LISTENING, DISCERNING AND LIVING THE FAITH

The Universal Church is in the preparatory process for SYNOD 2023. In this synodal process of
journeying together, Pope Francis invites the faithful as well as non-Catholics, to contribute their lived-faith experiences, in relation to the Church and the entire human family.  During the first phase of SYNOD 2023, which starts from October 2021 to April 2022, the Holy Father desires for the People of God throughout the Catholic Arch/Dioceses of the world, to take every opportunity to reflect on these three aspects - Communion,Participation and Mission through listening, discerning and living the faith-experiences.

We repeatedly hear from Pope Francis two key words - listening and discerning. According to the Holy Father, when we are “being led by the Holy Spirit and our action is motivated by Jesus Christ,” then we will be a true disciple of Him. In this life journey, we pass through many challenges, and we find ourselves making difficult decisions to move forward. Hence, we pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance towards the right direction to discover God’s will and purpose for us.

In this journey of life, we face all kind of trials, crises and difficulties in our faith and belief. However, amid all these, as St Paul says, we as Christians must allow ourselves to “walk” with the Spirit (Gal 5: 16), to be “led” by the Spirit (Gal 5: 18), to “live” by the Spirit (Gal 5:25a) and to “keep” in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25b). Each of these verbs are an indication of our “interaction, direction and purpose” of our faith journey. There is a need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, discern the will of God and follow His guidance, to experience inner transformation in our lives.

Once we cultivate the habit of reading, studying, analysing, reflecting and mediating the Word of God, then it becomes part of our inner life, and we can listen and recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit. Gradually, the Holy Spirit will stir our inner self to grow stronger in faith. We are called to witness Christ in our lives. The Holy Spirit will assist us in our communication with Him to be His witnesses. It is not an easy task, but we need to train and tune ourselves to respond to the Holy Spirit as we encounter Jesus Christ in the Word of God, Sacraments and in all our activities.

 

Mother Mary didn’t understand the implications of all that happened to her but she “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart,” (LK 2: 19). Therefore, we too must treasure all things in our memories and in our hearts. These may be joyful or sorrowful, anguish and suffering, but we continue to seek her intercession and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will direct us in our discernment to do His will - It is not my will, but Your will be done! (cf. MT 6: 10).

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful 
and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,
did instruct the hearts of the faithful, 
grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise 
and ever to rejoice in His consolation. 
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

GROW AND GLOW AS MISSIONARY DISCIPLES

October is a month of the Rosary and mission, and the Church invites us to pray the Rosary, as families and individuals. The Holy Father’s intention for October is that “All Christians Be Missionary Disciples.” He desires us to respond to the call of Jesus and to get into the spirit of mission - evangelising Jesus to all we meet in our daily lives. He added that we need to take every opportunity “to allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit”and “our action is to be motivated by Christ.” The Pope has assured us that when we live out our missionary spirit of discipleship, “our testimony of life will inspire admiration, and admiration inspires others to ask themselves,” as well. 

Every person has faced all kinds of mishap as they strive to find meaning in life. We must not be discouraged when faced with times of trials. We may not get any answer to our search immediately, but we must not lose hope. We must take it one step at the time and fix our eyes on Jesus. The Church invites us to pray the Rosary, as we honour our Blessed Virgin Mary during this month of October. 

 

Mary and Joseph have been great sources of inspiration and admiration throughout the ages, and they will give us courage, strength, confidence and conviction. They have played essential roles in the lives of many priests and missionaries, by guiding them in their ministries and evangelising Jesus to wherever they are sent to. I am very certain that you too would have experienced and be able testify in your own live how Mary and Joseph have been a source of strength and inspiration in your faith journey.

 

Sadly, the practice of praying the Rosary has been abandoned by many Catholics. Many have no time to pray the Rosary daily because they are occupied with daily work, busy with family matters and other distractions. However, let us strive to make a change this month to be united with Jesus, Mary and Joseph as we pray and reflect on the mysteries of the Rosary. Let us make the effort to grow and glow as missionary disciples.

