UNDERSTANDING HUMAN SEXUALITY IN TODAY'S CONTEXT

Shalom dear Parents.

As your servant in Christ, I wish to share this great concern and issue which we parents can not deny, ignore or even think it will not happen to our own.  I have personally known of cases where a 12 year old girl gave birth early January at HSAJB and reports of high sexual activity as young as 10-11 years of age. Secondly,  the media and internet is available and pornographic materials is main sites. 

Thirdly, the govt schools have already started sexual education which sometimes is questionable as how it is taught.  We have recently heard how a school principle  had alleged groomed sexually.  Besides, all these,  our children are opened to sexual abuses which they are not aware of until they reach sexual maturity at later age which affects them emotionally and spiritually.

Thus we, the Catechetical Ministry of St Joseph Church Plentong strongly encourage  all parents who have children from 7-12  years of age to be updated, to be aware and to learn what is CATHOLIC SEXUALITY.  As parents now, we are RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE  in doing our  part in equipping our young children about sexuality.  The media and society do not ask our permission what our child knows about sexuality. The internet may not give the right information and management. As we are in partnership with parents and catechists, please make time for the sake of our children whom we love , sacrifice about 4 hours which will be a great investment.  

Please register :

"TEACHING SEXUALITY TO YOUR CHILDREN 7-12 YEARS OF AGE."

FACILITATOR:  DR LEK LIM CHAN.
PRESIDENT OF NATURAL FERTILITY AWARENESS OF MALAYSIA.

DATE: SATURDAY 22ND FEBRUARY 2020

TIME: 8.30AM-12.30PM

VENUE: MISSION PASTORAL INSTITUTE.
MAJODI CENTER.PLENTONG. JOHOR BAHRU.

FEE:  RM30/PER PERSON.
(Inclusive of materials, tea breaks, etc)

REGISTER: DIRECTLY TO DCN.DR.PETRUS, OR TO THE PRIMARY CLASS TEACHERS YOUR NAMES AND PAYMENT BEFORE OR AFTER THE WEEKEND MASSES.

FOR WHOM:
1. ALL YOUNG PARENTS OF THIS CHILD AGE CATEGORY 7-12 YEARS.
2. FOR ALL PARENTS, ADULTS AND THOSE INTERESTED.
3. TEACHERS AND THOSE INVOLVED IN EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND CHILDCARE.

In order to encourage your participation on this crucial subject for our children, there will be NO CATECHISM FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN ONLY.

PLEASE MAKE AN EFFORT TO ATTEND.  IT WILL BE AN INVESTMENT WHICH YOU AND I WILL NEVER REGRET.

God bless you and your family.

Your servant in Christ,
Deacon Dr. Leslie Petrus.

The above session is held in three languages.
Bahasa:      20/02/2020 Thursday Evening   @ 8.00pm - 10.00pm
English:     22/02/2020 Saturday Morning    @ 8.30am - 12.30pm
Mandarin:  22/02/2020 Saturday Afternoon @ 1.30pm - 5.30pm

Retreat - Weekend With Rabboni

Open to school leavers and young adults. 

Need some quiet time to discern and listen to God?

Come spend a weekend with us.

TABS - Tuesday Adult Bible Study

Starting 4th February 2020

Come join us for this 15 Sessions covering on the the book of Revelation.

John, the Evangelist, brother of James the Martyr (Acts 12), was deported to Patmos island for the sake of faith.  From there he sent us this “Revelation.”  Skies opened, angels and tragedies, corruption of the well-to-do and the blood of martyrs: God’s judgment goes down the centuries. God’s glory has come near and only a curtain divides us.  Everything is brought to an end in the heavenly city.

Why does Revelation have the reputation of being a mysterious book, hard to understand and why, for many people, does it have a terrifying meaning?  Can it be because there, many seek secret figures and messages which might be adapted to current events as if John had announced them in detail?

If we want to avoid misunderstanding the images and the style of the Revelation of John we should first know that “revelations,” or “apocalypses” were a popular form of literature at the time of Jesus.  There was an Apocalypse of Isaiah, one of Moses, and many others.  It was a way of interpreting contemporary events wrapped up in formidable images, with visions and angels.  The author of the book attributed it to a known prophet of the past, but only related events that were already known, trying to draw conclusions and showing what God wanted to achieve.

The style and the images of Revelation (Apocalypse) bewilder many people to the extent that today the term is mostly used to refer to worldwide tragedies.  We are going to give the needed explanations, but from the beginning, we have to understand that John was answering the questions that his Christian contemporaries were asking, and questions that we are still asking ourselves today.  Why didn’t the Savior bring justice and peace to the word and why do we see so much evil and suffering?

