REOPENING THE DOORS TO LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

After more than three months under the Movement Controlled Order (MCO), St Joseph’s Church, Sentul reopened with the celebration of Mass at 9am on 28 June 2020. A total of 166 parishioners pre-registered, but only 157 turned up and attended the Mass. Those present included 102 registered under their BECs, 15 Inactive-BEC members, 13 Non-BEC Parishioners, 8 RCIA candidates, 22 volunteers and 7 Parish Response Team (PRT) members. We had 2 RELA personnel on duty to ease the traffic congestion at the parking lot and around the church premises. Two officers from the Department of National Unity, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (Kementerian Perpaduan Negara) came by to assess adherence to the stipulated guidelines, and they were quite happy with the proper implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures for the reopening of our Church.

This Sunday (5 July 2020) invitation was extended to 11 other BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities) within our Parish, to attend Mass. We estimate that at least 230 parishioners will attend, excluding the volunteers. Every Saturday, our Parish Response Team (PRT) and volunteers carry out the necessary preparation and undergo training in anticipation of the Sunday Mass the following day. It is a tiring job to undertake, and I just hope they won’t give up easily in carrying out their tasks and responsibilities.

The celebration of Sacraments with the faithful was suspended throughout the MCO and it is only a week since we resumed the Eucharistic celebration. There are a few other Sacraments to be celebrated, and that would probably commence in early August – the Sacrament of Matrimony and Baptism of infants. During the MCO, a few weddings were postponed and rescheduled to early August 2020. These couples have already attended the Catholic Marriage Preparation Course (CMPC) last year and now they only need to do a Pre-Nuptial Enquiry (PNI) and complete some administrative paperwork. We will make the necessary arrangements for their Church wedding, in compliance with the SOPs laid down by the government and the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. 

There are also several infants waiting to be baptised but before that happens, we need to prepare their parents and godparents by presenting them with the Infant Baptism instructions. Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments we receive in the Roman Catholic Church. It is “the gateway to life in the spirit (vitaea spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments,” (CCC no. 1213). Although it is the first sacrament received by a person, subsequently opening the door of the Church to them, I prefer that we hold a low-key celebration in Church for now, with a limited number of people from the immediate families in attendance.

Photo: February 2018

Many of our aged, sick and homebound parishioners are hoping to receive the Sacrament of Anointing and Holy Communion. However, we still need to be extra cautious when interacting with those most vulnerable. We are still in the discussion stages on this matter and hope to come up with a proper solution soon. Till we meet, be assured of our humble prayers for you at home.

We have faced a lot of difficulties and challenges in experiencing Jesus through the Sacraments and in our faith journey. We find ourselves in a place of pain and feel as though God has abandoned us and our families. This Covid-19 pandemic has impacted our lives and many are finding it difficult to grasp any form of routine. As we move from one phase to the next in reopening and celebrating the Sacraments, we pray that all will strictly adhere to social distancing requirements, as well as safety measures, by practicing good personal hygiene in order to prevent a second outbreak in our community.

We will be gradually moving from Spiritual Communion or Virtual celebration through live streaming, into a more tangible and personal celebration of Jesus in our lives. In the process of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, we need a lot of support, cooperation, determination, discipline and perseverance to be able to comply with the SOPs set both by the government and the Church. We are becoming more familiar in adapting with this new norm of life. Together, let us take the initiative in our spiritual development and form a healthy community and a healthy nation.

Photo: February 2018

MY YOKE IS EASY, MY BURDEN LIGHT

Jesus says in the Gospel, “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…” (Matthew 11:28-30).

We face a lot of pain, sufferings, loneliness, depression and find meaningless in life. We are carrying many types of burdens and living with many unbearable yokes in life. We are tired and weighed down with many yokes and burdens and we find so hard to get rid of them from our lives. 

We just need to hold on to our own yoke and burden as Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” When we learn to place our yoke on Jesus, our stress and tension will be released and we will be alive. our mind and body, spirit and soul will find at peace.

We need to learn from Jesus how He was gentle and humble in heart. A gentle person is someone who treats others in a more loving, kind and gentle way so that others won’t get hurts. Jesus treated everyone equally, justly, politely and compassionately and He forgave them. We need to be like Jesus to be gentle and humble towards one another.