 

Recently, I received a text message with an image of tigers - a mother and her cub. The caption
on the image echoed “When you know who is behind you, the fear of what is in front disappears.”  The tiger cub was walking right in front of its mother confidently, without having any fear. Similarly, being missionary disciples, when we go on our mission of carrying out tasks entrusted to us by Christ, we should go without any fear, knowing that Mother Mary and Joseph - the Guardians of the Holy Redeemer - are behind us, besides us, in front of us and near us.

 

During this Year of Plenary Indulgence, the Year of St Joseph, the Church wants us to follow the footsteps of Christ with proper disposition and with certain determination to avoid any wrong doings that offend our relationships with the loving God. During this month of Rosary and mission, let us use the Rosary beads as an instrument of spiritual weapon in all our calamities, trials and challenges, and pray together as one Holy Church with the spirit of missionary discipleship, as we evangelise Christ to all people.

A FUTURE OF JUSTICE AND PEACE

Photo: January 2020

The Pope had in 2019 declared that the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) would be celebrated on the last Sunday of September. Initially, the Universal Church celebrated WDMR in January, a week after the feast of the Epiphany. The celebration of WDMR expresses of our concern for the many challenges faced by migrants and refugees and we continue to pray for them as we place them at the core of our hearts and Church.

This year we celebrate the 107^th WDMR which falls on 26 September 2021. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has chosen a theme: Towards an Ever Wider, ‘WE’”. The Pope says “that we are all in the same boat and called to work together so that there will be no more walls that separate us, no longer others, in terms of ‘them’, ‘those’, but only ‘us’ – in a single ‘we’ – (Fratelli Tutti, no. 35). They are no longer others but they part of our families and communities, co-workers and buddies. Their children are studying together with our own children. Some of them are looking after our elderly and sick, and they also work with us in our farms, factories, offices, etc. The Holy Father encourages us to walk together with them without creating any wall or separation with them and “grow stronger and healthier together” as one “Body of Christ,” (1 Cor 12:27). 

Some of these immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers have entered our country with proper documentation while others have arrived here without any. They left their countries due poverty, violence, wars, natural disasters, political chaos, and some others came looking for opportunities to survive, to get shelter, and for a better life. That is why the Holy Father appeals to us to build a single “we” as we journey together and build together one human family with a better future ensuring that no one is left behind. He desires us “to cultivate communion in diversity” and “to learn to live together” as one home, one family and one Church, the Body of Christ.

 

In his letter on the occasion of WDMR, the Holy Father addressed the Catholic faithful and all people in the world, he made a plea for everyone to “walk together an ever wider ‘WE’” to embrace everyone and everything,” “to heal the wounded and seek out the lost.” The Holy Father encourages us to be “aware of the interconnectedness of our lives” and “our responsibility to respond to them as good neighbours”. It is a time for us to dream together, “as a single human family” and together we pray the prayer below as we “build together a future of justice and peace,” without leaving anyone behind.

Photo: January 2020

Prayer

Holy, beloved Father, 
your Son Jesus taught us 
that there is great rejoicing in heaven 
whenever someone lost is found,
whenever someone excluded, rejected or discarded 
is gathered into our “we”,
which thus becomes ever wider.

We ask you to grant the followers of Jesus, 
and all people of good will,
the grace to do your will on earth.
Bless each act of welcome and outreach
that draws those in exile
into the “we” of community and of the Church,
so that our earth may truly become
what you yourself created it to be:
the common home of all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

(An Extract from the message of Pope Francis for the 107^th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2021)

PRAY FOR NATIONWIDE RECOVERY

The Malaysian government has not declared the Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory, neither for every citizen nor non-citizen in the country. Instead every individual has supposedly been given the freedom of choice - either to be vaccinated or otherwise.

According to September 2021 statistics, slightly over 65% of the adult population have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in our country. In line with this, under the National Recovery Plan, the authorities have allowed the reopening of many sectors, with relaxation of restrictions in many areas throughout the country. However, even with the high number of fully vaccinated adults, we realise that the number of COVID-19 cases are high - hovering around 17,000 - 25,000 per day. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 has increased too - up 300 to 450 a day! It is time for all of us to be responsible, rational and ensure that we take necessary precautions in order to avoid contracting the Coronavirus.

