THE HOPE OF THE POOR SHALL NOT PERISH

The Church of St Joseph, Kuala Lumpur, has been observing the World Day of the Poor cum Parish Family Day for the past three years. Ever since I was assigned to this parish, I have noticed that the whole parish - parishioners and leaders of various ministries – generously extend services and outreach towards the poor, the needy, marginalised, migrants and refugees.  

We always lend a helping hand and offer a listening ear to the cries of the poor in whatever little way we can. We live the life of love not merely with words but with our deeds. We carry out the mission of our Church by reaching out to the poor. We realise that being mediocre is not the hallmark of a true Christian, as we have been called to go the extra mile by giving the very best of His love and care for the poor.

This weekend (17 November 2019), we are celebrating the Third World Day of the Poor cum Parish Family Day in our Church. The Holy Father suggests Catholic Communities set aside the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time each year as the World Day of the Poor. As we observe it, he wants us to reflect on how poverty can be at the very heart of the Gospel.

The theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor is, “The Hope of the Poor Shall not Perish Forever” (Psalm 9:18). The Holy Father reminds us that “the poor are not numbers, but people who need our assistance and our companionship.” Therefore, we need “to protect, defend, care, concern and save” them from all afflictions. These are only possible when we have simplicity of heart, humility of listening and the courage to move with the heart of compassion towards the poor. We should not look down on them, but instead give them dignity and lift them up from their poverty. As we put our efforts to lift them up, we “live our mission with the style of poverty, graciousness and humility.”

When the Holy Father published his message for the World Day of the Poor on 13 June 2019, on the feast of St Anthony of Padua, he reminds us that we should be in solidarity with the poor. These poor individuals and families have left their homeland – many are orphaned and victims of various kinds of violence, deprived by economic, political and social issues. The thousands and millions of homeless, marginalised and afflicted are often neglected by society and by nations.

The Holy Father invites us to cultivate our personal encounter with Christ through the work of charity. It is a great challenge and it is our responsibility to “look into their eyes of the poor” and to give our hope by wiping away their tears and comfort them in time of their need. We need to make ourselves close to their hearts and give them the hope in their lives so that they too will never be disappointed and deprived in the society. 

The Pope added that we should not stop “sowing tangible seeds of hope” in the hearts of the poor because “they enable us to encounter the face of Christ.” We need to remain as “instruments and opportunities for peace, solidarity and promotion of dignity” for the underprivileged individuals and families and for every one that we meet in our lives. 

My dear committee members of World Day of the Poor, Ministry of the Poor and other committees and parishioners - I truly appreciate your great effort, enthusiasm, dedication, involvement and your constant love for the poor, which society seems to exclude. Let us come together this Sunday to celebrate with them and restore hope in their lives.

TO LIVE FOR THE LORD

The Day of the Lord is the day the world will come to an end. The gospel passage (LK 21: 5-19) today reflects on the end of the world. It wants us to reflect on that moment when the world will pass away. It wants us to ask ourselves, “How prepared will we be for that moment when it comes?’’

The Church invites us not to get panic, fear, and disaster rather, she invites us to be confident and trust that we have God is in charge of us, if only we are willing to walk his way. Let us be ready for the end of the world with confidence and faith.

Jesus is coming again! Our task is to live for the Lord. We should stay faithfully. We ought to

live responsible lives, taking our spiritual growth very seriously. We stay awake, grow deeper in our spiritual journey and stay engaged in serving others.

“The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness.”  (Ps 97)

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/the-hope-of-the-poor-shall-not-perish/

THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING

Our Sunday Sacred Liturgy for the year 2018/2019 (cycle C) will come to an end, three Sundays from now, before we begin the new  liturgical year 2019/2020. In the meantime, I invite all parishioners to fully participate and spend time throughout the week – reading and reflecting on the readings of the upcoming weekdays and weekends. God speaks to us in many ways, including through the daily and Sunday Scripture readings. We should fully engage in and reflect on the Word of God and fully participate in the Mass for the next three Sundays before the First Sunday of Advent, to mark the beginning of the liturgical year. It is our responsibility to connect the Word of God to our daily life in a meaningful way.

The Liturgy for the next three Sundays is meant to take us deeper into our spiritual lives, bringing us closer to God. We cannot just sit around doing nothing, without changing for the better. The end of the liturgical year and its readings, invite us to look deep within ourselves as to which way we are heading – towards God or away from Him? The Lord is coming again whether we are ready or not!

Below here is the synopsis of the Liturgy for the next three Sundays:

10 November 2019 – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture calls us to be aware of the end of the world and of our death at the end of our life. The church encourages us to prepare ourselves for that moment. God never abandons his children, even when this life comes to the end, for he is the God of the living and not of the dead. This is to say, God will transform us to be the perfect reflection of his own glory. In this Eucharist, let us profess our faith in the resurrection.