“I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.” (Ps 145)

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OUR MISSION HAS TO BE CENTERED IN GOD’S LOVE

During this period of pandemic, we have only been able to participate in Mass at home, only through Spiritual Communion. We found this rather difficult to accept as we felt that our faith seemed to be fading, or was even being tested, and some felt shattered. We may have felt separated from the Church and the Sacrament of the Eucharist during this time. Our faith now to some extent, depends on social media. You are not alone though because I too went through this same feeling.

 

During the past three months, I celebrated my Sunday Mass at the altar of our Church together with our sacristan, Joseph. As for daily mass, I would just celebrate it quietly in my room. I felt dissatisfied celebrating Mass alone without the usual responses from all of you.

Each time I celebrated the Sunday Mass, I would look at the pews and imagine that you and your families were at those pews, seated at your usual places. This morning, with some of you present at the Mass, I experienced mixed feelings, celebrating with you. It was so surreal, I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. I was excited, joyous and nervous altogether!

This trial period has brought birth to a new ministry in St. Joseph’s Church. We have informed you about this two weeks ago. It is none other than our Parish Response Team (PRT). This team has worked tirelessly to prepare, plan, clean and sanitise the whole church, before the reopening today for Mass.

As a start for this gradual opening, we decided to reopen our Church on a small scale, inviting a few BECs each Sunday to come and participate in the mass. As it stands today, we had almost 140 parishioners from BECs 1 to 9, with a few other volunteers present as well. Surely, this is a good start and we will progressively open up the church for everybody but I am clueless as to when we will be able to fully open our doors.

I am sure you are already familiar with our government and Parish’s SOP which was circulated to all Becs and ministries these past few days. We have posted this on our website, too. We do need your full cooperation to adhere to the guidelines set. Failing which , we will be non-compliant with respect to the government’s SOP. Let us remember to pray for those who were unable to be with us this morning, and let us continue to be patient and await the day when we can all freely congregate together for mass.

At last Sunday’s Gospel, we heard Jesus tell His disciples to not be afraid. Jesus commissioned them for the mission of casting out demons, healing the sick and proclaiming the Good News to the poor. Today, the Gospel continues to instruct us about aspects of discipleship, to share in the mission of Christ. We are union with Christ through Baptism, and we have been given the mandate to go on this mission to preach the Good News to all. At every Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, we renew our baptismal promises. We renounce our sins and we profess our faith and we commit ourselves to live a holy life for Jesus and for His Church, and to serve the Kingdom of God.

We must strive to be like the unnamed woman in today’s 1st reading, who served generously and was hospitalble to the Prophet Elisha. As a part of God’s family, we must share our faith generously and humbly offering ourselves in service to God and to others, especially to our community and our Church, following the example of the Shunamite unnamed woman.

In this mission of ours, Jesus has to be the center of our lives and our mission has to be centred in God’s love. The call to discipleship now falls on us. Jesus calls us to embrace His mission on earth. At times, we may hesitate and even fear, being a part of that mission of Christ. However, we must pick up courage and take up the cross and follow Him with a full heart, enthusiastically, and to be on a mission always in this earthly life. As His disciples, we should love, be compassionate and caring towards others. Let’s cling to Him and let Him lead us safely and peacefully always, in this new norm of way of life as we discover and rediscover our life in Christ.

THE NEW NORM IN ATTENDING MASS

Photo: 20/6/20
(Floor Marking for Social Distancing)

On 15 June 2020, the Government permitted all non-Muslim houses of worship - apart from those located within the high risk areas or red zones - to reopen for their respective religious prayers and activities during the Recovery Movement Controlled Order (RMCO). After more than three months, we finally feel a sense of relief and alleviation, hearing this good news! The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has granted permission to all churches and chapels within its jurisdiction to reopen on 28 June 2020, with a one-third capacity congregation allowed to attend Mass, only on Sundays. Every Church is expected to regulate effective compliance with the requirements set out in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the Ministry of National Unity (MNU) and National Security Council (NSC). Some of you would have read these SOPs, which were highlighted in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur’s Chancery Notice dated on 15 June 2020.

