My Journey - Being In The World

Revamp and updates

2009-11-01T22:30:00.000+08:00

I have not been blogging for quite a long time. Yes, I do miss blogging! I feel that it is not appropriate to leave this blog inactive for so long, and I should have some updates posted on my life at this point of time.

It all started with World Youth Day. A lot of things happened ever since World Youth Day '08. I came back home feeling empty, not knowing what was missing. I could no longer work as my heart was longing for that something. So I started searching, and by God's grace I was invited to Singapore to stay with and observe the Daughters of St. Paul. Although I was not able to see how exactly their schedules go, I had the opportunity to stay with them for more than a week and experienced the life in a convent, and that was actually more than sufficient to help me move forward.

Not too long after I came back from Singapore, I received another greater invitation -- to work as a full time staff for the Archdiocese in the Mass Communication team (i.e. production of Today's Catholic newspaper and all works related to the media in the church). It took me quite a while to pray and discern whether this is what God has called me to. It was seriously not easy as I discerned and at the same time struggled with work. After a few weeks of considering, I finally said "yes" to God. My parents are not happy, and I still receive a lot of discouragements from others. But these will not stop me from going forward to be a full time servant, because I really love the Lord and it is my desire to have Him as my Employer.

I have just tendered my resignation last Friday with a two months notice and I shall be with the Archdiocese officially beginning January 2010. Right now I am struggling with the remaining work in hand and hopefully everything will go smoothly until the last day of my employment with the current company. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

Well, I will certainly tell you more about this once I have settled down with my new job. I thank you for coming back here once in a while to check on me. =)

Dear all,

I'm currently doing some repairing to my blog. Things are in a mess right now, but feel free to read all the previous posts. Hopefully it will be up and running soon.

Thanks for coming back! God bless.

Beginning Anew II

2009-02-03T09:12:00.001+08:00

I am still continually praying so that I no longer live in fear. When I was browsing around two days ago, I landed on a sharing by Darlene Schacht. I know that this wasn’t an accident or coincident. The Lord spoke to me again through these words:

Work and prayer represent the two forces that will ensure your success. Your work and My work. For prayer, believing prayer, is based on the certainty that I am working for you and with you and in you. Go forward gladly and unafraid. I am with you. With men your task may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.

The words of comfort and assurance that I’ve really needed.

This is what I learn from those words. The secret of success is hard work and fervent prayer. No matter what we want to do, as long as it is not against Love and we willingly trust our work and ourselves in His hands, we should go ahead courageously keeping in mind that He is there with us and He is also working for us, with us, in us and through us.

Sometimes we feel that He is so far away, but the truth is that He is nearer to us than we could ever imagine or comprehend.
May your journey with God today be a challenging but fun one.

Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1

Beginning Anew

2009-01-25T15:56:00.000+08:00

It was the eve of Chinese (Lunar) New Year. I was busy online, searching for some Bible verses. My dad yelled at me over a small matter – I had not taken my shower. That incident actually triggered some series of incidents that happened right before New Year 2009.

I was all stressed out. People threw me with the resolution question, which I had no idea how to answer. I had nothing in mind then. I did not know what I wanted to do or achieve in another new year. I only knew that I did not accomplish much in year 2008. Each time I came across the same question, there was only fear.

How could I not feel afraid? I left behind days of failures, sorrows, bad memories, hurts… so much failure that it overshadowed the victory I’ve known. When I looked forward, I could only see darkness, loneliness, perhaps more failures that sent me a paralyzing fear that I could not resist. I tried my best to avoid this popular topic whenever I could. However, this unnecessary worry and stress continued to worsen till the eve of New Year.

On the night of New Year’s Eve, our parish organized a dinner cum countdown party for all parishioners. Right before I left for church that night, I had a quarrel with my dad. Again, over some small matters (which I can no longer remember today). This time, the very last bit of hope I’ve been holding on to so far shattered to pieces. I had to put on a mask of joy while keeping anger and sadness suppressed inside. At the end of the dinner and before another event by the youths began, a friend asked me to stay close to the stage while they were performing as they needed my “help”. I suspected it to be another prank and of course, I would not be so stupid as to agree on being their “victim”, especially not that time when I was struggling with the anger deep inside. I left the party before it started. Another group of friends called to ask me out as I was on the way home. They were in a pub, getting ready to count down. They knew about my anxiety and advised me to go out, have fun, forget about the past, and get ready to face the future. How could I ever enjoy myself when I was totally immersed in my past failures and hopelessness? I said no.

At home, I locked myself in the room, tried to relax myself as I chat with my other friends online, but unfortunately, nothing worked. Tears started to flow. I could not contain it anymore. I broke down totally at the Lord’s feet.

"…Father, I’ve failed through and through. I failed loving others. I failed loving You. I failed to show that I truly love You. I failed to keep my promises to You. I failed You! Father, I no longer know how to face tomorrow... Help me…!"

Amidst the tears, I remembered the messages the Lord has spoken to me a few days ago through my friends...

Be firm and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9

God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine. Because you are precious in my eyes and glorious… Fear not, for I am with you… – Isaiah 43:1-5

My grace is sufficient for you… - 2 Corinthians 12:9

The fireworks then were at their full blast. Watching the firework display, my tears subsided, the inner storm gradually quietened. I dozed off and woke up the next morning feeling that my burden became lighter.

Although a tinge of fear still exists today, it is no longer as tremendous as it used to be. I used to ask the Lord why He did not change the others so that they would cease giving me so much problem. I was wrong all these while to think that way. "For others to change, I must change first." This is one of the favourite sayings of our parish priest, Fr. Stephen Lim. It is time I change myself.

Today, I'm starting my life anew again. I updated the outdated to-do list I used to have, renewed my pledge of love for the Lord, and offered up my whole self and all my dreams and deepest desires for His glory alone.

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." – Philippians 4:13

Happy Chinese New Year to all who celebrate the Lunar new year!

------
Note from the author: I had to pluck up great courage to have this personal sharing posted. It wasn't easy to reveal the shame and pain I experienced. At the weakest and most hopeless point of my life, I usually prefer to pour everything out to the Lord in prayer and in tears. That is why I've never shown my sorrow in the public. I have to agree that it is not easy to confide in and love someone I cannot even see, but faith tells me that He has been always there for me and has never left my side. Thank you, Father God.