 

In some Malaysian states like Labuan, Perlis, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Putra Jaya, Pahang and Kuala Lumpur, we see signs of progress in preventing COVID-19 infections. Even Selangor, which has been recording the highest number of daily cases, hovering around 5,000 to 7,000 cases per day, has seen a drop in numbers. One of the reasons for this is the fact that more people are vaccinated. Unfortunately, few other states such as Sarawak, Sabah, Penang, Perak, Kedah and Johor are seeing a rise in the number of cases.

 

When the vaccination was introduced in Malaysia, many people were reluctant to receive it due to inadequate information and a surplus of unreliable comments and views. However, people have come to realise the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccination to combat the raging pandemic. With more reputable and reliable testing and research, the vaccination has proven to help combat the effects of the virus.

 

The authorities have rightly encouraged every individual to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and have even imposed restrictions on those who have yet to be vaccinated. Without possession of a “fully vaccinated”certificate, these individuals are prohibited from entering certain public spaces such as malls, restaurants, office buildings, worship places, etc.

 

“Not fully vaccinated - no church involvement.” If priests and parishioners are not fully vaccinated then there will be issues in administrating or participating in the sacraments and liturgical celebrations. Indirectly, it has become a mandatory requirement in order to be permitted to part take in various activities and ceremonies like weddings, funerals and celebrations of Sacraments in the church.

 

As the vaccine rolls out nationwide, we hope and pray that the rakyat will be relieved from emotional stress and financial difficulties soonest, and that Malaysia may eventually experience economic recovery.

JOURNEYING TOGETHER AS A PILGRIM CHURCH AND MISSIONARY PEOPLE

Since 2013, under Pope Francis’ pontificate, there have been two synodal journeys - the first focused on Family (Amoris Leatitia - the Joy of Love in the Family, 2016) and the second focused on Youth (Christus Vivit - Christ is Alive, 2019).

This year, on 9-10 October 2021, Pope Francis will officially open his third synodal - a three-year synodal as preparation for the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023. The Synod of Bishops, headed by the Pope, invites the entire Church to focus on the theme - “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission."

A synodal means “journey together” which enacts and manifests the nature of the Church as a pilgrim Church and missionary people of God. In the Preparatory Document, the Holy Father desires us to reflect and discern, consult and discus on how the Holy Spirit has led the Church throughout history till today, in order to grow as a Synodal Church (walking or journeying together) on the three different levels:

i)            The Particular or Local Church (Arch/dioceses and Bishops’ Conferences) - from October 2021 to April 2022; 

ii)                 The five continents (The Reginal Areas) - from September 2022 to March 2023; and 

iii)            The Universal Church with the final Gathering of College of Bishops’ - on 23 October 2023.

We need to recognise and appreciate the Church – “as both gift and task” as we use the variety of charisms and gifts that God has bestowed upon us for the benefit of the Church community and the entire human family on this “journey together.” In the process of journeying together, we invite everyone to participate and contribute through listening, discerning and sharing our story of faith and experiences, and recognise how to avoid the abuse of power and authority - so called “clericalism”. In our preparation of journeying together as a Church, we will experience a “renewal” which was proposed by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) which will then lead us “to live communion, to achieve participation, to open Herself to mission.”

Archbishop Julian Leow will open phase one of the synodal in our Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 17 October 2021, with a live broad cast of the event via tv.archkl.org. At this first level, each parish is required to form a Parish Synod Team (PST) consisting of 5-6 members (all languages) to reflect, discuss and discern in line with the questions below:

i)               How is this “journey together” happening today in your parish / particular Church?

ii)              What steps does the Spirit invite us to take, in order to grow in our “journey together”?

In our spirituality of journeying together towards October 2023, the Church will continue to hold our roles and responsibilities within our Christian communities and engage in dialogue with non-Christians, as we grow in our relationship with the Church and the entire human family.