The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has instructed all parishes to study the SOP meticulously and implement this accordingly, before reopening for Sunday Mass on 28 June. In preparation for the Sunday Eucharistic celebration, our Parish has already formed a Parish Response Team (PRT). The PRT consists of 7 members – Gabriel Moses, Alan Jong, Mary Bernadette Peters, John Bosco Morais, Leonard Paiva, Dr Jeremy Prakash and Dr Sheela Theivanthiran. The PRT will be responsible for studying, planning, coordinating, preparing and applying the guidelines for the celebration of Sacraments during the RMCO and post-RMCO period. They will also be responsible for recruiting volunteers and giving them the necessary training. 

As we move ahead, preparing for the reopening of our Church, the PRT will make sure the SOPs are strictly adhered to. We expect full cooperation and support from all Parishioners for a smooth resumption of our Sunday Eucharistic celebration. If the next couple of Sunday Masses proceed smoothly and without issues, we may probably move to the next phase, where we will be allowed to have multiple Weekend Masses, which will then include Saturday Sunset, Sunday Evening, as well as daily weekday morning masses besides the already approved Sunday Morning mass.

Photo: 20/6/20
(Cleaning Service Team)

As the Coronavirus continues to infect many people and with the prediction of a second wave of infection, we wish to remind all Parishioners attending the Weekend Mass to wear your facial masks at all times when in the church premises, maintain strict social distancing and adhere to the SOP safety measures. Most of all, we strongly encourage Parishioners to adapt to this new norm and ensure strict discipline when coming for Mass on Sundays.

We have been given this opportunity to return to our churches after a long period of suspension resulting from the pandemic. During this RMCO period, we pray that every Parishioner continues to be responsible with regards the well-being and protection of our community, our families and the nation as a whole.

I would like to highlight some important measures to ensure safety and protection from this COVID-19 virus infection and the basic norms of health and hygiene protocols that we, as Parishioners, should observe during the current epidemic crisis, especially when we are in the Church premises.

a)   Only one-third of the total congregations (probably 250 parishioners at one time) are allowed to attend Sunday Mass.

b)   Only Malaysian Parishioners between the ages of 13 and 69 are permitted to attend Mass.

c)  Those who have a cough, fever, or are displaying flu-like or respiratory symptoms, including high risk individuals (poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, kidney disease requiring dialysis of any sort, heart and cancer patients or those suffering from other chronic illness) are not permitted to attend Mass in church until the situation in the country improves. 

d)    You are required to wear a facial mask once you have entered the church premises. 

e)    Maintain strict social distancing with at least one meter distance from the next person.

f)  Avoid touching surfaces unnecessarily - wash or sanitise your hands soonest possible.

g)  No handshakes, no kisses, no hugging or touching, especially during the sign of peace – a big smile and a bow would suffice!!

h)    If you are sick, especially with a respiratory illness, please stay at home. You will not be allowed into the church premises. 

i)      Follow the instructions of the wardens.

j)      Do submit your names, Identity Card number, contact number, etc., to your respective BEC leaders beforehand.

k)  Registration closes at 8.55am sharp and late comers will not be allowed into the church premise, as the gates will be closed.

l)      Please register yourselves on the MySejahtera app.

m) Please do come for Mass on time and leave the church immediately after the Mass and do not loiter around the church premises.

n)    Do not enter the Adoration Room.

o)    No parking is allowed within the Church premises.

As we are allowed to return to our house of God, let us make every effort and discipline ourselves to work towards a new way of life, and build a healthy nation – physically, spiritually and emotionally.

DO NOT BE AFRAID

As Jesus instructed his Apostles to go on a mission, he told them not to be fearful or afraid of anyone,  and that He was sending them out to preach the Good News and to teach them (Mt 10). 

We have been taught about Truth, to boldly preach and to make known the Gospel of Christ to everyone. The Lord said “Do not be afraid” and He also promised, “I will be with you always.” This promise, not only gave the Apostles courage, but it also  gives us the courage to carry out His mission to the world. When we are afraid or fearful, this will then increase our failures in carrying out our tasks. The light of Jesus dispels the darkness of fear.

We’re afraid of the unknown and worry about uncertainties. We always have doubts and struggles over faith. Whenever we face fear, we need to realise that God is near us. We should place our trust in God and in His presence too.

God is always with us and He is our Warrior. He gives us great confidence to “fight the good fight,” in order to win. Be courageous then, to stand for the Truth, and do not fear anyone.

Let us count on God’s great love for us to enable us to do what He asks of us – “Lord, in Your great love, answer me,” (Ps 68).

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.

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