WYD'08 Syd II: Our Daily Journey

2008-09-06T14:36:00.004+08:00

A lovely dinner with our host family in Sydney. Thank you all for your hospitality! Standing (left to right): Me, Shawna, Pete. Seated: Sarah (right) and her elder sister, Anne..

Last Monday was a holiday for all Malaysians for the celebration of our Independence Day. Sr. Perpetua, the Franciscan nun who went together with us to WYD invited a friend and I over to her place (convent) to have a catch-up session with each other. We had lunch and at the same time, we shared with each other what we’ve received from WYD08.

When it was my turn, I expressed my worries as to why my testimony was different from others. Most pilgrims who have been to World Youth Day would probably say that WYD is all about the Catechesis by the Bishops, the prayers (i.e. Station of the Cross, Taizé, etc.), fellowship with many other pilgrims from all corners of the world, the exchange of cultures, the journey from one location to another, meeting the Pope, and how these encounters actually touched them but for me, it was rather a different experience. According to Sr. Perpetua, it is more to the spiritual aspect.

From the first day I landed in Melbourne till the last day when I left Sydney, the journey we had was in a hassle. We had to wake up very early in the morning, rushed to the church for Morning Mass and after a fast breakfast, we rushed off to the venue of respective events. Those who were younger and stronger walked in front with faster pace, while the rest were trying to catch up with them. Occasionally, we had to stop just to wait for those who were far behind and because of that, those at the front were not very happy and made some nasty remarks. The whole journey on foot from one place to another was unpleasant, particularly when all of us had to rush and we could barely enjoy the scenery or observe our surroundings. The worst part was when we had to walk up a sloppy road, which left me breathless at one point of time and I was almost left behind by my group! Every night by the time we reached home (of our hosts), it was almost midnight.

Having our group photo snapped for remembrance at St. Joseph Church, Chelsea, Melbourne. Our priest in his (white) cassock is Fr. Simon.

This journey of rushing from east to west made me realize something: Life itself is a journey. Some people travel through life hastily, so fast that they let many beautiful moments pass them by. Some took their sweet time as they savour every moment of life, be it times of sorrow or happiness. Some others, even though they are way ahead, they are still willing to stop and wait, or even go back for their friends who are left behind. Of course, there are also those who refuse to wait and prefer to be Number 1 in everything, and they would do anything to reach their destination.

Someone told me that this is the reality of life; life goes on no matter what happened and it does not wait for anybody. Time and tide wait for no men, as the saying goes. Yes, this is true about our present life. However, I still believe that each of us does not need to follow the crowd and the worldly trend. We are all given the choice of how we want to live our lives. Why do we have to rush through life? Why need to compete with our fellow travellers? Is the final achievement more important than the process or the journey of getting there? At Judgement Day, would we be judged according to our achievement?

Life is short, and it is not easy to live a life we are called to live, especially with the presence of endless temptations and worldly desires that never fail to attack us everyday. Amidst all the difficulties we face, we still ought to live our lives to the fullest possible. One day at a time, one step at a time. We may be behind others in many aspects (e.g. wealth, career, knowledge, health, etc.), but what is more important is to take time to ponder and appreciate what we have gone through at the end of the day, and at the same time eagerly await to witness His glory again in the mystery of tomorrow.

WYD 08, Sydney I

2008-08-18T22:23:00.001+08:00

Finally! How I miss blogging! I thank all those who came back to check out how I've been doing. Unfortunately, I haven't been doing too well after I came back from World Youth Day in Sydney. Work, especially; and I've fallen sick for the second time in 30 days. Not good, but I thank that Lord for never deserting me no matter what happened along the way.

I've written a short testimony below, which was published in our local Catholic Newspaper - Today's Catholic. It took me quite a while to come up with this testimony, as I really needed time reflecting on the whole journey... beginning with the night before we left for Australia to the time we finally reached home.

This was my first World Youth Day and hopefully there will be more to come.

What touched my heart was not seeing the Pope live, or meeting the other people from other countries, or attending the many WYD events. What really mattered was something deep within. The words of a parishioner from St Nicholas of Myra Church, "...thank you for making a difference," the hospitality of our host families and their wet eyes as they saw us leave, made me wonder. What difference have we made, besides making so much noise in the streets and disturbing the daily lives of our host families and the parishioners? A good friend of mine said it well, "...you did not make any difference, but it was God, through you, made a difference in their lives..."

She was right.

For me, World Youth Day is not only about meeting our dear Pope and other pilgrims, or participate in the prayers and other events. It is about how open we are to the Holy Spirit, and how ready we are to allow the Lord to use us to touch each other's life. As the theme of WYD '08 goes: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses..." (Act 1:8)

I welcome comments as well as your personal sharing if you were also there during World Youth Day Sydney. Or if you have a blog where you posted your testimony, let me know so that I can link your to mine. I will also be sharing about my other encounters and some photos as well in a few days from now. Stay tuned for more! *wink* Thank you and God bless!

It's a Hoax!

2008-07-24T23:50:00.003+08:00

*Last update (23.10.09)* Unfortunately, this dough is still on the spread to Catholics everywhere in the world today. My advice to everyone: Do not be a blind believer, without first going through prayers and discernment. The best people whom you can go to for opinion are the priests and bishops. It is very dangerous when you believe blindly as you are opening the door to the Evil one to lead you astray. Think about it; if this is the miraculous dough as it claimed to be, then the Church would have accepted it since decades ago and Catholics / Christians from every corner of the world should have known about it today. I have said what I need to say. If you do find a document supporting this dough or words from priests that approve of it, do let me know by sending me an email. Thank you and God bless you all.

*Updated (24.7.08)* I realised that this dough is still spreading among the Catholic faithfuls, so I've decided to move it up to the top of the posts. I sincerely hope that this post and its comments will be able to help those who heard or received this dough to make decisions. God bless.

I have posted on the miraculous dough which many local parishioners believe and even 'shared' with their friends. I took some home too, nope I didn't bake it nor followed its instructions; I just kept it there and let it be. After a while, I forgot about it totally.