REVELATION

John answers that if centuries follow after Christ’s coming, this is not so that we may enjoy heaven on earth but rather, because this world is at stake in the conflict between good and evil.  John probably wrote at the time of Emperor Domitian, namely, the start of the great Church persecutions in the Roman Empire.  John is going to say, again and again, that being Christian means being faithful and if need be being a martyr.

Understanding the importance of this conflict in today’s history is much more useful than searching the Book of Revelation for secret messages that would surely enable us to expect extraordinary events and perhaps, to have the chance to survive.  We will better understand this Revelation if we interpret the visions numbers and symbols according to the rules of  apocalyptic literature.  Then we shall see that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is neither difficult nor terrifying but full of joy and hope.

The risen Christ is the center of history; the world is the place of the struggle between the church, headed by Christ, and Satan’s forces; Christians are called to give their witness with courage.

In this book we can see seven series, each with seven elements, in four major parts:

-          the seven messages to the churches, chapters 1-3

-          the fulfillment of the Old Testament, chapters 4-11

-          the Church faces the Roman Empire, chapters 12-19

-          the last days and the heavenly Jerusalem, chapters 20-22

We have attributed the Book of Revelation to John the Evangelist.  In fact, there were many doubts on this point during the first two centuries.  The western Church, differently from that in the East, did not see it as the work of John the Evangelist and while today’s criticism does not raise major difficulties, it does raise many doubts.  It is interesting to notice that the image of the sacrificed lamb, a central theme of the book, is found throughout the entire book.  This theme, along with the same quotation from the prophet Zechariah (Rev 1:7), bears the personal mark of John in his Gospel (Jn 19:31-37).

Bulletin - Sunday, 26th January 2020

Mass Readings - Sunday, 26th January 2020

FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah    8:23-9:3
In Galilee of the nations the people have seen a great light.

In days past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, but in days to come he will confer glory on the Way of the
Sea on the far side of Jordan, province of the nations.
The people that walked in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who live in a land of deep shadow
a light has shone.
You have made their gladness greater,
you have made their joy increase;
they rejoice in your presence
as men rejoice at harvest time,
as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.
For the yoke that was weighing on him,
the bar across his shoulders,
the rod of his oppressor,
these you break as on the day of Midian.

The Word of the Lord



Responsorial Psalm    Ps 26
Response:    The Lord is my light and my help.

1. The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?

2. There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.

3. I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!



SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to Corinthians    1:10-13. 17
Make up the difference between you instead of disagreeing among
yourselves

I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing
among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice.
From what Chloe’s people have been telling me, my dear brothers,
it is clear that there are serious differences among you. What I mean
are all these slogans that you have, like: ‘I am for Paul,’ ‘I am for
Apollos,’ ‘I am for Cephas,’ ‘I am for Christ’. Has Christ been
parcelled out? Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Were you
baptised in the name of Paul?
For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News,
and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the
crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed.

The Word of the Lord


Gospel Acclamation   Mt 4:23

Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom,
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people
Alleluia!

or Jn   1:14

Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes, in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!



Gospel
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew    4:12-23
Jesus went and settled in Capernaum: in this way the prophecy of
Isaiah was fulfilled

Hearing that John had been arrested Jesus went back to Galilee,
and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside
town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the
prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon,
who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a
cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to
them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left
their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw
another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother
John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending
their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their
father, they followed him.
Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of
Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their
father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once
leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogue
proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds
diseases and sickness among the people.

The Gospel of the Lord

************************************************


Shorter form of the

GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew    4:12-23
Jesus went and settled in Capernaum: in this way the prophecy of

Isaiah was fulfilled

Hearing that John had been arrested Jesus went back to
Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a
lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way
the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand’.

The Gospel of the Lord

Chinese New Year Mass - Saturday, 25th January 2020

Chinese New Year mass at St Joseph Church on 25.01.2020 @ 9.00am in mandarin.

🙏🙏🙏

Mass Readings - Sunday, 19th January 2020

FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah    49:3.5-6
I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may
reach to the ends of the earth.

The Lord said to me, ‘You are my servant Israel
in whom I shall be glorified’;
I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,
my God was my strength.
And now the Lord has spoken,
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him:
‘It is not enough for you to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I will make you the light of the nations
so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’

The Word of the Lord



Responsorial Psalm    Ps 39

Response    Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

1. I waited, I waited for the Lord
and he stooped down to me;
he heard my cry.
He put a new song into my mouth,
praise of our God.

2. You do not ask for sacrifice
and offerings, but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust
and victim. Instead, here am I.

