CARRY ON AND DO NOT LOSE HEART

November is a month of praying for departed souls. Whether or not they have attained eternal life and happiness in the kingdom of God, our duty is to continue to offer Masses, prayers and a decade of the Rosary till we meet them in the glory of God. We also pray for all those have died of the Coronavirus. 

Since the Sabah elections in September, we have seen a rapid rise of COVID-19 cases and subsequent nationwide deaths. In fact, COVID-19 infections and fatalities are expected to spike in the coming weeks especially in Sabah, Klang Valley and Seremban. Across Sabah, the front-liners struggle to cope with the insurgence of COVID-19 patients. We see various organisations, institutions and individuals pulling their resources together to provide essential items such as N95 facial masks, surgical gloves, hand sanitisers, ventilators and PPE suits. All these possible only with kind and generous donations from the Malaysian people. We want political leaders to pay extra attention to the people, and ensure that the sick get the care and attention they need. We ask and pray for our leaders do their best to safeguard the livelihood of the people during this pandemic, instead of focusing on their own political agendas.

 

It upsets me to see the sudden and recent spike of COVID-19 cases in our country. In September, we were preparing our Form 5 students for the Sacrament of Confirmation which was meant to take place on 10 October 2020. Unfortunately, due to the rise in cases, Masses have been suspended and churches in the Klang Valley have been closed once again. These students were saddened and some found it difficult to accept the cancellation of their Sacrament of Confirmation.

 

We were also planning to celebrate the First Holy Communion for our Standard 3 students on 22 November 2020 (34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the last Sunday of the liturgical year 2019/2020) but I guess the suspension of Masses will continue, and the students will not be able to celebrate their Sacrament, as planned. I hope our students will understand what God is trying to say at this time of trials, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day…,”  (2 Cor 4: 16-18).

 

Photo: 2019

During this pandemic, we have shut down our catechism classes for months, Masses have been put on hold, celebration of Sacraments have been suspended and churches have been closed, especially in the Klang Valley and Negeri Sembilan. However, evangelising activities and our mission to serve those in need will be carried out enthusiastically as planned by Parish Integral of Human Development (PIHD) following the required SOPs. 

 

On 15 November 2020, the Universal Church will celebrate the World Day of the Poor (WDP) with the theme, “Stretch Forth Your Hand To The Poor,” (Sir 7:32). The PIHD will organise distribution of packed food and provision of groceries for the underprivileged, including our Myanmar community. We will also prepare items such as facial masks, towels and hand sanitisers for them. For the past three years, we have celebrated WDP in a grand manner but in the light of COVID-19, we will keep it low-key this year. However, our mission to help and care for the underprivileged will carry on.

 

The deadly virus continues spreading, “and here we are waiting for a vaccine and drugs to work,” said Peter Daszak (President of Eco-Health Alliance - an international health, environment and development organisation). Let us wait patiently in this time of global crisis, as we continue our missionary activities by sharing our spiritual and material resources with our community, especially with those who are in most need of our assistance and care.

Photo: 2019

OUT OF THE DEPTHS I CRY TO YOU, O LORD!

A day after All Saints Day we celebrate the All Souls Day which falls on November 2^nd, every year. It is a day we observe the commemoration of the faithful departed especially our beloved who have gone before us – clergy, grand-parents, parents, siblings, children, friends and loved ones. On All Souls Day, we remember and pray for all the departed souls, those souls in purgatory as well. All departed souls are not saints. These souls are yet to be “purified” before they are to be admitted into the kingdom of heaven. Thus, in the celebration of Mass we remember all those who have fallen asleep in the Lord, seeking Him to grant them “a place of happiness, light and peace.”

This year, with COVID-19 and Conditional Movement Controlled Order (CMCO) in our country in our midst, we all are restricted from visiting the cemetery during this time of All Souls Day. Let’s spend our time as a family at our home in prayer, since churches and cemeteries are closed during these trying times. We see how time affects our own feelings, our thoughts, words and actions. We light up candles at home. Do pick up a journal and write down our thoughts and emotions of our lost loved ones. We offer all our thoughts and emotions as own prayers for them. Then, we compose our own meaningful prayers and include one or two psalms (Ps 23 or Ps 51), then we offer them in our prayers from our home.

