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31-January-2019-Thursday
3rd-week-ordinary-time

*To remain firm in the faith we profess, we must continue to grow in our faith.  The fault with many Catholics is that they think baptism is a graduation from having acquired knowledge and understanding of their faith. After completing their catechism classes or RCIA journey, they no longer seek out opportunities to continue growing their faith, both doctrinally and spiritually.  Their only occasion to grow in faith is the one-hour mass that they attend every Sunday.  This is hardly enough to sustain the life of a Catholic. The warning of the Lord is clear.  Those who do not grow in their faith are already losing their faith. Faith, like relationships, needs time to grow. Just like relationships, faith needs to be strengthened every moment, each day, every week and every year.  There is no question of stopping when it comes to nurturing our faith as in any relationship.  Relationships between spouses or friends when not deepened because we take each other for granted will eventually lead to distancing, misunderstandings, doubts and suspicions.  So, too, in our faith relationship with God.*

*How, then, can we grow in our faith?  Firstly, we need to deepen our intimacy with God through Christ. Catholics must fight shy of those pseudo-Christian spiritualties that attempt to reach God by bypassing the humanity of Christ.  A true Christian spirituality is always rooted in not just the mystical body of Christ but in His humanity.  This has always been the teaching of the mystical writers and the Church. Secondly, we must be rooted in the Word of God. We cannot grow in our faith without deepening our love and appreciation for the Word of God through bible study and most of all, a prayerful reading and sharing of the Word of God.  When we do not make time to read, study and pray the scriptures, we cannot know Christ since St Jerome makes it clear that “to be ignorant of the scriptures, is to be ignorant of Christ”.*

*Thirdly, we must seek the support of the Christian community.    The main reason why many Catholics fall off from their faith is because their faith is a personal individualistic faith, between God and them alone.  A Catholic without the support of his fellow Catholics will eventually fall out from the faith, especially when he undergoes the trials and challenges of life, the influence of secularism, and the materialistic, individualistic and atheistic views of the world.  A Catholic who is disconnected from his fellow Catholics will not have fellow Catholics to encourage, support and journey with him in his life of faith.  Without hearing the testimonies of fellow Catholics in their encounter with the Lord and how they live out their Catholic faith, we will lack inspiration, models and mentors to edify and guide us.  Catholics must not only come for Sunday Mass regularly, but they must also belong to a faith-sharing group, a community that could support them in their faith.  Otherwise, their faith will become weak and when they have no ties with the community, they will wander away to find another community, often a secular community without godly values.*

*Fourthly, to grow our faith, we need to evangelize and be a witness to Christ.  We evangelize ourselves by evangelizing others.  By sharing our faith with others, we strengthen our own faith.  By teaching our faith to others, we grow in understanding and clarity in what we believe in.  So often, Catholics take their faith for granted until it is challenged.  They do not make the effort to know more about their faith but they will have the time to read all the worldly articles about health, finance, the stock market and all the gossips in the news. Finally, growing in faith, in the final analysis, is to grow in our Christian life.  This is the most effective form of witnessing. A life of holiness and charity are the fruits of a strong spiritual life and a life of hope founded in the promises of God.*

A Blessed, Joyful and Peaceful morning to all of you.

https://www.catholic.sg
30-January-2019-Wednesday
3rd-week-ordinary-time

*Many of us cannot encounter God deeply because we are outside of Him.  Unless our hearts beat with the heart of God, we will not be able to have the same passion and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It was Jesus’ personal experience of the Father’s love that gave Him His mission to proclaim the Good News to the poor.   Unless we share the heart of God, we cannot feel Him in our lives.*

*So how can we enter the heart and mind of God?  What other way than to begin by contemplating on the Word of God!  Through a greater understanding and appreciation of the Word of God, we come to understand the mind of Jesus.  We cannot grow in knowledge of Christ without the Word of God.  Catholics must develop a love for the Word of God. But it is not enough just to read the Word of God.  We need to feel the heart of Jesus.  This is where devotions in the Church have its place. Devotions to the Divine Mercy, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary help us to beat with the hearts of Jesus and Mary.  But mere devotions alone lack depth as the gospel tells us. In the final analysis, true devotions must be rooted in the liturgy and in the scriptures and flow out of the liturgy as an expression of our love for the Lord, His mother and all the saints. When they fall in love with Jesus and come to know the heart of Jesus, they would give their entire life to the Lord.*

*Hence, through the reading of the Word of God and through the celebration of the liturgy and the pious devotions of the Church, we come to appreciate the inner life of our Lord, sharing in His mind and heart.  What is of utmost importance is whether the reading of the Word of God or our pious devotions help us to enter the mind and heart of our Lord, not just the mind or the heart, but both.  There is a real danger that some Catholics read the Word of God a lot and go for bible studies but they do not make time to interiorize the Word of God in prayer.  So they grow in intellectual knowledge of the Word but they lack the experience of affectivity with the Lord.  Unless we read the Word of God as if they are from the Lord, we will not be changed or transformed.  This is what St Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.”  (1 Th 2:13) The truth is that God and love cannot be taught, logically explained or proven, but it must be an encounter and an experience.*