When I suddenly realized that presence of the dough and the cake which I've brought back, it was already moulded. That was only two weeks after I brought them back. The pictures below were taken when I found them to be moulded.

The moulded cake. Third succession of bread mould can be observed.

Compared with the original dough, this one stink and its texture had changed - it shrunk.

I did a little bit of 'decoding' of the mystery behind the so-called "Miraculous Dough". It's based on my personal theory, so it might not be right. If you do not agree or have a better idea/explanation, feel free to leave them in the comment box.

The use of clean wooden spoon: No special purpose, but probably to avoid contact of dough with surfaces that might cause moulding, as it was to be kept for 10 days before it is baked.

The smell of the dough:

Its odour and form gives one an idea that it has yeast even though it does not.

I don't believe it is true. The smell might have come from a very small amount of yeast or/and a large amount of yogurt. Yogurt might be the reason for the dough to last for more than a week.

It will never mould:

Even though it is kept out of fridge it never moulded.

Look at the two photos above, and tell me, do you think this is true?

The history / origin:

It is also known as Pope Pius bread. The story is told that an Italian woman who was suffering all her life from illness that she could not even do her house chores. One day her daughter asked to bake her a cake. She refused more than once because she was unable to do it. The daughter insisted so much taht the mother felt she needed to bake that cake. She asked the aid of the Virgin Mary. As soon as she started to prepare the cake, the Virgin Mary appeared and she herself prepared the cake for the woman...

Again, I doubt it's true. I found out that the Amish Friendship Bread is quite similar with the preparation of this "miraculous dough". I had a discussion with a good friend, and both of us suspected that somebody adapted this Friendship bread and turned it into some kind of Marian devotion, for the purpose known only to that person who created it.

A few friends of mine, after reading my previous post on this dough and cake, told me that their mothers (strange, why is it always mothers and ladies who believed?) also took some home and bake it for the family. I got the dough and the cake from a physically sick sister-in-Christ. I even heard that this 'recipe' has spread to other churches in Kuching.

One vivid conclusion which we can make from this incident is that people are hungry for God. They are so hungry and desperate that they took the wrong measures to obtain His grace and blessings. They grab anything that claims to earn or that can bring His blessings without first investigate its validity.

I guess that the only way to prove it to those who believed is by showing these evidence to them.

Let us keep in our prayers all our brothers and sisters that our risen Lord Jesus Christ would send us His wisdom to show us the right path to the Father.

Whose fault?

2008-05-23T19:04:00.009+08:00

I went to Mukah 3 weeks ago together with two colleagues and a Canadian (whom my boss hired to be part of our study team) to carry out survey for a project our company is currently handling. Working with a Caucasian isn't easy for me (first time!), but things were quite okay until the topic of homosexuality came into discussion.

And to my horror, the Canadian blamed it on the Catholic Church.

The discussion led all of them to an agreement, that homosexuality could have existed during the time of Napoleon and Hitler. It would have been the norm of the society then, until the Catholic Church interfered and listed it as a sin. And so were many other habits and acts, a good example being masturbation and the use of contraceptive methods. As they were having a good laugh while bashing the Catholic Church, I kept quiet all throughout dinner and tried to keep my anger down. Being the only Catholic girl among the men, what could I do besides calling to the Lord for help in my heart?

It was a surprise for me... people can be so wise but at the same time, so unwise! They can tell what the environmental issues are just through observation; they can make very accurate guesses just by talking to various agencies; they know how dirty politics are and can make wise judgements. At one point they did impress me with the knowledge they have, but once they started to touch on religion, I realised how little they know about the Lord and His wonderful laws.

Like many people in the world today, they seem to be contrasting themselves. They can go all out to ban activities that destroy the ecosystems; they urge others to recycle and protect the environment, they ban illegal poaching and put animals that are dwindling in numbers under the Red List or the Protected Species list; at the same time they proclaim that homosexuality, abortion, masturbation etc. are okay.

I cannot understand... people want to restore the environment to its natural state, but they live a lifestyle that is out-of-the-nature. When the Church took notice of their worldly lifestyle and pointed it out, they immediately put the blame on the Church.

"As we're sung to sleep by philosophies, that save the trees and kill the children..." Part of the lyrics for the song While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns, which has awaken me up from my sleep, making me realise how people contradict themselves.

Oh well, just a thought when I was upset.

There is a power so strong that it can become the driving force in our lives and in everything we do, if we allow it to. It is the power of God's love.

A smile to remember…

2008-04-11T21:24:00.004+08:00

Do you believe that if God can work through a person, He can also work via a simple smile? Well, I do. I just never imagined such an incident would ever happen to me.

It was the 6th Sunday of Easter. After Morning Mass, I joined my good friends for breakfast and only reached home around noon. Haha, it was the gathering of single young ladies, so there is no way for us to leave right away after finishing our food. Seeing me opening the door and stepping into the house, mom was not very happy.

“So… looks like you haven’t forgotten the place you call ‘home’.” Her sarcastic, cold tone of voice gave me the hint that she was upset with me. I cannot remember what conversation I had with her before I went up to my room, but I know that her being upset made me even more upset. I stayed in my room until my parents went off to attend the Evening Mass.

I went downstairs to collect my files so that I could continue with my work. It was about 4pm or so that time. I came back to my room, continued with my work, and out of the blue… someone unexpected popped up on my Skype – the priest whom I’ve always wanted to meet (he initiated the online international Rosary prayer through Skypecast). At first, I thought that perhaps he has got something for me to do, or some messages which he might want me to convey to my other Rosary companions. At first, we were having a short and simple chat; he told me that he was at the airport and would be boarding the plane in 2 hours.

Weird enough, he asked me to give him a call on Skype, which I did and I was thinking to myself: “Okay, so what is Father going to tell me this time?” The connection was successful. I strained my ears, trying my best to detect his voice. When I failed to hear anything, I quickly typed to him in the chat window: “Father, I can’t hear you!” He replied: “Can you see me?” I quickly switched to the voice chat window.

To my surprise, I saw a man smiling at me through the window for webcam. It was Father Dominique! I was in tears… tears of joy that I finally had the chance to meet Fr. Dominique, whom I’ve listened to in Skype Conference and prayed together with almost everyday. And yes, that smile! That captivating, soothing smile planted not just joy, but also peace in my heart and soul that very instance! I just could not explain nor describe that joy I experienced. It was like… a foretaste of meeting Jesus in person!

