MOVING FORWARD IN EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

It has been two months since the re-opening of our church for Sunday worship. Initially, there was apprehension and uncertainty about the arrangements following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in order for our Parishioners to celebrate the Eucharist during the weekend. However the Parish Response Team (“PRT”) has successfully coordinated the weekend Masses (Saturday Sunset and Sunday morning Mass) involving all our 34 Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) members and carried out their tasks well, taking us from Phase 1 into Phase 2. Starting September 2020, they will prepare for Phase 3 and Phase 4.

In Phase 3, we will resume daily morning Masses, wedding Masses, infant baptisms, distribution of Holy Communion to the homebound and Rite of Initiation for the Christian Adults (RCIA). Starting 1 September 2020, our weekday program (Monday to Friday) will begin with morning prayer (LAUDS) at 6.30am and followed by the Eucharistic celebration at 6.45am. We ask that Parishioners pre-register before walking into Church for the weekday morning prayer and Mass. Once you enter the Church premises, your temperature will be taken and recorded at the guardhouse. You may then enter and occupy the allocated seat inside the Church accordingly. Once Mass is over, you will be required leave the Church premises immediately. We want to minimise movement within the Church compound to ensure safety.

We are still limiting the number of attendees at wedding masses and funerals to between 20 and 30 persons, respectively. There are a few couples who have requested for the Sacrament of Baptism for their infants and this will be celebrated accordingly when we move into Phase 3. However, we will impose a limit on the number of persons attending the baptism ceremony to only 6-8 immediate family members. The Sacrament of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) for the 2019/2020 RCIA Candidates will take place on Sunday, 30 August 2020 at 2pm. We will also lift the current restrictions and allow children below the age of 13, especially those who have already received the Sacrament of Holy Communion and also the elderly, those 70 years and above who are in good health, to attend Mass during Phase 3. Parents or any respective family members are required to sign a declaration form, which will be forwarded through all BEC leaders. 

The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) will resume bringing Holy Communion to the homebound in their respective BECs, but only fortnightly, for a start. I hope Parishioners will communicate with their respective BEC Communion Minister, when coordinating a homebound visit. We encourage the EMHC to take extra precautions when visiting the homebound, as they are among the most vulnerable in our community. I too have taken extra care when visiting the elderly and sick parishioners, bringing them Holy Communion and administering the Sacrament of Holy Anointing.

September will be a challenging month for the Parish Response Team (PRT) and volunteers, as they look into the logistics of coordinating Masses and celebrations here in Church. Although many parishes have been opened since August 2020, the SOP on non-Muslim places of worship still restrict attendance to only Malaysian citizens. The Church has a significant number of Parishioners who are non-Malaysians, and they have repeatedly requested to be allowed to participate in Mass. I hope the authorities will permit them to attend the Eucharistic celebrations soon.

As the Church in Malaysia starts to open its doors once again, it is time for us to reawaken our faith and start participating in-person at Mass. Although virtual services are still on-going to cater to those who are unable to attend Mass in-person, those of you who are eligible and able to be present at Church during Mass should make every effort to register and return once again to Church.

As we move into Phase 3 and Phase 4, we will carry out the new normal way of life in our religious practices at Church, without relaxing the stipulated SOPs. Let’s pray for our families and our community, so that our relationships will continue to flourish and be enhanced, for the better.

Pope Francis said, “May the Lord help you to discover new ways, new expressions of love, living as you do in this new situation. For in the end, this is a beautiful and creative opportunity to discover ourselves.”

BEAR THE HARDSHIP OF DAILY LIFE JOYFULLY

22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Homily)

We hear in the Gospel text this week i.e., “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt 16: 24).

 

I know a woman who converted to Catholicism. She was baptised after going through the RCIA programme and promised to be as true a follower of Christ.  It was not even a year when she started facing many crisis in her faith and her life. Her husband fell sick and was unable to work. She had to raise her three toddler children at that time whilst looking after and caring for her husband. She suddenly became the breadwinner of her home till today. One day, she had shared with her grieve and regrets for being a convert.