A Blessed, Joyful and Peaceful morning to all of you.

https://www.catholic.sg
29-January-2019-Tuesday
3rd-week-ordinary-time

*How does the offering of Christ’s body and blood take away our sins?  In the sacrifice of Christ, the giving up of His body and blood is the expression of God’s love and mercy for humanity.  In accepting the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the Father demonstrated His unconditional love and forgiveness for all the sins of humanity.   The death of Christ is the act of self-emptying of the Father of the Son and the Son of the Father.  The Father was sonless and the Son was fatherless at the cross.   It was a mutual act of perfect love for humanity.*

*His death on the cross also expressed God’s identification with us sinners in our sinfulness.  St Paul wrote, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  (2 Cor 5:21)  St Peter said, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pt 2:24) Indeed, it is through Christ’s suffering and death on the cross that we come to know with certainty that God understands how much we suffer in temptation and when we fall into sin.  Therefore, He wants to assure us of His solidarity with us and to know that we are forgiven unconditionally.*

*In truth, Christ’s sacrifice is more than just the giving up of His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  It is also His way to show us that following God’s will is more important than anything else. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.”  We are to do the will of God.  The offering of Christ’s body is His total expression of obedience to God.  Jesus told His disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.”  At the Garden of Gethsemane, He surrendered completely, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42)*

*So the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice objectively is effective in taking away our sins because it is the offering of Himself, the expression of His Father’s love, mercy and forgiveness, and most of all, as a mentor in leading us the way to salvation by doing God’s will.  “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”  (Heb 5:8-10)  We are called to imitate Christ in doing God’s will and to be obedient to Him.  Only when we do God’s will as Jesus did, can we grow in perfection and in holiness.*

A Blessed, Joyful and Peaceful morning to all of you.

https://www.catholic.sg/
28-january-2019-monday-
3rd-week-ordinary-time/

*St Paul in writing to the Ephesians said, “our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  (Eph 6:12)  Indeed, many of us do not recognize this fact and we think that the evils in the world are caused solely by man alone.  All the wickedness, crimes, injustices and immorality in this world are often attributed to the selfishness and greed of man.  This is only the partial truth.  However, the real battle, as St Paul says, is against the power of darkness.*

*Truly, the ministry of Jesus and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God cannot be understood except in the background of the Kingdom of Satan.  Exorcism and spiritual warfare against the Evil One is one of the most important tasks in the mission of our Lord.  In the gospel we always find Jesus battling against Satan.  What makes this spiritual warfare against the Devil more difficult is the fact that the Evil One works in, through and with man to wreak evil in the world.  We are unwittingly minions at the service of the kingdom of darkness. If we are not alert, we too will be made use of by the Devil to do his work of destroying peace and love.*

*To win this battle, we must, as Jesus advised us, bring a strong man to fight with us against the Evil One.  The devil as spirit is more powerful than us.  We cannot do it alone using our own strength because we cannot match his power. That is why we need to bring in the strong man, Jesus Himself.  Only He alone can win victory for us over the Evil One and his angels. St Paul himself exhorted us, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”  (Eph 6:13)*

*This armour entails the Word of God, the Sacraments, unceasing prayer, a life of faith, righteousness and witnessing.  “Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”  (Eph 6:14-18)  Only with this armour can we protect ourselves from the temptations of the Evil One. Indeed, the battle against the evil spirits is won only with Jesus’ victory over sin and death.*

*Secondly, victory is won by the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Thirdly, we read that Jesus as our High Priest is always interceding for us in the presence of God, unlike the priests of the old covenant. Finally, if we are to win this spiritual warfare, we must support each other in prayer and in fellowship. This is what the devil desires for us because his strategy and that of the world is divide and conquer. Many church organizations want to work in silo rather than synergizing together.  Many Catholics who walk alone in their faith are certainly putting their faith at risk because they are alone in their faith.  Without someone to encourage them, to edify and inspire them, they will lose faith in God during times of stress and challenges.   Let us, therefore, support each other in faith and in our apostolic activities because we have a common vision to build God’s kingdom.*

A Blessed, Joyful and Peaceful Monday morning to all of you.

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - 27th January 2019

January 27 2019

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1NEH 8:2-4A, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak till midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —;
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
"Amen, amen!"
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
"Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"—
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"

Responsorial Psalm PS 19:8, 9, 10, 15   

R. (cf John 6:63c) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Reading 2 1 COR 12:12-30

Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many.
If a foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, "
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
Or if an ear should say,
"Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, "

it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God placed the parts,
each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you, "
nor again the head to the feet, "I do not need you."
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker
are all the more necessary,
and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable
we surround with greater honor,
and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.
But God has so constructed the body
as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body,
but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it;
if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church
to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

Or1 COR 12:12-14, 27

Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,

and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
You are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.

