A hint of mercy.

"In short, we are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves. At times how hard it seems to forgive! And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully."

The first line is probably the most special one of all, "because mercy has first been shown to us". The beautiful text taken from Pope Francis' bull on 2016 being the Year of Mercy (you can get it here) is a document proclaiming that next year is a year of understanding but more importantly receiving God's mercy. Because mercy has first been shown to us therefore it is only our right to be merciful and forgiving and having all the Christian values.

But wait!

Isn't this one of the hardest thing to do? To forgive, to understand, to listen, to comprehend, to tolerate and most of all to even love. Too many times, have we preached the word of mercy, but how merciful are we?

Mercy is an act of love, not only love for the other, but it extends as the inherent nature of human. Through mercy is where we experience the basics of human companionship, comfort, and fellowship with one another.

The challenge of mercy sometimes comes at a price; a price that can only be paid with humility and with a feeling of respect for the other person. Most of the time, this challenge arises when we are to show mercy to another person, showing mercy shouldn't be synonymous as a condescending attitude or a "duty" for the sake to care for the person, in fact showing mercy comes from the self offering to and for others so that others might gain from it(see Romans 12:1). Another challenge of mercy is also giving it out to those who need it most. Without going too far - as far as showing mercy to those in poverty and hunger - ask ourselves, who are the people who need mercy from us, in our everyday lives?

Sometimes we overlook this, and we tend to not show the mercy that others crave from us. Now the word "crave" may be strong, but let's reflect, who in our lives do actually crave for it. Another point of view is that sometimes the person who needs mercy from us is our very own self. Self-mercy isn't about pitying ourselves but rather a room we give ourselves to learn from the pain which we ourselves have caused or the pain from which others have given us.

"Perhaps we have long since forgotten how to show and live the way of mercy. The temptation, on the one hand, to focus exclusively on justice made us forget that this is only the first, albeit necessary and indispensable step. But the Church needs to go beyond and strive for a higher and more important goal. On the other hand, sad to say, we must admit that the practice of mercy is waning in the wider culture. In some cases the word seems to have dropped out of use."

Giving what is due.

In this week Sunday's Gospel we read:

"..give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar - and to God what belongs to God." - Matthew 22: 21

After reading this article,  I can't help to notice that the relationship between this article and that phrase somehow relates.

First let us look who the Prime Minister is. The PM is our elected leader through our democratic system in Malaysia, he is our leader which steers the country to a economically, socially and politically stable nation. The Prime Minister also plays a role in maintaining the peace in our country, moreover he is also the image of Malaysia to the world.

Next, the let's looks at the Archbishop. The Archbishop is the head of the Catholic community here in Kuala Lumpur and acts as the head of the other dioceses also as the Metropolitan. The Archbishop is one of the many successors of the Apostles whom belongs to the college of Bishops. He is our leader in faith, speaking against injustice and the defender of the Catholic faith here in Malaysia, He also is the image of the Catholic Church here in Malaysia.

If you were to read this article you would realise the great differences between what our earthly and civil leader (the PM) had said and what our earthly spiritual leader had said. It may be too early to judge the actions of Archbishop Julian who only took his office for a few weeks as compared to our PM who held it for 6 years already. Nevertheless, through experience and favour, we sometimes wonder if our civil leader has really meant what he said.

As Catholics, Christians, we are to respect both our leaders as what Christ has said. Judging from all that has happened in this country, it is somewhat easy to lose hope and faith in our civil leaders. Sometimes without a doubt we can have anger and even resentment to those whom we have elected to hold office. As what Christ has said by giving back to Caesar what belongs to him, not only this relates to taxes, but also towards the respect we ought to give our civil leaders.

The very same respect we give to God and his workers, as in this case our Archbishop, Priests and those who serve the Lord with their lives.

The frailty of human leadership is that, they will always be judged and always be kept in the limelight, and any crime they do will be criticised and any good they do would also be questioned at times.

By giving to God what belongs to Him and to our leaders what belongs to them means that we should give the respect and honour to what to their due. By no means, should we scowl or to even curse our civil leaders, no matter how bad they are, but rather to pray and have the hope that they might be changed. On another hand, sometimes we too might not like our spiritual leaders. This goes both ways,

When Jesus said to give back what is belonged to the other person, he is saying that everyone deserves the respect and honour according to what their position in the community is, the power they have; it may be contradictory to what they ought to do but nevertheless there's always a reason why they are in that position.

Here's the article from The Ant Daily once again:
http://theantdaily.com/Main/The-moderate-prime-minister-and-the-loving-shepherd

A glimpse of Campus Ministry

The campus ministy. a lay ministry in the Church that covers all universities under the Titular Roman Diocese. In this ministry, we are led by the Bishop himself, followed by the Youth Coordinator and in this case, Father Martin, followed by a Campus Ministry Officer who has his (or her) own team and finally the people of what is called the Penang Diocese Campus Council, a body of students from various universities that make up this council. The council is responsible for ensuring that the Catholic faith is correctly deposited and that students coming from their homes have a platform for students for their Catholic faith.