 

I shared with her that Our God doesn’t make mistakes in choosing her to be His follower. He doesn’t just close His eyes and randomly pick anyone. God chose her and He has one or more purpose. He knew all of her weaknesses, and strengths, and abilities! He chose to use her to be His followers so that her life may shine as a hope for those around her who doesn’t know Jesus. She must place God first then every other need in her life and every other desire of life. God provides everything she needs to be happy and fulfilled. To be that follower of Christ, it is a life-long commitment, as she must surrender herself to the Lord and to His will. 

 

None of us likes to face suffering, hardship and pain. We are not free from any physical illnesses, sicknesses, worries, anxieties, frustrations, etc. We will never be prepared for any of those, let alone to carry crosses fully with all our heart, in our lives. We just want to avoid crosses and run away from these reality of life – from trials and sufferings.

 

What should our attitude be towards trials, sufferings and hardships? 

We must understand that these trials and hardships are placed in our path to test our faith, our endurance and our perseverance. 

 

The first reading (Jer 20: 7-9) is one of my favourite texts.

At times, I truly felt the way Jeremiah felt in his ministry. Jeremiah said, "You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced!” Being a very young Prophet, he felt that his life was full of tortures and humiliations, that he had to face continuously at battle with his own people.  Jesus himself, underwent humiliations, sufferings and cruel death.

 

God does not seduce us. God tests us and He disciplines and build us up, as we face these trials and sufferings. Jeremiah learned from his anguish and responded to God’s call to be a Prophet eventually. As for me I know following God’s call is a life-long commitment. At times, I feel very exhausted doing God’s work and to look after the growth of my Parish. I strongly believe that the Lord provides me the time and energy as I set my priority in my daily commitments. He gives me the strength to do His will in my ministry that is to live my priesthood and to live a life of love. Definitely rejuvenated every day.

 

So what is your cross? What cross must you take up and carry in order for the Lord’s work to be done?  Why do we trust God and why do we follow Jesus even though He leads you into difficult and sticky situations, allowing us to go on with very painful moments in life?

 

The world may load us down with heavy baggage till we may find ourselves hard to move ahead and feeling hopeless in living our daily commitment as disciples of Christ. What Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “Get behind me Satan?” Whenever we find difficulties and struggles in following the footstep of Jesus, we should just say to the Satan – “Get behind me, Satan!

 

We must love God and we must be willing to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice as Jesus did in your very personal and intimate way. We need to have a consistent discipline in praying, spending time reading the Word of God, discerning His will in our lives and desiring to serve His people.

 

Jesus has reminded his disciples and all us today of what attitude we need to have when we undergo suffering and anguish in life. Remember this. First, we must be able to accept all kinds of crosses, sufferings and hardships in this life. Do not deny our Christian faith. Then we have to be patient, trust God, have confidence in following Jesus’s footsteps.  We need to be loyally living faith in Christ, cheerfully and joyfully.

CARRY THE TORCH OF CHRIST HIGH

In the state of Terengganu, we had three main Mass centres and they were located in Kemaman, Dungun and Kuala Terengganu. They had quite a small community scattered throughout the state.  In all the states in Malaysia, only Terengganu does not have a church in a form of a proper building. They have their masses in the shop lots and classrooms. When I was ministering with this community, one of my dreams was to build a church. We had developed an architecture church building plan but unfortunately it did not materialise even till today.

 

Then, I was transferred to Church of the Visitation, Seremban. Visitation Church has the biggest congregations compared to any church throughout the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. Here too, my dream was to build a second church. We have come out with the architecture building plan but it also did not materialise it the end.

 

If you realise, some of the churches in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur took almost 15-30 years to get approval from the authorities in order to put up a church building. Nonetheless, one of the beauty of our Church in Malaysia is, we are still alive and active, even when we are only 10% of the total national population. We see the real faith of our Christians, not on the existence of a building but their faith lies alive on the living God, in Jesus, the God who lives among us.