It wasn’t too long when he finally waved me goodbye.

His smile changed my heart and took my resentment away. He made the rest of my day just by a simple but genuine smile. And this smile let me recognized the Man whom I’ve always loved – Jesus.

At the time my parents came back from Mass, I went out of my room to greet them. I have totally forgotten the unhappy event that happened in the day time.

I guess maybe that’s why we are encouraged to smile. Smile, God loves you. A familiar saying we all know, but we never know that God is able to use our smile to touch and affirm those who needed it. Perhaps, the simplest fact that God loves us no matter who we are and how we feel, should become our reason to share our smile.

Smile, God loves you!

_____________

I've finished this post a year ago but never had the chance to post it up. So here it is! Hope it will inspire you as you read it today.

Homesick III - Beauty and the beholder

2007-11-22T23:26:00.000+08:00

Thank you, guys!
(Click to enlarge photo)

Ever since that particular period of time (falling in love, getting interested in guys, having crushes, etc.), I knew that I can never be pretty. I never liked make-ups, nor going after jewelry and fancy dresses. Worse still, I take after my father, which makes me look like a boy. When all my girl friends were into make-ups, I concentrated on my inner beauty. I knew this verse from teenage years:-

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. - 1 Peter 3:3-4 (TLB)

I hated the world and its definition of beauty. So no matter how others look at me or judge me, I couldn't be bothered at all. I knew that nothing is more important than to please my God. Over the years, I did have a crush or two but I successfully got over it. Well, I didn't quite like the feeling of it because when it happened, it took my sight away from God.

As I landed in Balhaf (Yemen), attention seemed to be on my colleague and I as there were no other women there. The two of us were being compared... one guy asked why my colleague, being a Caucasian, did not have the curves. Another guy who helped me with work even told me that I looked beautiful, compared to the lady who was there the last time.

Wow... I was flattered! I have never received any compliment of such before! When I was so totally down, upset, homesick, and feeling hopeless, a simple compliment "You are beautiful" touched my heart. From a compliment (which may sound lustful to some), it was transformed into a word of encouragement and affirmation. My heart sent the signal to my brain, "Look, you are beautiful in God's eyes! You complained that you have never heard Him saying it straight to you, now He did!"

I couldn't quite believe that guy when he said that, as I didn't know what his actual intention was. But whatever it was, if I, a nobody, can be beautiful in a stranger's eyes, then surely, it was God who made me beautiful and surely, I am beautiful in His eyes too. Besides being an affirmation for me, it also proved that God was there watching over me all the times, whether I was aware of it or not.

Yes, whether we are aware of it or not, whether we believe it or not, no matter how ugly we think we are, in God's eyes we are all His beautiful precious princes and princesses. If not, would He have sent His only Son to die for us?

When I was typing away to get this post completed, a friend of mine sent me a song with the title 'Beautiful'. I was really surprised... well, could it be such a coincident? So I decided to put the song here to share with everyone. Perhaps, you are in some kind of struggle to get attention from others, or you need a healing of your self-image. Whatever it is, please bear in mind -- when the whole world turn its back at you, God is always there for you; if someone says that you are ugly, don't forget that you are more precious than the Son in the eyes of the King.

"... You are precious in my sight and honoured, and I love you..." - Isaiah 43:4

God bless you!

Click the "Play" button to stream the song. For the lyrics, click here.

Links:
Homesick I - Out Of Fear
Homesick II - Home, Sweet, Home!

Homesick II - Home, Sweet, Home!

2007-10-14T13:34:00.000+08:00

Finally, I'm home. I'm just so glad to be home! Friends and family were curious about my trip to Yemen, but I'm not that eager nor excited about it.

Initially, this was the kind of conversation we had:

"How's Yemen?"
"Well, not too bad."
"How's the food?"
"Hmm... okay. We had Indian food 3 meals a day. I was so sick of it after a few days."

Then as more people came along, my answers became shorter and briefer:

"How's Yemen?"
"Sucks."
"Oh, what about the food?"
"Sucks too."
"What did you do there?"
"Duh, work of course. Can't you see my tan?"

My one and only concern was to attend Mass. Having to work on Sundays and missing Mass when I was in Balhaf (Yemen) was definitely not something I enjoyed doing. Staying together with a colleague who loves to curse using Christ's name was just another torture for me. I longed for the moment I was left alone in the cabin and when my colleague was in the shower, those were the good times for me to utter short prayers. Sometimes, I cried myself to sleep.

I simply missed my parents, my best friends in the Youth group, my good online Catholic friends and those kind Carmelite nuns -- all of those who have been praying for me while I was in the foreign land. I missed home, and I missed the company of God's people.

Till this point, you might most probably say that I'm a spoilt child. Well, maybe I am. I'm spoilt by both my parents... and Father God! All these while, the Lord placed me among His people and that was why I had no worries at all. No matter where I've been, I always find Him in those people I met. This time, it was different. I walked with fear and was concerned of my own well being, spiritually and physically. I did have the opportunity to meet two or three gentlemen, but one of them turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. (I will write more on that in my future posts)

But I thank the Lord, for I experienced His presence. He was always there protecting me and keeping me from harm; in every occasion His presence was ever felt. I had a peaceful rest especially when we were on the way home; I had a two-seater (on board of the plane) all for myself and my heart told me that nobody took the seat beside me because it has been booked by the Lord. I even managed to watch Evan Almighty, had sound sleep and even woke up just in time for meals! Praise the Lord? Praise the Lord!

*Chuckled* I really don't know what else to say here besides being thankful to God that I'm home in one piece, and also thank Him for not forsaken me! Sharing with you the picture I took in Al Mukalla, the town we were in before the 3-hour drive to Balhaf.

*A sigh of relief* My heartfelt appreciation to all those who have prayed for me when I was away. Thank you, everyone! God bless...

**update**
Sharing with you the song that has been a prayer to me during my unhappy stay in Yemen. Hope it touches your heart, especially those far away from home, as it touched mine.

Links:
Homesick I - Out of fear...
Homesick III - Beauty and The Beholder

Homesick I - Out of fear...