3. In the scroll of the book it stands
written that I should do your will.
My God, I delight i~ your law
in the depth of my heart.

4. Your justice I have proclaimed
in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.



SECOND READING
A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Corinthians    1:1-3
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.

I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother
Sosthenes,  send greetings to the church of God in Corinth,
to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place
among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ;
for he is their Lord no less than ours.  May God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.

The Word of the Lord



Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes, in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!

or Jn 1: 14. 12

Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word was made flesh and lived among us; to all who did accept
him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!



GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to John    1:29-34
Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb
of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of
when I said:  A man is coming after me who ranks before me
because he existed before me.  I did not know him myself,  and yet it
was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.’  John
also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like
a dove and resting on him.  I did not know him myself,  but he who
sent me to baptise with water had said to me, “The man on whom
you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to
baptise with the Holy Spirit.”
Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of
God.’

The Gospel of the Lord

Bulletin - Sunday, 19th January 2020

Bulletin - Sunday, 12th January 2020

Mass Readings - Sunday, 12th January 2020

FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah   42:1-4, 6-7
Here is my servant in whom my soul delights

Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom my soul delights.
I have endowed him with my spirit
that he may bring true justice to the nations.
He does not cry out or shout aloud,
or make his voice heard in the streets.
He does not break the crushed reed,
nor quench the wavering flame.
Faithfully he brings true justice;
he will neither waver, nor be crushed
until true justice is established on earth,
for the islands are awaiting his law.
I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right;
I have taken you by the hand and formed you;
I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the
nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison,
and those who live in darkness from the dungeon

The Word of the Lord


Responsorial Psalm   Ps 28, 1-4

Response The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1. O give the Lord you sons of God,
give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name.
Adore the Lord in his holy court.

2. The Lord’s voice resounding on the waters,
the Lord on the immensity of waters;
the voice of the Lord, full of power,
the voice of the Lord, full of splendour.

3. The God of glory thunders.
In his temple they all cry: ‘Glory!’
The Lord sat enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits as king for ever.



SECOND READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles   10:34-38
God anointed him with the Holy Spirit

Then Peter addressed them: ‘The truth I have now come to realise’
he said ‘is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of
any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable
to him.

‘It is true, God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to
them that the good news of peace was brought by Jesus Christ – but
Jesus Christ is Lord of all men. You must have heard about the recent
happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began
in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had
anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God
was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had
fallen into the power of the devil.’

The Word of the Lord


Gospel Acclamation   Mk:9:8

Alleluia, alleluia!
The heavens opened and the Father’s voice resounded:
‘This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him.’
Alleluia!


GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew   3:13-17
As soon as Jesus was baptised he saw the Spirit of God coming
down on him.

Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John
tried to dissuade him. ‘It is I who need baptism from you’ he said
‘and yet you come to me!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Leave it like this for the
time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that
righteousness demands’. At this, John gave in to him.
As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from the water, and
suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice
spoke from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on
him’.

The Gospel of the Lord

Bulletin - Sunday, 05th January 2020

Mass Readings - Sunday, 05th January 2020

FIRST READING    Isaiah 60:1-6
Above you the glory of the Lord appears

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord is rising on you,
though night still covers the earth
and darkness the peoples.
Above you the Lord now rises
and above you his glory appears.
The nations come to your light
and kings to your dawning brightness.
Lift up your eyes and look round:
all are assembling and coming towards you,
your sons from far away
and your daughters being tenderly carried.
At this sight you will grow radiant,
your heart throbbing and full;
since the riches of the sea will flow to you,
the wealth of the nations come to you;
camels in throngs will cover you,
and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
everyone in Sheba will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing the praise of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord


RESPONSORIAL PSALM     Psalm 71

Response: All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord

1. O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a king's son your justice,
that he may judge your people
in justice and your poor in right judgment.

2. In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth's bounds.

3. The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him.

4. For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak and save the lives of the poor.



SECOND READING    Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6
It has now been revealed that pagans share the same inheritance

You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with
the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I
was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now
been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets
was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans
now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same
body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus
Christ, through the gospel.

The Word of the Lord


Gospel Acclamation     Mt2:2
Alleluia, alleluia!
We saw his star as it rose
and have come to do the Lord homage.
Alleluia!



GOSPEL   Matthew 2:1-12
The visit of the Magi

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign
of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east.
‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as
it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard
this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called
together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and
enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in
Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,
for out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked
them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent
them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said
‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go
and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say,
they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen
rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child
was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, 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. But they were
warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their
own country by a different way.

The Gospel of the Lord