 

Today’s Gospel (Matt 16: 13-20) gives us an affirmation that the Church of Christ is built through the confession of St. Peter who proclaimed, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Whereas in St. Paul’s letter to Ephesians, he says that “For you are … built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Cornerstone,” (Eph 2:20). Therefore, the Universal Church is built on the foundation of the Word of God, of the Apostles and prophets and by the people of God all generations. 

We, as a Church, build our faith in One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Church. These are the four inseparable marks of the Catholic Church and we build our foundation by these teachings of Jesus Christ as our Cornerstone. We begin the life of the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism where we become members of the Church. As members of the Church, we are invited together to stand with Christ as we continue to build His Church in His Word, with His teachings, by His plans, and entirely following His will. In this Church, we come together to build our strength and our hope. We do not only, sit here on the pews to worship our God, but when we leave the Church after the celebration, we step out into the world to become a living stone ourselves in carrying out the mission of Christ.

There is a Christian hymn – “Carry the Torch” with the lyrics: “We will carry the torch, we will lift up the flame, we will march through the darkness with the Light of His Name, until the glory of God is seen by the world, we will carry the torch of the Lord.” We, as a Church and people of God, will carry that torch of Christ high to go all over lands and seas, to live out our faith. Our Church in Malaysia, may still be young but we all will always strive to make our Church alive, active and vibrant as we confess our faith in Jesus, the Son of the living God.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we feel there are many things that we miss in the life of the Church. We have missed the fellowship with one another. We missed our participation in worships and activities in the Church. We have missed our formations - in order to update our knowledge of God. Our faith is diminishing time to time. But, as one Church, we will stand strong united in the foundation teaching of Jesus Christ, the living God and the Cornerstone and carry the torch of Christ high till the ends of the earth.

THE PROTEC CAMPAIGN – GRATITUDE FOR ALL OF GOD’S CREATION

All the Archbishops and Bishops of Malaysia have launched a new 5-year Malaysia-wide campaign called “PROTECT OUR EARTH, PROTECT OUR CHILDREN” (PROTEC). The PROTEC campaign aims “to protect mankind from self-destruction” (Laudato Si #79) and ensure “intergenerational solidarity for current and future generations” (Laudato Si #159). This campaign is to deepen our gratitude for all of God’s Creation, as we incorporate ecological spirituality into life’s practicalities.

Planet Earth, is the third planet from the Sun, and based on what we know, it is the only planet that is populated by living things. Over time, Planet Earth has undergone distortion with rapid development and together with the ongoing effects of climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems have been lost.

Pope Francis inaugurated “Laudato Si’ Week” (16-24 May 2020) at the Vatican to commemorate the 5thanniversary of the publication of his eco-encyclical, which was first published in June 2015. On this Laudato Si’anniversary, the Vatican invites us to reflect on the importance of “caring for our common home” and the need for us “to create and strengthen constructive attitudes for the care of creation.”

The PROTEC campaign will take off on the Special Fifth-Year Laudato Si’ Anniversary, as we focus on one different theme each year over the next 5 years. Here are a few details that we need to keep in mind: 

i)               The PROTEC campaign will be launched simultaneously in ALL Archdioceses in Malaysia on 1 September 2020.

ii)              The PROTEC campaign is a 5-year program, beginning 1 September 2020 – 31 August 2025.

iii)            Each year, we will have one theme to focus on, and the theme will be made known on 1st September of each year and end 31st August the following year.

iv)            For the start of Year One (1 Sept 2020 – 31 August 2021), our focus will be – USE LESS ELECTRICITY.

To respond to the ecological crisis, the Archbishops and bishops of Malaysia call upon every parish, religious congregation, church organisation office, house of formation and all the faithful, to implement and promote the recommended practices, in order to save lives on Planet Earth.

From 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021, our campaign will be to reduce the consumption of electricity in our respective homes, offices and parishes. There are many ways in which we can reduce electricity usage, as the following tips suggest:

a)     Unplug electrical items and electronical devices when they are not in use. Although they may consume a small amount of energy, but when we put them together over a long period of time, it adds up.

b)    Switch off the lights when they are not in use. We also can reduce the number of bulbs in a room. Replace ordinary light bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs. It may be slightly more expensive to begin with, but it will last longer than regular bulbs. 

c)     Turn off the air conditioner or fan when you leave your room or house. 

