RENEWING OUR COMMITMENT TO FAITH EDUCATION

On Sunday, 5 January 2020, Catechism for the year 2020 resumed in most parishes. In our Parish of St. Joseph, faith education session for our catechism children commenced with a 30-minute adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by Benediction at Dewan Monsignor Anthony Thomas after the 9.00 am mass. Following this, we had the renewal of commitment and commissioning of our catechists and RCIA facilitators for the year 2020. 

The commissioning for catechists, parents and students is usually carried out on Catechetical Sunday, which falls on the 3rd Sunday of January. However, for the past two years, in our Parish, we have carried out the commissioning on the first Sunday of the year, – on the day of registration for catechism classes and a special blessing given to all of them before the registration. The commissioning is conducted at this time instead of during a weekend mass as all catechists, facilitators, parents and students are present at the hall.

On behalf of the catechists, I would like to thank all of you once again, especially the parents of our catechism students for recommitting to sending your children regularly and faithfully to catechism classes. As primary faith educators, I hope you take on your role seriously and act responsibly through your words and actions within the community and at home. We also expect parents to send children to their classes early so that the kids will have time to settle in. Send your children to class with warm smiles and trace their foreheads with the Sign of the Cross before leaving them at their respective classes. If possible, greet the other children and teachers too with a smile as well because after all, we are one parish community, one family.

The same goes for the children – you too have your role to play in your faith formation. Last Sunday, you renewed your commitment with your parents and teachers. First and foremost, you promised to be present and punctual for your classes. Punctuality is a habit of doing things at the right time and it is a key to success in your studies and in your life. If you are punctual and disciplined students, you will earn the respect, acceptance and admiration of your peers, teachers as well as your parents. I want you to be present on time so that you will not miss any part of the lesson.

I was happy to see all the catechists, facilitators, parents and students come forward to renew their commitment once again. I am sure that there will be many challenges ahead, but let us stand firm together in our faith in Christ and make a real, lasting impact in our own lives as we grow in holistic spirituality. The start of a new year is a good time for us to reflect on how Jesus grew in wisdom, in age, in stature, in maturity, in favour with God and people, (cf. Luke 2:52), so that one day when we meet the Lord, we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” (Matt 25:23).

This year, our Parish will be more focused on the spiritual growth of every individual. For the first quarter of the year, we have prepared an Alpha programme for adults who want to dive deeper into their Catholic faith. This programme will be a tool for you to become evangelisers. It is a series of sessions over 9 consecutive Saturdays and a weekend away from the Parish. I hope you will make use of this opportunity to deepen your faith as you continue to commit yourselves into New Evangelisation. We encourage every member of our Parish to participate. May our spiritual formations and faith education help us to grow stronger in our Catholic faith and in our lives through prayer, scripture reading, Holy Eucharist and fellowship with one another (cf. Acts 2:42).

NEW BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

The holidays have come to end. Most of you would have already gone back to work and school children have already started their new academic year on Thursday, 2 January 2020. Christmas parties too would have ended early and most likely all your Christmas cookies, finished by now.

I hope you have not taken down your Nativity Scene (crib), Christmas tree and Christmas ornaments, even though many shopping malls and shops have already put up their Chinese New Year decorations. For us, the Christmas season doesn’t end until after the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (5 January 2020) and the Baptism of the Lord (12 January 2020). Christmas time is important as it gives us a way of reflecting on what Incarnation means in our lives: “The word became Flesh, He lived among us,” (John 1:14).

The awaiting months, decade and year 2020 are at hand! We have celebrated the New Year countdown with lots of anxiety and hope that this year will be much better and brighter than previous years. Before the dawn of the New Year, we would have spent time making lists with all kinds of resolutions, although I am sure most of us will forget about them by the end of January. However, what we really need to ask ourselves is, “What is the one most important thing that I want different in my life this New Year?” Instead of cracking our heads about so many things, we need to focus on just one thing, and seek God’s help to make this progress fully and completely. If we want to progress spiritually in the next 12 months, we need to keep our spirits high with hope and aspiration - let the Psalmist’s prayer become our prayer: “O Lord give success to the work of our hands,” (Ps 90:17).

We are saddened to hear about our Parishioners from the Myanmar Zomi community who lost a mother and two sons on the first day of the year 2020. Lucy Cing Sian Huai (31yo, mother) and her two sons – Mathias Thang Sian Sang (4yo) and Philip Pau Khan Lian (2yo) died on the spot when a car hit them while they were waiting at the shoulder of the road around 8.00am in Balakong, Kajang. Her husband, David En Khen Sing (39yo) was asleep at home after returning from night duty. It is surely devastating for the husband who now grieves over the deaths of his wife and his two young sons. The family has been staying in Malaysia for almost 10 years and they were faithful in attending the Myanmar Mass on Sundays, in our Parish.

I met the husband and the Zomi community when we gathered at their home for the memorial prayers in Balakong. Once the bodies are released from the hospital mortuary, the bodies will then lie in wake at St Joseph’s funeral parlour until arrangements to repatriate the bodies to Myanmar are finalised. The leaders of the Zomi community are currently working on the relevant documentation with the Myanmar Embassy and making all other necessary arrangements for the repatriation. We will have the wake services at the parlour and the funeral Mass will be held sometime next week at the church, before sending them to the airport.