2007-09-20T02:37:00.000+08:00

Lord I am afraid, it is insecurity I feel.
I can’t help but asking myself
is this Your Will?
Or is this just one of those desires
that never hoped to be fulfilled?

Is this really an opportunity I should grab?
Am I going to learn anything?
What kind of offer it will have
or impact on my life it will make?

Look at how much I’ve forgotten.
Am I still capable?
Will I come home alive
or sent home in the cascade?

Is it okay if I mingle around
with all the men there?
To search for a glimpse of Your Presence
in those unknown human hearts?
Or should I just give up everything which
I shouldn’t have revealed from the start?

I know, Lord, the choice is mine
to decide which path to hike.
But Lord, I don’t really mind,
as long as Your hands hold mine.

Decide for me, my Lord,
for Your choice is always right.
You know my heart, my greatest desire,
is to travel with You forever.
So dear Lord, please gently take control,
Come what may, it is You whom I follow.

I was amazed by my ability to produce this simple poem-prayer when I was drowning in fear. This is the poem I’ve came up with for the very first time in my 25 years of life.

My boss wanted me to follow a Caucasian colleague to Yemen 4 months ago, to assist her in handling one environmental project, which requires both of us to scuba dive. Duration, 3 weeks to a month. I remembered that my first reaction was sudden sadness. Escaped into the washroom, I couldn’t stop my tears from falling. Without me realizing, I started to pray… “Lord, how can I live without You for a month? My soul would wither and die without the Eucharist!”

None of my friends actually understood why I felt depressed and rather choose not to go for that trip. Having to move out of the comfort zone is not something easy to do. Leaving my good friends behind for 10 days seem to me like forever. Going without the Eucharist for 2 Sundays will simply be hell for me.

Will I be able to pull through alone? No church, no other Christians, no internet, no phone signals... gosh, how can I survive? I'm totally cut off from everyone!

Last week I received a phone call from my colleague and told me that I am required to go with her to Yemen, and this time, the trip is confirmed. Well, same tragedy happened - anxiety, fear and tears. I told my good friends and asked for continuous prayers. Yes, at this point, only prayers and prayers alone can work wonders.

Another one and a half hour and I shall be leaving to the airport. Guess this is the first time for me to fly out of the country at this hour. Today is my 4th day in Kuala Lumpur, and I've been so homesick. Of course, nothing is better than home! And all these while, I strongly believe that it was the prayers of my family and friends that have kept me alive and sane here. And I really thank the Lord for these wonderful people... I will be missing everyone...

I sincerely ask you all for prayers for me too. I shall be back home in two weeks time. Thank you all.

Links:
Homesick II - Home, Sweet, Home!
Homesick III - Beauty and The Beholder

Praying together, staying together

2007-09-09T16:00:00.000+08:00

A family that prays together, stays together. A phrase that is well known to most Catholics.

I am certainly not the right person to talk about how a family that prays together can stay together, as my family doesn't have the habit of praying together. However, I would like to share on what I have experienced when a group of people come together to pray.

I have a group of Catholic friends online whom I met through Skype. Every night at 8pm (Malaysian/Manila/Perth time) when I am around, we always pray the Rosary together, with or without the presence of a priest (a priest in Italy initiated the online Rosary prayer group). I joined the group one year ago, and a few of us who have constantly showed up almost every night have become close friends. After each Rosary session, we usually spend time together to share, or sometimes we have leisure talks - about our countries, our jobs, our families, social issues and even our Faith; sometimes, non-Catholics would question us on our Faith and Teachings of the Church and when that happens, all of us would stand up to defend our belief. I really thank the Lord for meeting us together, even though we have not met each other in person (some of us have webcam, though) we are all united in prayer.

Now, after I've been confirmed by my employee as the company's permanent staff, travelling became more often. I would be away not for a day or two, but the whole week. When I'm outstation, there is problem for me getting online as connection is not always available. It is during these times that I miss my online friends the most. I miss praying together with them.

That is what I found to be not right. Supposedly, I should miss my family members when I'm away, but that is not the case. Those people whom I think of the most are those who prayed together with me.

From this, a conclusion can be drawn -- whenever people gather to pray, God will be there in their midst and His very presence caused everyone to be spiritually bonded to each other through the love for God and His love for them. In other words, people are united through and in prayers. Another instance, if I've got a choice I'd choose to attend Mass in the parish church I always go to over the past 12 years, even though I don't know all the parishioners there. In the same way, even though I've never met my online friends in person, I got attached to them because of prayer. And so is family that prays together.

Indeed, a family that prays together, stays together.

Be sure to teach the families to pray all together - father, mother and children. For the family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as Jesus loves each one of them... - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

My parents were not frequent Mass goers when I was much younger until I was baptized and confirmed. Therefore, praying together has never happened then. We did manage to pray together once in a while many years ago, but it didn't last too long before it finally stopped. To get my brother to pray with us has always been a difficult task since then. To make matter worse, after that particular unpleasant event that had befallen my dad in our parish, my parents tried to avoid going back there and they became 'travelling' Catholics who go to different parishes every week. It's even more difficult for me to get everyone together to pray now.

Dearest parents out there, I sincerely ask you to please teach your children how to pray at a very young age and make family prayer a habit. Introducing our loving Heavenly Father to the children is the best insurance policy in the whole wide world which you can buy for them.

As for me and my family, I also ask for your kind prayers, that my family would come together once again to pray and may we be united in prayers. Thank you!

Links:
Prayer for the Family

Photo courtesy of Inspire Me Inc.

Our Lady's Message from Medjugorje

2007-08-26T17:43:00.000+08:00

The Message of 25th August, 2007:

"Dear children! Also today I call you to conversion. May your life, little children, be a reflection of God's goodness and not of hatred and unfaithfulness. Pray, little children, that prayer may become life for you. In this way, in your life you will discover the peace and joy which God gives to those who have an open heart to His love. And you who are far from God's mercy, convert so that God may not become deaf to your prayers and that it may not be too late for you. Therefore, in this time of grace, convert and put God in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Source: Children of Medjugorge

Encountering Spiritual Dryness

2007-08-26T11:05:00.000+08:00

I'm finally able to pick up blogging again after a period of spiritual dryness. Thank you, Lord!

