STRIVE TO LIVE OUR FAITH IN CHRIST

The celebration of the 9-day Novena Masses in honour of Saint Thomas, the Apostle, was truly remarkable. It was great seeing most of you participate enthusiastically in the celebrations. The weather was wonderful, even though it was hot and humid. We were fortunate to have both local and foreign priests celebrate the Masses for us, and they were all wonderful. The Parish Feast Committee members, Liturgical Committee, BEC Coordinators, and many others who worked behind the scenes did an excellent job making the celebrations meaningful for us.

 

The celebration of the Feast of St. Thomas came to a close with a Thanksgiving Mass, today. During these days, Saint Thomas has been praying for our different needs and requests. We humbly ask for his intercessions to guide us on our spiritual journey as we seek to recognise and embrace the presence of the Risen Lord in the Scriptures, Sacraments, and every aspect of our lives.

 

Since I started serving at St. Thomas’ Parish in Kuantan, I always refer to our Parish as Saint Thomas, the Apostle, who walked with Jesus during His public ministry. The reason for this is that there are two well-known saints named Thomas, namely, Saint Thomas Aquinas who lived in the 13^th Century, and Thomas More in the 16^th Century, while the remaining five are from the Orthodox Church. It is most likely that their names were inspired by Saint Thomas the Apostle. I have also taken Saint Thomas as my Patron Saint. He now holds a prominent place in my heart. I often pray to him, even for minor things like finding a parking spot, and he always fulfils my requests immediately.

 

Our main theme for this year centred around “St. Thomas, A Saint for Our Times.” We had been developing this theme since last year. We plan to maintain this main theme for the upcoming year too. Saint Thomas is highly relevant in our present time, particularly with regard to our faith. Despite his initial doubt, he eventually became a believer.

 

Recently, a comment was made on our parish website praising the themes taken from the Litany Prayer to St Thomas, the Apostle. That’s correct! This year, our themes revolved around the Litany Prayer, which we composed last year. We chose themes for this year that were drawn from the first half of the Litany Prayer and we plan to focus on the second half of the Litany Prayer for next year. When we recite the Litany to St. Thomas, the Apostle, we can gain a better understanding of its significance and meaning.

 

Whenever we preach of St Thomas, we tend to focus on the post-Resurrection event and his proclamation and acknowledgement of the Risen Lord – “My Lord and My God”. In John Gospel, Chapter 14: 1-6, which I frequently use for funeral Mass, Thomas asked Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” Eventually, Thomas discovered that Jesus is the One who leads the way to the Father, the truth, and life.

 

Throughout our journey of life, we encounter many challenges and struggles. It is important to keep our faith in Jesus and make Him the centre of our lives. When we face uncertainties, it is common to struggle with faith. In the face of uncertainties, it’s crucial to maintain our faith in Jesus and prioritise Him in our lives. Overcoming challenges requires faith and a willingness to fight, but with God’s assistance, we can achieve anything through our unwavering belief.

 

Life can be full of troubles, uncertainties, doubts, and scepticism. However, in those moments, it’s important to remember that Jesus is Our Lord and Our God, even if we don't know where our life is heading. He will guide us towards fulfilment by showing us His Way, Truth, and Life.

 

Let us strive to live our faith in Christ Jesus and show our people that Jesus is not only Our Lord and Our God but also Our Way, Our Truth, and Our Life; through Him, we can attain salvation.

SHOWING REVERENCE FOR SAINT THOMAS

Ever since I was posted here, in St. Thomas’ Parish, I have added Saint Thomas as my patron saint too. He now holds a special place in my heart alongside Saint George and Saint Joseph. I look up to him as a friend and companion, and I make it a habit to pray to and communicate with him regularly. His proclamation – “My Lord and My God” – has become the early Church’s central belief and is now at the centre of our hearts.

In today’s modern times, we face numerous challenges and threats that can negatively affect our marriages, families, children, work, and finances. To combat these challenges, we can seek the intercession of the saints in heaven, particularly St. Thomas, our Patron. By doing so, we can be protected from evil deception and find guidance in our daily lives, and by emulating his virtues, we can strive towards holiness.

 

The Patron Saint we celebrate was a great missionary and successfully carried out Christ’s mission in Persia and India. We should strive to imitate the Apostle, Saint Thomas, who followed the footsteps of Jesus in his life. Today, the Church encourages us to spread the message of Jesus within our families and community. Our families and our community need to rediscover the importance of faith in Christ. With the help of Saint Thomas’ constant prayers and guidance, we can become a shining example of faith to those around us.