I hope our Parishioners will come together to pay their last respects and give support to the husband as well as the Zomi community. We may not know the deceased persons personally, but this tragedy and loss bring profound grief and sadness to all of us. It is not easy to accept this kind of tragic death, especially just after Christmas. Grief is so overpowering, consuming and uncontrollable.

Accepting their loss will be truly difficult and painful. The deceased will be missed and never forgotten. As a remembrance, we will display a photo of the family, which was taken on Christmas Day 2019 at our Nativity Scene, until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. After that, the photo will be hung in our Parish office. We shall continue to remember them in our prayers. We shall also continue to prayer for the Zomi community and for the deceased family members during this time of grief. May their souls rest in peace.

JESUS IS A GREATEST GIFT FOR US

Coming for Sunday Mass as a family on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is the best way to make both real and holy our family. The Christmas story in Matthew’s gospel (Mt 2:1-12), is about the wise men came to Bethlehem after the birth of Child Jesus.

The Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh in order to pay homage to the Child Jesus and they are so important for the entire. The Epiphany is the idea of the light of Christ coming into the world. The light of the star led the wise men to Jesus so the light of Christ lead us to His salvation.

Epiphany is a time that God calls on us to wake up and recognise the light of Christ to see that He is really the Saviour of the world. The light of salvation of Jesus is shining on us! Let the light of Christ shine in the world. Let us give Jesus the greatest gift we can, the gift of our lives, the gift of total surrender.

“All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord!

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/new-beginnings-and-endings-1/

BRING LIGHT AND FAITH TO ALL

To many, the Christmas festivities and holidays are the best part of the Christian calendar year and everyone enjoys this celebration joyously. As part of Christmas, everyone gets involved in greetings, shopping, singing, carolling  visiting, partying, eating delicious food, exchanging gifts with family members and friends and also helping to bring joy in the lives of the poor. All Christian families and friends join together with others to celebrate the joy, love and happiness of the birth of Child Jesus, the Son of God.

Our parish of St Joseph’s Zommi Catholic Community celebrated a wonderful Christmas this year. The presence of Her Excellency Kamala Shirin Lakhdir, who is the United States Ambassador to Malaysia made their celebration a significant and meaningful one. Together with her team, she joined the community for Christmas Day Mass at 11.30am. After Mass, they organized a fellowship with the community and the Ambassador had a meal with them. She also joined in the stage shows and entertainment held at Dewan Msgr Anthony Thomas. The Zommi community thanked the Ambassador and her colleagues and presented them with gifts.

December has come to an end. This holiday season will end too and we will head back to work soon and our children will return to school. We will bid farewell to the year 2019 and welcome 2020. It is a wonderful time to reflect on the year that’s been, as we bid it a fond farewell. As a parish, we started 2019 with exciting formations, get-togethers, events and fellowships. I am very grateful to all parish leaders from the various ministries and committees as well as volunteers who dedicated valuable time and worked collaboratively to bring success to all our events and celebrations. We truly couldn’t have done it without you!

The Holy Father Pope Francis, in his message on Christmas Day, invites us to “bring tenderness to all, and brighten the darkness of this world.” As we move forward to our third-year parish vision, “Committing Ourselves to New Evangelisation” with the mission to embrace, to care for and to heal the 5Ls – the Last, Lost, Least, Little and Lonely, let us commit ourselves to bringing the light of Christ to them. As we look forward in expectation, let us stay together and work hand in hand to bring light to all, and live our faith devotedly. We need every one of you to come together to accomplish a shared goal – our vision and mission. Let’s learn how to embrace, to care for and to heal the 5Ls and give our best this coming year.

1 January 2020 will mark the 53rd World Day of Peace. The Holy Father explains that peace as a journey of hope is to be embarked upon in a spirit of dialogue, reconciliation and ecological conversion. He also adds that peace has “great and precious value, the object of our hope and the aspiration of the entire human family.” Peace requires patience and trust which is something that we “must build up continually” and it is a journey “in constant pursuit of the common good”. The peace process is to be made together step by step, not with empty words but with convinced witnesses as peacemakers who are open to dialogue and to live in forgiveness. Pope Francis recalls his Encyclical Letter, “Laudato Si” which invites us not to be hostile towards others and lack respect for our common home or be abusively exploiting of natural resources. The Holy Father concludes with a prayer that “the Holy Spirit prompts in us ways of thinking and speaking, that make us artisans of justice and peace.”

Let’s have a fresh start and may all your efforts produce great success in the year 2020. The Lord will bring peace, joy, happiness and success in your life. Happy New Year and God bless you always.

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/bring-light-and-faith-to-all/

KEEP OUR FAMILIES IN GOD'S PALN

The feast of the Holy Family instructs us on how to have holy families and to create healthy families function.The future of the Church and of society begins in the family. Therefore, parents should not forget their responsibility in keeping their families in God’s plan.

Life in God’s family requires us to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Love is the “bond of perfection” that holds the family and community together. Family is the best place to begin learning these virtues – “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”  It takes discipline to live this way.

When families stay together, and pray together, and sing together and learn together, all of society is enriched and strengthened. Today, we pray for all those who are having troubles in their marriages, for families with conflicts, and for those in disordered relationships. 

Jesus, be with us and be the head of our families; Mary and Joseph, pray for our families.

“Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.” (Ps 128)

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