Last week, for the first time in 4 years, I finally went for a meeting of the PDCC, and I asked myself, why didn't I join before? It was such an interesting journey indeed.

The one thing which caught my attention most was the house below. It doesn't look much but it was called the FM house. A house given by a Priest to the Diocese and now it belonged to the Campus Ministry.

The amazing part about this house is that it is free to use by any campus student, all they have to do is apply to the Campus Ministry. Sadly though, the house was too relaxing that I forgot to take pictures of the inside. 

So what did we do over the weekend?

First of all, we managed to watch two movies: Soul Surfer and Letters to God, two movies that was to show about how much praying and having faith in God matters in our lives.

Secondly, we discussed matters pertaining to the Campus Ministry. Matters like camps, formations and the AGM which would be coming up soon. 

One of the main highlights of the weekend was going to Gurney Paragon. A newly built mall, around the old St. Joseph's novitiate that was ran by the La Salle brothers. It was part of the Catholic history in Malaysia.

What I learned from this meeting amazingly, was the sharing we shared around the dinner table. The problem faced by many students in each campuses. Also another highlight would be Kevin's our Campus Minister, sharing on his journey for the Asian Youth Day. The way he described from seeing the Pope at a very close distance was very enlightening. He described that when he saw the Pope, he had the same kind of joy when holding a child in your hands. He described the Pope was such a joyous man with a constant smile on his face.

Another sharing from Kevin, was the way the Korean Catholics were martyred for their faith. The martyrs were recently canonised by Pope Francis on his visit there. The martyrs were martyred in the 1800s. 

It was an enlightening weekend and I do look forward to the next meeting.

A little shaky picture of our fellowship.

Lastly, the Pope shared this message during one of his public speeches during the AYD and I think it is good for reflection:

"Remember that you are Asian!"

St. Anne's overrated?

27th July 2013- 

The feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, parents of the blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus Christ. 

One of the most significant Catholic feast days in Malaysia would probably be this feast day; the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, but why do I say it is overrated, please note the question mark too. First of all, this is probably (and most likely) the biggest Catholic gathering in Malaysia throughout the year, no other feasts, or festivity can gather as many Catholics and non-Christians to this one place. History has it that the apparition of St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared atop St. Anne hill, and the rest is history. 

Now why would I say it is overrated? 

Thousand, if not tens-of thousands all over South-East Asia flock to this place for the feast of St. Anne and at this time of year all make pledges, deals, devotions and even vow to St. Anne for something. Now I am not going to say it is wrong to do so, but my point is that everyone has created the image that this feast is so momentous that they (I can say I assume) forget the focus of the idea of St. Anne as the grandmother and mediator to Christ Jesus, who we believe is also God the almighty. 

How many go for the feast for a conversion of heart? 

How many go for the feast not for the grandeur but for the devotion made to the Saint?

How many go for the feast in the hope of finding salvation?

Now those are opinionated questions, no specific answers but rather to be answered by one person alone: yourself. This momentous feast plays an impact to many people, but I always wondered, what does the feast bring to the heart, or rather to the eternal soul?

I am not criticizing, I am just curious the great commotion made for this feast that people would actually know what they are doing when going for the feast. Next up, I would really love to know the history of how it came about. 

Last words: Did anyone remember good ol' St. Joachim?

The day you start to die is the day you are born.

Here is a very old post that I have once written before. I thought of sharing it once again.

The day you start to die is the day you are born

I read this post on my Wall on Facebook. It was written by Manvir, a close and good friend.

If you read this phrase at a glance, you will probably try to think hard of it, but after awhile you will just say "Nah!" and probably forget about it. This phrase some how has a very deep meaning. It has an abstract meaning to it which not many will actually ponder on; and I am not saying that I am, I am just saying that this phrase, is food for the soul.

To be born; if you look at a person's life in overall, you would either say that he lived his life or otherwise. When a person lives his life, it means that he had enjoyed his life, he lived a good man, helping others, loving others and of course treasuring life as a something so precious that not even gold can buy.

Die, in this probably doesn't mean literally dying but rather when a person knows that something is going to end like his life, or something that he is enjoying now. To die, is to lose something very dear, something precious. In this case, to die is to live behind the things you treasure most, like your experiences, your knowledge but most of all your loved ones.

The day you start to die is the day you are born is the day where you wake up to reality and face life in the face and realize that life has much more to offer than just to exist on this Earth. When we die we will have an epiphany that we have such a short time on Earth, so why waste it? Why exist when we can live? Why be depressed when we can live life to the fullest?

When we die we get the sudden realization that we have not enjoyed every moment of this life we have. There was once this man, he loved his family a lot but he was also a a man who travels, a man of the business. He was always busy, he was rich, and he never actually had quality time to spend with his family. Then one day, he felt this pain in his chest, he went to get it diagnosed - it was a tumour. He had only 8 months left to live. He was such a shock. Then he took what was meant to be the biggest step of his life, he quit his job. He wasn't afraid, but most of all he wasn't scared to die. His family all cried for him, they mourned his short time on earth, but he said to them, not to mourn, because life is too short- enjoy it, live it. So, in that short months he lived his life to the fullest; he loved deeper, he laughed more, he went bungee jumping, he learnt to ride a horse, he went to pick up ballroom dancing and he started playing the banjo. His last words were, that even though he did not spend enough time with his family, but in these last few months he really did spend quality time with them, and most of all he loved his life and had no regrets.