AlleluiaCF. LK 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me 
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Catholic MPW 2019

English:
March 15-17 & September 13-15 @ GSS, Melaka. Contact Magdalene 017-2776448

June 21-23 & November 15-17 @ MAJODI. JB. Contact Feona 016-7222642

Tamil:
March 15-17 & September 13-15 @ MAJODI. JB

June 14-16 & November 15-17 @ GSS, Melaka.
Contact deacon Dass 014-9941742

Mandarin:
June 1-2 & December 8-9 @ MAJODI. JB
Contact Michelle 019-7510087.

Bahasa only after 27/10.

Melaka Mandarin will inform later.

Thanks and God bless.

https://www.catholic.sg/

25-january-2019- friday-conversion-of-st-paul-apostle/

*Today we often hear that there is a priestly and religious vocations crisis.  This appears to be true in Singapore and in many parts of the world, especially the first world countries. But what is the real crisis?  It is not the lack of priestly and religious vocations.  It is the lack of prayers! What is required is prayer.  In other words, we must first help our young people to come into contact with the Lord, fall in love with Him, develop an intense and intimate relationship with Him to the extent that they want to give their lives to Him, share in His mission and in His passion for the people.  Without a personal relationship with the Lord, there is no vocation and no call.*

*Indeed, we must never forget that priestly vocation is a calling. When the Lord calls, we respond immediately because it is the Lord who calls.  And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.” (Heb 5:1,4) No wonder, the Church today is having all kinds of scandals because those who responded to the call of the priesthood have no calling!  They are taking it as a “career” in life, or a lifestyle that they are comfortable with, as opposed to marriage or singlehood. So the real crisis is not the shortage of priestly and religious vocations but the crisis of faith. Our churches appear to be vibrant with lots of activities.  But all these activities are not signs of a living faith because they could be mere distractions to occupy peoples’ time and boredom. The only sign that is truly reflective of a community growing in faith is when young people who have fallen in love with Jesus desire to empty their lives in the service of the People of God and be His missionaries in the world. Priestly and religious vocations are the fruits of a deep prayer life, a deep relationship with God.*

*The reality is that God is not felt in this secularized world and even by so-called believers in the Lord. Indeed, what our people need is a conversion experience for them to fall in love with Jesus. Secondly, it is the experience of forgiveness of our sins. Thirdly, it is the experience of being sent. So when we celebrate the Conversion of St Paul, let us pray for our own conversion of heart.  Many of us are nominal Catholics.    Many of our parents are not showing the example of faith to their children.  We are lacking in faith and that is why our children lose their faith completely when they grow up in a secular world.  What we need is to create an ambience where our children can encounter Jesus in their lives by belonging to a community anointed with the Holy Spirit and a community that gives them support in love and in faith.  Only when we become a praying community and a community that celebrates the Eucharist and contemplate on the Word of God, will there be vocations for the Church and the world.*

A Blessed, Joyful and Peaceful Friday morning to all of you.

St. Paul, Apostle, pray for us.

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD – JANUARY 06, 2019

Saturday, January 05, 2019

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

Isaiah 60:1-6

1 Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.

2 Look! though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples, on you Yahweh is rising and over you his glory can be seen.

3 The nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons coming from far away and your daughters being carried on the hip.

5 At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart will throb and dilate, since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you;

6 camels in throngs will fill your streets, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Saba will come, bringing gold and incense and proclaiming Yahweh's praises.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

1 [Of Solomon] God, endow the king with your own fair judgement, the son of the king with your own saving justice,

2 that he may rule your people with justice, and your poor with fair judgement.

7 In his days uprightness shall flourish, and peace in plenty till the moon is no more.

8 His empire shall stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the limits of the earth.

10 the kings of Tarshish and the islands will pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Saba will offer gifts;

11 all kings will do him homage, all nations become his servants.

12 For he rescues the needy who calls to him, and the poor who has no one to help.

Second Reading

Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

2 You have surely heard the way in which God entrusted me with the grace he gave me for your sake;

3 he made known to me by a revelation the mystery I have just described briefly-

5 This mystery, as it is now revealed in the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets, was unknown to humanity in previous generations:

6 that the gentiles now have the same inheritance and form the same Body and enjoy the same promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

Matthew 2:1-12

1 After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east

2 asking, 'Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.'

3 When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem.

4 He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 They told him, 'At Bethlehem in Judaea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.'

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared

8 and sent them on to Bethlehem with the words, 'Go and find out all about the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.'

9 Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And suddenly the star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was.

10 The sight of the star filled them with delight,

11 and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

12 But they were given a warning in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

“The Gospel of the Lord”