17 November 2019 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

With the Solemnity of Christ the King, we conclude our Liturgical Year C. Created by pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, this feast reminds us that Jesus is the humble King of the universe and Savior of all. By his incarnation and sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus showed us all the depth of God’s love and his boundless mercy. He is our King and Leader who rules by truth and love. This Sunday’s liturgy sums up his liberating and leading  mission. Let’s declare our loyalty to our King, Jesus by allowing him to take control of our lives and by serving others.

24 November 2019 – Christ the King

While listening to the eschatological discourse, as our liturgy relates on this Sunday, we ask ourselves, “which sentiments prevail in me: doubt, anguish or hope?” Surely, there will be a great elapse of time before Jesus’ final coming, yet we should not be alarmed. Jesus reassures us that God is present with us even in times of trouble. The “Day of the Lord” will be a day of darkness, fear and destruction for the wicked and evildoers. However, for the righteous, “there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” Live well and all shall be well. Trusting in God’s mercy and protection, we pray that we may remain a people of hope and perseverance.

OUR COMMITMENT OF CARING

During the Extraordinary Missionary Month – October 2019, Catholics throughout the world prayed the Rosary for the Church’s mission and for peace in the world. The month of October has awaken our missionary responsibility to announce the joy of the Gospel to all people. We shall continue to pray the rosary as BECs, families and individuals daily for the strength to carry out the Church’s mission and walk in the path of Mary, who surrendered to the will of God.

We are in the month of November now. We started with the solemnity of All Saints Day (1 November). We ask ourselves of what use is this feast day? Saints are friends of Jesus. Our Christian vocation first and foremost is to grow in holiness and to be saints. The beauty of holiness is revealed in the Beatitudes (MT 5:1-12) – poor in spirit, be merciful, peacemaker and pure in heart. We should set our eyes on things above (Col 3:2). In celebrating this solemnity, the Church assures us that “With so vast a multitude praying for us”, one day we may be numbered among the saints in heaven.

November is also a special month dedicated to the deceased. The Church commemorates this month for the all the known and unknown souls who have departed from this earthly life but have not been admitted yet into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Church always teaches us to remember all departed souls who are in Purgatory.

Many of you have written the names of your beloved departed souls in the Book of Remembrance, which was placed at the Parochial House this past one month. There are about 4450 names listed in the book. We shall collectively offer all these names together with all other souls whom we have forgotten, during the weekday and weekend Masses throughout the month of November.

Besides offering them during Mass, we should also devote some time every day to pray for the dead. Why not start praying for those who were closest to us – our parents, children, siblings, etc. When we pray   continuously for them, one day when they have passed purgatory, they will pray for us from heaven. It is important to pray for the dead, and the Catholic Church encourages this habit of praying for the holy souls. The Church also includes and offers them collectively in every Eucharistic celebration. 

Some of you would have paid a visit to the cemetery on All Souls’ Day (2 November). Although few of us observe this practice, many still use this occasion to meet at the graveyard of their beloved ones. During this month, let’s find time to pay a visit to the cemetery.

Since August 2019, the committee of the Parish Ministry of the Poor (PMOP) has worked tirelessly to raise money for the free school uniform project. This Sunday (3 November) we will be taking measurements for school uniforms for 404 under privilege students from 10.30am to 3.00pm at our Parish Hall. I would like to thank you for all your kind donations and support toward this project. We have succeeded in reaching our target. On 14 December 2019, we shall distribute the uniforms to the students personally.

We are in the midst of organising an exciting event – the Third World Day of the Poor cum Parish Family Day 2019 from 10.30am to 5.00pm at our Church premises. It is our annual event primarily held to benefit the underprivileged families and low-income families living in our vicinity. I would like to make an appeal to parishioners to contribute and support this event, either in terms of cash or kind so that we can celebrate the event joyously. Your generous contributions towards our project will ensure that we are able to continue our commitment of caring for the poor.

Our Parish is very effective when it comes to outreach for the needs of the poor. Everyone gets involved to make all our activities and events successful. We, the parishioners of St. Joseph, can do it!

OUR DESIRE TO SEE JESUS

Today’s Gospel (LK 19:1-10), we see how Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector of the city of Jericho, he was hated by everyone in the city because he overtaxed the people.

The most important part of the story is the transformation that happens to Zacchaeus after encountering with Jesus. His determination to see Jesus made him to a sincere conversion.

For Zacchaeus, the day ended with a changed life. He had his sins forgiven. He experienced friendship with Jesus and peace with God. 

This story pursues each one of us to bring us into a loving personal relationship with God and in doing so, to change our entire life for the better. We should do everything possible to find a way around all obstacles and overcome all spiritual handicaps.

We need to allow Jesus to come into our heart and life and surely he will save us.

Today is day of salvation. Let us know that it is never too late to accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord.

 “I will bless your name forever, O God my King.” (Ps 144).