A JOURNEY TOGTHER: ENCOUNTERING, LISTENING AND DISCERNING

On 10 October 2021, the Holy Father solemnly officiated the Synod of Bishop 2021-2023, with a Eucharistic celebration at the Basilica of St Peter, Vatican City. In his homily, he stressed on 3 key verbs – Encounter, Listen and Discern.

As we begin the “celebration of Synod” – which means – “walking on the same road together” with the theme, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” The Holy Father desires the people of God, to “have a good journey together” and to journey as “pilgrims in love with the Gospel and open to the surprises of the Spirit,” over the next 2 years. I would like to share a little insight on these 3 key verbs, before we get involved in the discussion on a Synodal Church in our Parish.

 

Encounter: Encountering God is an essential element of each Christian. Self-revelation of God is made known to us in various ways, particularly through the reading of the Sacred Scripture and Sacred Traditions, celebrating Jesus in the Sacraments and in all our daily activity. How have we been praying and reflecting God’s presence in the Word, Sacraments and Events. How has this encounter with God and with others changed our spiritual and personal life? 

 

Listen: Studies have found that an average person can speak 125 words per minute and that most people have poor listening skills. An effective listener needs deep concentration in hearing and listening. We go through many hardships and trials in this life journey that leave us wondering - Does God listen to our cries and the cries of others. We realise His response is delayed. 

 

We should not harden our hearts (cf. 95: 8) but instead, we need to allow ourselves to open our hearts and listen to His voice. In this process of being in communion with the Church, participating in the various ministries and taking part in the mission of Church, we need to soften our hearts and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and to the cries of the people. Let’s listen to the challenges and changes that take place in our spiritual life and in the life of the Church. How can we be the hope of our Church in the future?

 

Discern: King Solomon asked God, “… give your servant a heart to understand how to govern your people, how to discern between good and evil…? (1 Kings 3: 9). Discernment is a special gift that comes from God. Before I joined the seminary, and during my eight years of study in the seminary, I was sent a few spiritual discernments in order to decide to be a priest. Even after being a priest, I continued my discernment so that I may be able to totally dedicate my ministry in serving God and His people.

God has given us various gifts and charisms in our ministries in the Church. Do we discern them? Do we utilise them for the mission of the Church and going forth, become missionary Disciples?

 

In this first level, the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur invites us to discuss, consult and answer the questions which have been given to us in order to draft a document for our Malaysian, Singapore and Brunei Bishops’ Conference. These three aspects - encountering, listening and discerning - will take place until April 2022.

 

Let’s together enter in prayer and engage ourselves in dialogue with God and with one another. The Holy Spirit invites us to take every step courageously, in order to grow in our journey together.

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.