For the past a month or two, that dry feeling has caused me to stop taking part in the Youth Ministry and any activities to do with church. My job wasn't that enjoyable anymore... I saw more hardships and overcoming them became my priority. God was still there, I knew He was, but He kept quiet... so quiet that I couldn't get connected to Him.

So many times when I prayed, I told the Lord: "Father, please say something. I miss you."

Complete silence.

That was why I decided to stop blogging temporarily. When there is no divine inspiration, I have totally no idea of what to write. I started to do lots of reading on the teachings of the Church and looked up for the explanations and/or criticisms by the Protestant Christians I met online as well as a colleague of mine. I had a hard time explaining to them the Truth that has been revealed to the Catholic Church through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Well, apparently, I'm not a spontaneous person when it comes to explaining the Faith.

The more I heard about these criticisms, the more I saw the beauty and richness of the Traditions and Teachings of the Catholic Church. And the more I read the various articles ranging from Our Lady to the End of the World, I realized how very much God loves the world -- besides sending His one and only begotten Son to die for us (which is the clearest proof of His tremendous love and mercy), He still continuously reaches down to the World through the Sacraments, the saints, the various devotional prayers and novenas, and last but not least, Our Blessed Lady.

I wonder... how many Catholics out there who are actually aware that, all these are God's continuous effort to draw His children back and closer to Himself? There were so many whom I've met, both young and old, who doubted the validity of the Church's teachings, and even said that they are not needed. How sad.

Right now, I'm still slowly 'recovering'. Blogging might still be a bit slow, but I hope I'll pick up the original pace soon. During these 'dormant' period, a few topics that I've decided to brush off before kept coming back to me -- family praying together, the importance of child upbringing the catholic way, the teaching on purgatory and on God's forgiveness (the local youths had a wrong idea on these), and on the Judgement Day / the End of the World / Christ's Second Coming.

If you happen to drop by this page and read this post, please say a simple prayer for me. I thank you for your generosity and you will be in my prayers too. I also want to thank those who keep coming back to this blog for updates. Thanks all...

Changes in progress

2007-08-09T23:36:00.000+08:00

If you've noticed, I'm trying to do some up-keeping of my blog. I'm still searching for the right template so do give me some times to get everything up...

I haven't been updating my blog for a while, due to my busy schedule. I've just fallen sick lately too, so I very much appreciate your prayers.

Thanks for keep coming back for more thoughts of mine!

God bless!

Women Ordination

2007-07-22T13:53:00.000+08:00

A fellow member in VaticanFriends*, Mathias, wrote this wonderful and simple article on the ordination of women. I recommend those who have difficulty understanding this topic to have a read. Two thumbs up, Mathias! And thank you for allowing me to share this with others.

Jesus has appointed 12 jewish men as apostles. These men represent symbolically the 12 tribes of Israel - the "new covenant in the blood of Christ" is therefore not a contradiction to the old covenant but its completion and perfection. When Saint Paul writes to the Romans that "grace and vocation that are granted by God are irrevocable", this implies a "character indelebilis": also in apostasy a baptised remains baptised, a confirmed remains confirmed, and a priest remains priest - in the same way a jew remains a jew and has therefore the continuous calling to lead the heathens to God (that is to say to their king Christ).

This calling is not stopped when jews do not acknowledge Christ as their messiah - every jew will always be called to acclaim Christ as their king in order to be able to live their vocation.

As a consequence, there is a constancy between Israel and the Church (the people of God from Israel and the peoples) in the sense that the church is the completion and perfection of Israel (with the specialty that Israel is the heart of the church, the priestly people which has put forth the Messiah, while the heathens collect around this heart (pilgrimate to Zion).

Since Israel as ecclesial structure has declined the Messiah, we are confronted to a dilemma because God has promised us this way of salvation to Abraham, and because God who is the ever faithful one will without doubt keep this vow.

Because I am deviating a bit from the topic at this point, I will summarize a bit: Israel became realised in Mary, the daughter of Zion (a real symbol). At this point I would have to show the representation of Israel as woman in the old testament and the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel, as well as the description of the Church/Mary in the apocalypse of John as being crowned with 12 stars in order to demonstrate the realisation and perfection of Israel in the Church. But at this point is shall be enough to simply postulate this here.

The 12 Apostles represent the 12 tribes of Israel (the 12 stars of the Madonna in the apocalypse). This close constancy in the sense of perfection and completion is in contrast to the protestant view of the creation of something radically new (in the sense of an anti-principle, compare the principle of justice by deed at the jews in contrast to the principle of justice by faith of Luther). Given this close constancy of old and new covenant, the answer to the question why Jesus has appointed MEN is: because the priesthood of Israel was a single-sex male priesthood.

The next question which we pose now is: "Why did Israel have a single-sex male priesthood"? The answer to this question appears to be obvious: "because Israel was a chauvinistic, patriachial society that was oppressing women!". The next question that follows is: "What kind of societies were the surrounding peoples (the Assyrians, the Egypts, the Kanaans etc.)?". You will get 100 points for the answer "chauvinistic, patriarchal societies that were oppressing women".

But why on earth did these other peoples have a FEMALE priesthood? This is evident: the religious life would not have been possible without these priests. As a consequence the prize question is: what was the difference between Israel and the heathens that both "women oppressing monsters" had such a different understanding of pristly office?

At this point one must add, that the heathens had a polytheistic heaven full of different gods that included gods with a lived sexuality while the Israelites had a asexual monotheism. At the heathen peoples, the consequence of the sexualised heaven was a sexualisation of the religious cult and of liturgy, which is always accused heavily in the Old Testament as one of the greatest evils of the surrounding peoples (next to human sacrifices) and which is therefore rejected.

To put it in a nutshell, one can say that Israel had a single-sex priesthood because their image of God was an asexual one and because the cult was always free of sexuality - which demands as last consequence naturally also celibacy. Celibacy was already founded in the Old Testament in the form of cultic pureness: the priest in charge was not allowed to sleep with his wife in the same bed during the times he was enacting his priestly functions. This foundation was only in fragments and did not yet arrive at a state of completeness, just the same as the law of Israel without Christ did not yet arrive at a state of completeness.