 

The easiest way to honour our loved ones is to remember them in our prayers. The whole month of November, let us we dedicate all our prayers for the departed souls including souls in purgatory and all the forgotten souls as well. We implore to our patron Saints as well their intercession that they may attain eternal peace. We also continue to pray the rosary for these departed souls until we meet them one day in the glory of God.

 

GRANT THEM ETERNAL REST, O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM WITH YOUR SAINTS FOREVER.

SAINTS ASSIST US ON OUR JOURNEY TO HEAVEN

The Solemnity of All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1^st, every year, as the day for commemorating all the Saints. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, and Catholics are required to attend Mass.  On this solemnity, we honour, pray and celebrate all saints those persons whom are known and unknown, and they are multitude in numbers (cf. Rev 7:9), enjoying the beatific vision who “remain connected and part of the One Body of Christ” in Heaven.  All of them lived earthly lives like us and faithful to Christ's teaching and His Church. 

These Saints give us inspirations and encouragement for our preparation to share with them the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Eucharistic preface for All Saints Day, we can recall the imagery vision used from the Book of Revelation, “Today we keep the festival of Your holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, our mother… gives us inspiration and strength as we hasten on our pilgrimage of faith eager to meet them.”

 

What must we do to join the company of the Saints in Heaven? The celebration of All Saints offers us a celebration of holiness - a universal call to attain holiness (Lumen Gentium, 40). This celebration invites us to grow in holiness in our lives taking the models of the life of Christ and follow in His footsteps.

 

Paul VI said, “holiness in the Church belongs to all parts of the world and to all periods of history and that all peoples and all faithful of every social rank are called to attain holiness.” Therefore, every individual should seek the intercession of the Heavenly Saints to assist us in our earthly journey, as we encounter challenges in life, that through the grace of God we may grow and glow in the Spirit of Christ.

 

ALL YOU HOLY MEN AND WOMEN, PRAY FOR US!

I WAS HIS ‘YOUNGEST’ SON

On the feast of Saints Simon and Jude (28^th Oct), we heard the sad news about the demise of Malaysia’s first Cardinal, His Eminence Anthony Soter Fernandez who passed away at 12.35pm. He was a strong man like Saint Simon Peter, who put his heart and soul to build and guide the Church in Peninsular Malaysia. It was mixed emotions for me. I wasn’t shocked to hear about his passing, but I felt happy for him that at least the Lord had prepared him gracefully to end this earthly journey after a prolonged physical pain and suffering these couple of months. As his life was deteriorating, he stayed cool, calm and cheerful.

I met Archbishop Soter, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur then, for the first time at his residence/office at Cardjin House, Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur in November 1992. Rev Fr Naden Anthony, the Vocation Director of KL Archdiocese then, and the late Rev Fr Leonard John, my Parish Priest, had made arrangements for me to meet him. I expressed my desire in wanting to be a priest. After an hour of conversation and sharing, he told me to take up an English course before entering the seminary. He also advised me to continue to pray and join the Parish Youth ministry. I just left silently, feeling a bit sad inside because at that time I thought he had already rejected me. I met him again in January 1995. This time he greeted me with a smile and gave me the acceptance letter to enter the seminary. Initially, I was reluctant to accept it but his words of affirmation and assurance had given me the confidence to join the seminary. 

After completing my formation in the seminary, during my first Clergy Recollection in January 2003, Archbishop Soter enquired of me, “Are you ready for your ordination to the priesthood?” I conveyed my hesitation and requested for a 6-month to one-year break before getting ordained. He held my hands in front of Rev Fr Gerard Theraviam, my Parish Priest then, and gave me the date of ordination (12 February 2003) and told me, “Go and prepare yourself for the ordination!” I was stunned and tongue-tied for a moment.

He again surprised me just a few minutes before my ordination Mass took place. While the other clergy were queuing up for the procession into the church, Archbishop Soter approached me, “Which Parish would you like to be posted to?” I was clueless. He just smiled at me without saying anything. My posting was only announced at the end of the ordination ceremony - that I would be posted as assistant to Rev Fr Eugene Benedict at the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Kuantan and Terengganu). I only had the chance to serve as a priest under His Grace for just two months, before the announcement of his resignation as the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur in May 2003.

