JAPAN – THE LAND OF SAINTS AND MARTYRS

Japan is a country that I’ve always wanted to visit, and earlier this month, I had the opportunity to do so. From 4-13 November 2019, about 46 of us (consisting of Muslims, Hindus and Christians) made our pilgrimage and tour to Japan. It was led by Susan Yee and Doris Yap from Petaling Jaya. Fr Albet Arokiasamy from Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong and I were appointed as Spiritual Directors for this group. We landed in the morning at Narita Airport in Tokyo on 4 November 2019. Our trip started in Narita and then we went on a quick half day Tokyo city tour. After that, we gradually travelled up to the north of Japan, taking a total of five days with various stops and overnight stays before heading down south to Narita on a different route, to conclude our trip.

We travelled in two buses and along the way we stopped in a few great cities, towns and villages for sight-seeing. It is a country with astonishing mountain scenery, a long history of culture and tradition and not forgetting wonderful sushi and sashimi! The Japanese food was delicious everywhere! Japan is a peaceful country and it is ranked in the top 20 in Asia. It was so adventurous to travel during autumn with the temperatures ranging between 6-18 degrees Celsius. The colourful autumn leaves were marvellous and vibrant. It was my first experience of autumn, which delighted me.

Another memorable experience was going up to Mount Zao Okama (1841 meters high) by cable car to the height of 1631 meters to view the platform where we experienced snow. From that platform, it took Fr Albet and I a bit of courage to climb on our own up to the summit of 1703 meters. We rewarded with a great view from the mountain top, with the temperature below -4 degrees Celcius. It was so cold!! When it started getting dark, we quickly ran down to get the cable car in order to return to the foot of the mountain. It was a great accomplishment for us and the snow experience was priceless!

On Day 5 of our trip, we had a Eucharistic celebration at the Church of Akita, Japan. After Mass we gathered at the wooden statue of Our Lady of Akita for the Recitation of the Rosary, followed by the Stations of the Cross at the garden. The miracle of Our Lady of Akita started on 13 October 1973, when Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa discovered tears, sweat and blood on the wooden statue of Mary in a convent in Akita. On 22 April 1984, Bishop John Ito (Diocese of Niigata) had authorised his entire diocese to venerate the Holy Mother of Akita.

As for me, one of the most fascinating things I learnt was about the Samurai Martyrs in Yonezawa, Japan. It is a story of the Martyrdom of 53 Yonezawa Christians and their families, who were beheaded in 1629. These Samurais were witnesses of Christ and they were proud to be Christians.

Japan is known as a land of saints and martyrs even though it has less than a 2% Christian population, with majority Catholics. At least 2138 Christians were officially martyred between 1640 and 1873. During the 16thCentury, the Catholic faith reached Japan through St Francis Xavier (1506-1552). He was a Jesuit missionary and he converted 800 people during his 2+ years in Japan and from that moment the Church continued to grow. In fact, Christianity “has struggled, and will always struggle, to take root” but the Church’s mission will never fail in Japan.

Saint Paul Miki was born in 1562, a Jesuit priest and a native of Japan. He became very well-known among the Martyrs of Japan. On 6 February every year, the Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Paul Miki and the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki (a group of native Japanese Catholics and foreign missionaries). They were stabbed to death with lances for their faith on 5 February 1597. They were beatified in 1627 and they were finally canonised in 1862 by Pope Pius IX. Pope Benedict XVI beatified 188 Martyrs in Nagasaki on 24 November 2008, and most likely, Pope Francis will beatify or canonise a few Martyrs during his Apostolic trip to Japan on 23-26 November 2019.

“After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain,” (St Paul Miki).

KINGSHIP OF CHRIST

On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Church invites us to acknowledge that Jesus is our King, the King of Truth and Life, the King of Holiness and Grace, the King of Justice, Love, and Peace. He is Perfect in Every Way. He is Righteous beyond Measure. He is a Servant King.

In today's Gospel (LK 23: 35-43), Jesus tells Pilate that “everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” The Solemnity of Christ the King, is a day for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the truth by listening to the voice of Christ and to recognise the reign of Christ by obeying his Word. 

As we celebrate the Kingship of Christ today, let us remember the truth that he is not our King if we do not listen to him, love him, serve him, and follow him. 

Let us resolve to give Christ the King the central place in our lives and promise to obey his commandment of love. Long Live Christ the King!

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/japan-the-land-of-saints-and-martyrs/

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.