So that's it. One must cherish life and every moment we have on this earth and not to waste it. Still in a maze about this phrase? Don't worry, it will come to you one day.

Something straight from the Book.

Just last week I attended a camp organised by the Penang Diocesan Campus Ministry, after the closing Mass which was also the Sunday Mass on Saturday evening, a group of us went out to a local 'coffee shop' and hung out. Not long after spending some time togther, Father David Reegan a Capuchin Priest joined us. It was rather interesting and very insightful to have a Capuchin Priest who's "specialty" is the Sacred Scriptures.

My gosh! 

He has the Bible at the tip of his fingers!

Not only he can quote it rather well, but he can explain it thoroughly and the meaning behind it.

For example during his sermon Fr. Reegan explained briefly the Gospel on that Sunday, it was the Gospel of John chapter 21. Jesus asked Peter three times "Do you love me?", to that Peter answered "You know that I love you" three times too; well Fr. Reegan taught us a whole new thing: that when Peter said love it was actually "like". The "like" meaning that Peter cannot love as how Jesus did and that was the love of "agape" a Greek word meaning unconditional love. So, Peter who was the man who Jesus asked to look after his sheep, himself couldn't love Jesus full-heartedly because he was afraid and also a man.

Well, during the "makan" session with him, a friend of mine from another university asked Father, how can we make our Catholic gatherings sustainable and another also asked how do we make our Catholic societies a little more stronger.

To that Fr. DR said this verse from the Bible:

Acts 2:42

It was a simple as that he said. The one thing that all Catholic societies or bodies need to do in order to last and to be established is:

1. Follow the teachings of the Apostles (and also the Church. Learning and sharing together about stuff like faith-knowledge, social issues and perhaps also Catholic living)
2. Fellowship (as in "makan-makan" together, hanging out)
3. Breaking of Bread (attending Mass)
4. Prayer (speaking to God)

He continued, just do this four things and the result is, well, look at the Church now; lasting over hundreds of centuries.

A simple advice and a deep and well needed one.

Thanks Father DR, it gave me some time to think about my own Catholic Society.

Check out:

the paragraph of the Bible verse here and also check out Lumen Gentium (a Vatican II document) paragraph 13.

the 30th Sunday

"As Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’ And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Courage,’ they said ‘get up; he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. Then Jesus spoke, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Rabbuni,’ the blind man said to him ‘Master, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has saved you.’ And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road."
-Mark 10:46-52

As usual the the Gospel once again shows about how Jesus is able to perform Miracles. Amazingly he has the ability to bring sight to the blind and grace to the broken hearted. Today's Gospel reading was very much focused on Faith, perfectly in par with the Pope's "Year of Faith" theme. Also today, by God's grace I had (well I woke up in the morning wanting to do it, and by chance the head altar server suddenly asked me) to serve Mass.

I was surprised and also excited to once again to serve Mass. Get right into the action!

Father David's Gospel was as usual long, but it was meaningful, I doubt many actually listened to it and managed to dose off; from what I saw from the altar. Anyway, Father said three things that I think should be made a guideline in my personal exploration of faith.

First he said about courage, to call for God. Why be afraid to seek help? The infamous "Ask and you shall receive" (Lk 11:9) is demonstrated by the beggar himself, when people told him to shut up, the more he shouted for Lord. Similarly in life, we shouldn't be afraid to seek help, not only form God, but as importantly to seek help of friends and people that you can rely on. Father David, also mentioned about praying consistently, id est seeking help from God at all times. Rid the fear of asking and we should just be humble and seek help, be it getting lost in a city, or getting confused on what seasoning to put next or even losing direction in how to get her heart.

Second he spoke about throwing your cloak and going to Jesus. Well not literally obviously; throwing your cloak as the beggar did meant that we all should lose our barriers or obstacles that hind us from going closer to Jesus. Certainly, we always want something from God, yet sometimes we pull ourselves back by not seeing that there are many things that hinder us from going to God. As simply, as gossiping, sloth-ing, and even gluttony, that somehow or another distracts us from doing the right thing and so because of that we lose sight of God. When we want to return to him, we should realize our mistakes and asking for forgiveness, yes he is forgiving, but think about it- there is this one person you really love, and whatever he or she does is forgiven but knowing that he or she has done many things that has offended you and comes to you asking for help, without even saying "I am sorry" to you, how would you feel?

Third, Father spoke about the importance following Christ himself. After the beggar got healed he got up and followed Jesus, simply as that. Picture this, if we were given a second chance to do the right thing, wouldn't we do it? If we had failed a paper before and was given another shot at it (surely you have to pay for it), would you still attempt to fail? The same applies here, once we already been healed and given the chance to start afresh why should we waste it, in fact we should change ourselves for the better in not only to serve God but also everyone else around us.

Mass went on as usual, my fellow brother and I had a comical time, setting up the altar for consecration; we exchanging glances and it was too noticeable.