 

We became close friends over the years and even much friendlier when I moved to the Church of St Joseph, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. A few years back we both started to promote the “Sleeping Saint Joseph” statue and prayer cards and explained its spirituality which was introduced by Pope Francis. We were encouraging parishioners to pray to the Sleeping St Joseph for courage and protection. As the Holy Father said, “Saint Joseph is a man of silence and strength… and even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church.” Our beloved Cardinal Soter too had a great love for St Joseph. He, too was a man of silence and loved the Church very much till the end of his life. 

 

Everyone remembers him as a very humble and simple man – which he truly was. A few days after my ordination I met him in his office and he immediately knelt before me and asked me to bless him. I was shocked that he, an archbishop was humble enough to kneel before me. Then he kissed both my anointed palms and hugged me. I count myself blessed as I am the last “son” ordained by him before his retirement. He always acknowledged me saying, “You are my youngest son.” I am proud to be his youngest son. He was a wise father figure and loving man.

 

The late Cardinal Soter had a very special place in his heart for the sick and the elderly. When I was based in Kuantan/Terengganu during his visits there, he would ask me to take him to visit the sick and the elderly. In fact, two years ago (2018), he requested me to drive him to Klang to visit a few sick people including my late mum. I was really touched by his gesture towards the sick and the dying. He truly cared for and showed great concern for the sick people and the least.

 

October is the month of the Rosary and the late Cardinal Soter had a great affection for our Lady. Back in 1992, during my first meeting with him and when he ‘rejected’ my initial desire to be a priest, he had given me a Rosary made of wooden beads and strongly encouraged me to pray to Our Lady daily for a strong vocation. I still keep and pray with that Rosary beads which he gave me 28 years ago. He passed on in the month of the Rosary and will be buried on the last day of the month of the Rosary. I believe he will continue to pray for us and he will ask Mother Mary to pray for all of us and for the Church in Malaysia. Be assured of our prayers and my humble pray for you - “May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you and take you into the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.”

 

Let us ceaselessly pray the Rosary daily taking the example of the Cardinal Soter a man of prayer. I would like to end here with a quote from St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153): “In danger, in distress, in uncertainty, think of Mary, call upon her. She never leaves your lips; and she never departs from your heart; and so that you may obtain the help of her prayers, never forget the example of her life. If you follow her, you cannot falter; if you pray to her, you cannot despair; if you think of her, you cannot err. If she sustains you, you have nothing to fear; if she guides you, you will never grow weary; if she shows you favour, you will attain your goal.” (The Priest, August 2020, vol. 76. No.8, pp. 14-18).

TO LOVE GOD AND NEIGHBOURS

(30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020 - Homily)

How much should I be eating in a day or how much weight should I lose in a week or month? How can I lose my body weight? One group of researchers said that we can lose weight through dieting whereas another group exclaimed that we can lose weight drastically by physical exercising. We cannot lose our body weight only through diet without exercises or vice versa. Both dieting and physical exercising are equally essential to balance our physical fitness. Therefore, we can say that the key to successful weight loss is developing healthy diet and exercise regularly. Now, what does this have anything to do with the readings today?  

 

Jesus makes reference to two greatest commandments that is not part of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-7). In today’s Gospel, Jesus was questioned by the Pharisee, “which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Jesus responded that the greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” (Deut. 6: 5) and the second is “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” (Lev. 19:18).

 

We cannot love God without loving or neighbour. 

We cannot love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all mind and neglect the second commandment, “love of neighbours.” Both are equally important in our Christian way of life. It is like the example I have provided in the beginning. Weight loss require both having good diet and regular exercise. It is same on these 2 commandments that we must be able to do even better.

When we love one another, we will not do any evil to fellow brothers and sisters. We must love our enemies and love those who hate us and persecute us. We must pray for those who mistreat us. We must also forgive (and forget) those who have hurt us and harmed us. Whoever does not love our brothers and sisters, does not love God. God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

 

As we keep dieting and exercising abreast in our lives when it comes to losing weight, we too keep these two greatest commandments close in our lives. We pray today that we will help one another and encourage one another to carry the sacred duty to love others and give honour and serve one another.

 

 “I love You, LORD, my strength.” (Ps 18)

 

https://www.stjosephsentul.org/totus-tuus-1/