Israel was always aware (and this was vital in order to differentiate itself from the surrounding heathen peoples) that one cannot change the cult (which is the rite) without changing at the same time also the image one has of God and His relation to the people. As a consequence, one may not change anything substantial and anything having identifying character in the rite. It is not a coincidence that - at that time - Cardinal Ratzinger saw a direct link between the reform of liturty (the turning around of the altar) and the call for women ordination which was based in a shifted focus on human beings (anthroposcentration).

One would have to add in this context also the role of the church as emancipator of the woman and as the one who laid the basis for the idea of sexual equality (for instance, in its laws on marriage the church was the first institution to have the same law for men and women). Also, one would have to work out here that neither the church nor Israel had a fundamental problem with having women leadership: Israel had a Queen and the irish double-monasteries were under the rule of an abbess which kept her own auxiliary bishops for consecrations. But this would go beyond the topic of this essay and it would take more time than I've been allotted to here. But it is important here to see that the fundamental reservation of consecrations for men is not primarily based on the patriarchal structure of the time (which is true for the under-representation of women in offices that have no theological reservation), but that this is due to a theological differentiation from idolatry.

Other interesting links:

Literature to the constance between Israel and the Church:
Dieter Böhler SJ, Maria die Tochter Zion – die Bedeutung der Mutter Jesu in der Hl. Schrift, GuL 78/6 (2005) 401-412.
Joseph Ratzinger, Die Tochter Zion. Betrachtungen über den Marienglauben der Kirche. Einsiedeln 1977.
Werner Löser SJ, Maria, der Tochter Zion, in: A. Raffelt (Hg.), Weg und Weite (FS K. Lehmann). Freiburg-Basel-Wien 2001, 535-547.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger/Hans Urs von Balthasar, Maria Kirche im Ursprung, Johannes Verlag Einsiedeln, Freiburg, 2005.
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Maria für heute, Johannes Verlag Einsiedeln, Freiburg 1997.

Literature to the constancy related to priesthood and sacrifice in the old and new covenant:
Dieter Böhler SJ, El sacrificio de Israel, el sacrificio de Cristo y el sacrificio de la Iglesia, Diálogos universitarios 3, León (México) 2004.

Footnotes:
[1] Compare. Mt 5,17: “denkt nicht ich bin gekommen, um das Gesetz und die Propheten aufzuheben. Ich bin nicht gekommen um aufzuheben, sondern um zu erfuellen”.

[2] Röm 11,29.

[3] Compare Denzinger 1609.

[4] Mi 4,1-3.

[5] Compare Dieter Böhler SJ, Maria die Tochter Zion – Die Bedeutung der Mutter Jesu nach der Hl. Schrift.
I have listened to his speeches and base my arguments also on private conversations with this author.

[6] Dtn 23,18f.

[7] Among others Lev 20,1-5.

[8] Compare Denzinger 185.

[9] This source will be handed in later on.

~ By: Mathias, Germany

*VaticanFriends.com is a global Catholic internet community. It provides free chat, messaging, profiles, forum, galleries. It is a network for Catholics loyal to the Pope and to all teachings as defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Contact:

Dr. Philipp Wilhelm
Rigistr. 7, 6410 Goldau, Suisse
Email: Philipp.Wilhelm[at]VaticanFriends.com

World Youth Day 2008 Theme Song

2007-07-15T23:29:00.000+08:00

For those who are very much interested in World Youth Day 2008, which will be held in Sydney, Australia, here are some little updates.

The theme song for WYD 2008 has been produced. You can see the video clip below, or/and download it here for both English and international version. For my Malaysian friends, guess what, this song "Receive the Power" is written by Gary Pinto together with Guy Sebastian!

Also, click here to read the Message of the Holy Father for the preparation of World Youth Day 2008. If you are going to this wonderful event, it is a must read!

I hope to see you, my readers and my blogging friends in Sydney for World Youth Day. Let me know if you're confirmed going, probably we can arrange for some kind of meet up. What say you?

God bless!

Help Needed!

2007-07-03T23:55:00.000+08:00

*UPDATED*

I shall keep this at the top of my other posts until August or after we've received enough information of how to go about this. Please scroll down to read new posts. Thank you!

Calling the attention of contemporary christian music lovers, choirmasters / choirmistress, choir members, and anybody who simply sings or performs for the church! (You still can read this post even if you're not those mentioned above! *chuckled*)

We the Youth Ministry of Blessed Sacrament Parish of the Kuching Archdiocese need a little help to obtain approval and permission of copyright for the reproduction of some contemporary christian praise and worship songs (listed below).

To keep the long story short, here are some details of the purpose for reproducing the songs:

For what? Fund-raising.

What are we going to use the money for? To build extra classrooms as there have been limited spaces to accommodate the children who come to Blessed Sacrament Parish for Catechism class.

What exactly are we going to do? The youths will produce a recording of a compilation of songs (listed below), the album / CD will be sold locally and the money of the sales will go to the building of classes.

Okay. Then what kind of help do we need? We've been trying to contact the producers and the recording/publishing companies but are in vain. We did send emails to some of the companies, but they either never replied us or asked us to contact another office without giving us the person-in-charge, the email and business addresses and the phone numbers. So if anyone of you know who exactly we can get hold of for this matter, please kindly let us know, and don't forget to leave us their Names, E-mail address, contact numbers, and/or Mailing addresses.

Listed here are the songs we will be reproducing (the links will bring you to the lyrics/streaming):

You Are My King (Amazing Love)
Words & Music by Billy James Foote; Administered by EMI Christian Music Publishing
Be Still My Soul
Words & Music by Kim Noblitt, Integrity's Hosanna Music
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song
I Could Sing of Your Love Forever
Music & Words by Martin Smith; Administered by EMI Christian Music Group
When I Look Into Your Holiness
Words & Music by Wayne &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Cathy Perrin; Administered by Integrity Music
Only By Grace
Integrity's Hosanna Music
Power of Your Love
Words & Music by Geoff Bullock; Administered by Maranatha Music
Still
Words & Music by Reuben Morgan
Think About His Love
Words & Music by Walt Harrah; Administered by Integrity Music
We Remember
Kau Yang Terindah
(Produced in Indonesia)

Please if you do know something, someone who knows how to go about this and has actually done this before (applying for copyright permission), kindly let me and my friend, Stella know. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for any kind of help you would render.