 

After listening and contemplating the homilies of the respective Presiders over the past few days, particularly on the intentions from the Litany Prayer to St Thomas, now it’s the perfect time to dedicate and devote ourselves to St. Thomas. Those who are devoted to him will receive his affectionate care, protection, and guidance. 

Since last year, we have composed our own Litany Prayer to Saint Thomas, and we are proud of it. The Litany clearly presents his titles, privileges and heroic virtues. It would be great if the Parishioners of St. Thomas Parish would recite the Litany Prayer to St. Thomas every day. This would help us in our spiritual improvement as we come to realise the importance of having a spiritual companion besides Mother Mary and other saints. Therefore, we can develop a more profound understanding and admiration for St. Thomas and become more ready to devote ourselves to Christ Jesus.

 

Although we are imperfect, God is perfect and is still able to accomplish his perfect plan through our imperfect actions. A common saying goes, “God writes straight with crooked lines.” When things seem crooked and out of control, God challenges us to deepen our faithfulness and follow the path of Christ throughout our lives. We can draw nearer to God with Saint Thomas as our spiritual companion and friend. God has the power to rewrite the mess we find ourselves in, to repair our lives.

 

God helps to straighten our paths, even when they seem crooked. God has a way of making things work out, even when they don’t seem to be going smoothly at first. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

LIVING OUR FAITH TRUTHFULLY AND WITH INTEGRITY

We will be commemorating our Patron Saint, Thomas, the Apostle, through a series of daily novenas and feast day celebrations from Saturday, 24 June till 3 July 2023, culminating with a Thanksgiving Mass. The 9-day novena to St Thomas will comprise recitation of the Rosary, litany and novena prayer to Saint Thomas as well as Eucharistic celebrations. Our feast will centre around the theme: “A Saint for Our Times” with sub-themes that focus on each intention from the Litany of Saint Thomas, the Apostle. 

The word “Novena” comes from the Latin word “Novem”, which means nine. Once again, this year, as we honour Saint Thomas, we continue to seek God’s guidance through the intercession of our Patron Saint. The Novena celebrations provide a great opportunity to explore, discover and rediscover ourselves through the life of Saint Thomas while also inspiring us to deepen our faith by following his example.

 

For each day of the novena, we have invited celebrants who will celebrate Masses and deliver homilies based on the chosen theme. The focus will be on our Patron and his values, which will help us to live a courageous life in accordance with the Gospel. This will allow us to embrace a pure and virtuous faith life and strive towards saintliness, and ultimately lead us to good lives. Throughout the celebrations, our presiders will share their insights to aid us in fostering authentic relationships with Saint Thomas and deepen our understanding on how to live our faith in the midst of life’s challenges and discouragements. As we endeavour to follow in his footsteps, we shall seek his heavenly intercession for us to live our faith truthfully and with integrity.

 

As we honour Saint Thomas, we hope to have our Patron become a dear and authentic friend who brings us closer to Jesus Christ - to witness Him as Our Lord and Our God in this earthly life. Eventually, we will be able to be in communion with all saints in heaven, and this brings us great joy. In this journey of faith, we hope to remain connected to our Patron Saint by taking part in novena prayers and Eucharistic celebrations.

 

We turn to Saint Thomas, the Apostle, our great proclaimer, to help us deepen our understanding of our faith and beliefs. May he inspire and guide us towards a sense of spirituality, and help us earn a special place in his heart. We pay our tribute to Saint Thomas as a way of showing our affection, love and reverence to Jesus Christ. As we celebrate our feast day, it is important to remember that as baptised Catholics, we should always keep in mind that we have a crucial obligation and responsibility to evangelise Christ Jesus as “Our Lord and Our God” to those we encounter every day in our lives.

 

We warmly invite parishioners and visitors from far and near to join us in the Novena-Masses at our Parish. For additional information about the celebration's program and schedule, click the link below:https://www.stthomaskuantan.org/feastday

LOVE INSPIRED BY THE LORD

The idea of Father’s Day started in 1908, when a Church in West Virginia honoured 362 men who were killed in a coal mining explosion the previous year. Several years later, Sonora Smart Dodd from Washington, who was raised by a single father, promoted Father’s Day as a National holiday as how Mother’s Day was declared a National holiday. The first Father’s Day was officially celebrated on 19 June 1910 in Washington.