We need to get our children involved in helping to reduce electricity and also teach them the importance of saving energy. We need to change our old habits in order to conserve electricity at home. If we religiously follow the above given tips and implement other energy-saving initiatives, we will see the rewards of our efforts via our electric bills, perhaps saving a few hundred ringgit every year. Let us together as a family, do what is necessary and what is possible to focus on the PROTEC campaign theme “USE LESS ELECTRICITY” which starts this September 2020 till August 2021.

THE CROWNING OF MARY AS A QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 2020 (HOMILY)

Many Catholic parishioners have shared with me that protestant church members have questioned us about Mother Mary and even about her Assumption into Heaven.  Jesus’ Ascension into heaven is clearly stated in the Bible whereas it nothing was mentioned about Mary’s Assumption into Heaven. We are thought as just creating this doctrine without any biblical foundation, leading that the Universal Church allegedly embarks on wrong teachings.  

 

The Protestant churches believe only in “Sola Scriptura”, also known as Scripture alone, being their highest teaching and inspiration. We, Catholics, learn our teaching and get our inspiration which come both traditions and scriptures, as both of them are inseparable. If you look at everything that the churches teach about Mary and her role, you will find that references to her all showed us how to grow and be closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. This inevitably guide us to develop a greater and deeper understanding of our faith, in the life of the Catholic Church and the destiny of our lives.

Therefore, this Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven is, of course not stated in the Holy Scripture. Absolutely inspired, Pope Pius XII declared that this Feast was to be given its honour and respect, so much so that it became a doctrine of the Catholic Church on November 1^st, 1950. He announced, “The Immaculate Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

 

Today,  we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption. Today, again, marks Mary’s life here on earth and her going to heaven to be with her Son, in the presence of God. Her body and soul assumed into heaven means there are no bones and no tomb of our Lady to venerate or respect. It said that she did not die like other human beings but God has taken her into heaven directly in a unique way. Of course, there is no biblical basis for this teaching. It is purely taught by Roman Catholic Church. She was “uniquely graced, protected from sin, so that she might co-operate and with her Son’s saving mission.” 

 

During her earthly life, Mary chose to lead the plans God had for Her. She obediently obeyed to the will of God as she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to your word.” She realised that doing God’s will was (and still is) utmost importance, and greater than her own wills.

 

This we must learn from Her. We need to discern and know God’s will for us, and trust on His plans for the salvation of human kind, whom He loves dearly. She graced Her life with humility and simplicity, especially when She responded to the announcement Angel Gabriel had for Her. “Let it be done to me according to your words.” (Luke 1:38).

 

It is not easy at this present age to be faithful Catholics, let alone be truly practising Christian. We need to be firm in our believes, and we should listen and do what pleases our God.  Doing His will sets us apart (also) as the disciple of Christ and God takes delight in us.  When we take courage to do His will, we will find hope in our lives. On this earthly life, let our lives be assumed into the same holiness of Mother Mary, as we reflect on Her  characteristic in fulfilling the will of God through her humility.

 

The Assumption reminds us that our true homeland is in Heaven. We are just passing through this life, almost like a tunnel. This is the hope this feast offers to us. Where she has gone, we hope that we too be in heaven one day in communion with Jesus, Her and all the other Saints in Heaven. That will be a forever heavenly party. This is the hope that we must look forward to. Through the Mary’s assistance, our body and soul will be in communion with God in heaven, in the most glorious manner.

 

Let us pray for the grace to grow in holiness as we disciplining our mind, body, soul and spirit.

 

And so we say to her:

Hail, holy Queen! Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!Amen!

 

Have a great day and enjoy this Solemnity Feast of the Assumption of Mary to the fullest!

 

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/caring-for-those-most-vulnerable-3/