him,” “be drawn to Him,” “hear Him,” and to “learn of Him.” (cf. John 6:36, 37, 40, 44, 45). All of these verbs invite the active  response of our faith in His word. His word is nourishment for our faith.

He is the true Bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger! The world around us is experiencing hunger and thirst of huge proportions. When we approach the Table of the Lord, the Table of Plenty, we expect to receive pardon, healing, reassurance and comfort. That’s cool, but our Lord has more in store for us – much more than we can ever imagine! 

What is stopping us from stepping forward – to boldly look out for a place where we can, in love and in trust, respond to his invitation? Is it our noisy surroundings, our preoccupation with self, our pride, our fears, our many attachments? To accept Jesus as the bread of heaven is not only life and spiritual nourishment for this world but glory in the world to come. Are we alert so as not to miss out on Jesus Christ’s invitation to love and to abide with him? May our participation in the Eucharistic celebrations continue to transform our parish community and the society around us into a civilization of love! May our longing for the Eucharist make us ever more patient and kind with one another in our homes and wherever we may be. Let us pray that we may truly become what we receive in the Eucharistic meal.

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never  hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst,” (Jn 6:35).

EMPOWERED TO WITNESS FOR CHRIST

This year, 52 students (39 of our own students and 5 RCIA candidates; 5  from Risen Christ Church, and 3 from Sacred Heart Church, Bentong), will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation during the 6.00 pm Mass at the Church of St. Joseph on Saturday, August 1st, 2015. The Archbishop will be present to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation.

This year we are privileged to witness the Installation of Fr. George PackiaSamy, who has served for more than a year thus far,  as parish priest of St. Joseph’s Church for a term of  6 years.

The rite of Installation will take place before the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Archbishop will hand over the Parish Keys (Key of Parish house, Main Church door and Tabernacle). After the Gospel reading, the letter of  appointment as a parish priest will be read out from the lectern. The Archbishop will invite the Parish Priest to profess his faith as he recites the Apostles’ Creed with the congregation. Then, the priest will be invited to stand before the Archbishop and renew the promises which he had taken during his Ordination as a priest.  He, then, will take the oath of fidelity at the altar as he places his hand on the book of Gospel. Finally, the Archbishop will present the parish priest to the parishioners.

The rite of Confirmation will take place after the above rite. The candidates are called by name; the Archbishop addresses the candidates and then he will invite the candidates to renew the profession of faith which they made on their baptism day as a sign of union with the whole Church. The Archbishop will then extend his hands upon all the candidates and pray that God the Father will send the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit – Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord, (Is 11:2; CCC no 1831). The Archbishop will then anoint the foreheads of the Confirmands with Chrism Oil.

So above is a gist of the rites of Installation as a priest and of Confirmation.

My dear Confirmands, teachers, parents and godparents: On behalf of St Joseph’s parish, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for the wonderful journey you have embarked upon so far. Confirmands, now you are matured Christian Catholics and you are responsible to witness your faith in Christ and her bride, the Church. As you mature in Christ, we invite you to take every effort to pray and read the Bible and other spiritual books on your own, fulfil the Church obligations and to get involved in parish  activities/ministries.

Parents and godparents, be vigilant by being responsible to keep on guiding them in their spiritual journey. God bless you and your families!