It took almost 60 years for Father’s Day to be celebrated worldwide. Some countries celebrate Father’s Day on different days, namely Australia and New Zealand as well as in Latin America, where Father’s Day is celebrated in conjunction with the Feast of Saint Joseph on March 19.

More commonly, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of the month in June annually. This year, it falls this weekend (18 June). Once again, we are privileged to celebrate with the fathers in our families and in our Church. It is a day to thank fathers (great-grandfathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, godfathers, uncles, priests) for their daily sacrifices and for caring for us. 

 

When I first became a priest, a friend of mine wished me and said, “You too deserve to celebrate with us on Father’s Day!” I was delighted and proud to join all the other fathers to celebrate this day. Being a spiritual Father, I, too, carry the responsibility not unlike other dads - by looking after my Parishioners/Children of God - “never to drive them to resentment but bring them up with correction and advice inspired by the Lord” (cf. Ephesians 6:14). Fathers, never give up or get frustrated with your children, but carry out your duties of nurturing and guiding your children in a loving and caring manner.

Our fathers have taught us how to succeed in life and how to love unconditionally. Fathers are pillars of families, and we appreciate their silent commitment and dedication to their children. Fathers have, in one way or another, greatly influenced many individuals, families, societies and nations. Fathers should not be stern or strict, or be angry or too harsh with their children; instead, fathers must coach them with love and kindness, as well as gentle discipline, so that children find happiness and peace in a safe and loving environment.

Fathers should live their faith at the forefront of everything they do and righteously guide their children. Fathers should strive to be like the Heavenly Father, full of compassion and love towards His children. As we celebrate Father’s Day this weekend, may all fathers promise to be more encouraging and inspiring, to help their children grow psychologically, emotionally, morally and spiritually.

TO ALL FATHERS… 

WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVING CARE, 

AND WE WISH YOU A BLESSED FATHER’S DAY.

CELEBRATE THROUGH PRAYER AND ADORATION

First and foremost, congratulations to all our SPM students on your achievement and success! May this be the start of an exciting and promising journey ahead.

Our Parish has several events and celebrations planned for June 2023. We have been promoting the upcoming Eucharistic Adoration for the past two weeks, and on Saturday, 10 June 2023, in conjunction with the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), a Eucharistic Adoration was held from 8.00 am to 5.30 pm. This was followed by Novena to Our Mother of the Perpetual Help and Sunset Mass. The day began with adoration, the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by Morning Prayer (Lauds).

Every hour from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, the liturgical team had assigned BEC members and Parish ministries to come and spend an hour in prayer and adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church. We also created a prayer booklet that served as a guide for anyone attending the prayer and adoration. All parishioners were encouraged to spend some time in Church during the day. Jesus waits to welcome you in the Blessed Sacrament. He is really, truly and fully present in the Consecrated Host, beckoning you to be with Him.

Father’s Day falls on 18 June this year. We will celebrate in a similar way as Mother’s Day was celebrated in the Church. Our Parish Youth will prepare a special surprise for all the fathers of our Parish. Let us ensure that this celebration is unforgettable!

This year, 22 candidates will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, 9 July 2023. The Catechetical Team will be organising a Confirmation camp for these candidates from Friday, June 23 to Sunday, June 25. The confirmation camp will be centred around the theme, “O Holy Spirit, Descend Plentifully into My Heart,” as stated by St. Augustine of Hippo. We have invited Nicholas Kuan and five others from the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, to coordinate and facilitate this camp. We pray that our students will be united more firmly in Christ Jesus and sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We pray for the presenting team, catechism teachers, and students. We hope everything will run smoothly and without hiccups.

The Novena Masses in conjunction with the Feast of Saint Thomas, the Apostle, are scheduled from Saturday, 24 June to 3 July 2023. The 9 days Novena prayers and Masses, will conclude with a Thanksgiving Mass on Monday, 3 July 2023. The feast day committee has chosen the main theme – “A Saint For Our Times.”

The committee members would like to encourage every BEC member and all parishioners to join our Novena and Feast Day events. Let us come together for these celebrations in honour of St Thomas, our Patron who proclaimed Jesus Christ as “My Lord and My God!”