Invitation for Malaysian Catholics!

2007-07-03T23:09:00.002+08:00

... and of course, for all non-Catholics who are interested, you are also welcome!

I received this invitation from the Seremban Carmelite Sisters in my mailbox. Unfortunately, I won't be able to be present as I live very very far away from Seremban.

If you're living or staying somewhere in or near Seremban, do pay them a visit and join the Carmelite Sisters in the Eucharistic celebration for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The time and venue are shown in the invitation card above.

I will be joining the Carmelite Sisters in Kuching for the Feast. Anybody from Kuching, feel free to keep in touch with me if you're interested to know more.

God bless you all for your kind support.

Our Lady's Message from Medjugorje

2007-07-01T16:30:00.000+08:00

The Message of June 25, 2007 (The 26th Anniversary of the Apparitions!)

"Dear children! Also today, with great joy in my heart, I call you to conversion. Little children, do not forget that you are all important in this great plan, which God leads through Medjugorje. God desires to convert the entire world and to call it to salvation and to the way towards Himself, who is the beginning and the end of every being. In a special way, little children, from the depth of my heart, I call you all to open yourselves to this great grace that God gives you through my presence here. I desire to thank each of you for the sacrifices and prayers. I am with you and I bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Source: Children of Medjugorje

My thoughts:
This particular message of Our Lady seems to correspond with the request for prayers for the conversion of Germany. I was confused initially. Why Fatima, Medjugorje, and now Marpingen? What differences are there between the 3 places? Fr. Dominique explained that the common message of this 3 places of apparitions is a call to conversion of hearts and repentance. That is why we should all pray with one accord for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart.

All for the Triumph of The Immaculate Heart of Mary...

2007-07-01T01:33:00.000+08:00

... and Glory to God in the Highest Heaven!!

As mentioned in the previous post, I will be telling you a little bit about Marpingen, Germany, the place where Our Lady appeared.

I have to admit that I've never heard of this place of apparitions before, as I'm more familiar with Fatima and Medjugorje, until I met a priest online and I spoke to him and even saw him on webcam in Skype. To make the long story short, he asked us to help him spread this message/letter of his, which is a request for prayer. Here's what he has to say:

><><>< ><><><
Apostolat Im dienst der Göttl. Barmherzigkeit

Nalbacher str.135
D- 66763 Dillingen Saarland - Tel+Fax: +49683178207

I am Father Dominique and I collaborate with The Movement Apostolate of the Divine Mercy in Saarland, Germany.

I would like to inform you that on the 16th of August 2007, a great day of prayers will take place in Marpingen*, Germany for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in this nation and in the whole world. This intention and subsequent triumph is in light of Our Lady of Fatima, who said, "...at the end, my Immaculate heart will triumph!" Pope Benedict XVI said this prophecy is the great message of Hope, given at Fatima**.

I would like you to spread this message to your local Catholic communities or associations, etc. so that more people around the world will pray for this intention on this special day.

The triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary has already been conceived, but it must grow and the key to open the door of this triumph, will consist of being united in prayer around the world, especially praying the Holy Rosary meditated with love in our hearts, and offering Communions of reparation.

It is very important because as you may know many countries of Europe and the world have become very far from God, over the years they have liberalised many immoral issues, e.g., abortion, gay marriages, euthanasia, atheism etc, which are directed against the Law of God, and they are in the process of spreading them throughout the world.

"...my Immaculate Heart will triumph”. What does this mean? The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world..."***

This International day of prayer will give the power to Our Lady to make a turn towards the good and allow Our Lady (star of the new evangelisation) to continue the process of the triumph of her Immaculate Heart in this nation and the whole world. I inform you also that many people around Germany already offer the 13th of every month for this intention. This is done by offering their work, sufferings, and joys of this day, with all the prayers for this purpose. On that very day we also make a special Rosary for this intention. On that occasion we recommend that you invite many people to your homes. The lists of people involved in this initiative are put at the feet of the Altar of Our Lady during the monthly celebration of the Holy Mass.

God bless you, and I thank in anticipation all those who will join this initiative of prayer. In this way we will become missionaries for the native country of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, and help him save this nation so much loved by him.

May the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary protect and bless you all, now and forever!

Father Dominique
Apostolate of the Divine Mercy

(You can also write me at the above address)

*Marpingen has been recognized as an official place of prayer by the Church of Germany in December 2005. …some traditionally Christian areas which are in need of re-evangelization…Redemptoris Missio 32. …Among the forms of sharing, first place goes to spiritual cooperation through prayer, sacrifice… idem 78 The association of the Divine Mercy in Saarland together with me has received a written authorisation from the local Bishop (a letter addressed in my name) to organize the monthly day of prayer in Marpingen.
**Commentary of the Pope on the book of Cardinal Bertone on the memories of Sister Lucia of Fatima.
***Congregation for the doctrine of Faith: "the message of Fatima" (last part of the document.)

><><>< ><><><

If you've got any queries or is interested, feel free to write to Fr. Dominique at the address above. Or you may also write to me, and I will forward it to Father. I can be reached at aud_shark [at] hotmail [dot] com. Or you can leave a message for me in the combox and Chatbox on the Sidebar.

I thank you on Fr. Dominique's behalf for reading this and praying for the Lord's intentions.

Here are some websites on Marpingen which you can read up on:

1. Fr. Gerhard Writes: Marpingen.
2. Marpingen: Our Lady's Messages.
3. Marpingen (in German).

Note: The apparitions in Marpingen has not been approved by Vatican.

*UPDATED*
A copy of Letter and recommended prayers (in 3 languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese) are available here. Click here to select and download.

Beauty of the Creator

2007-06-30T16:26:00.001+08:00

... a glimpse of His Glory.

I believe most people must have seen this natural phenomenon, the 22 degree sun halo, which is quite common in the temperate regions. But over here in Malaysia, one can only witness such a beautiful halo formation if that person is lucky enough. I had never seen this phenomenon with my own eyes till this day, but I've read it in the newspapers before and if I'm not mistaken, this is the 2nd time the halo appeared in Kuching.

My colleagues and I had the opportunity to see this great sight and capture a lot of photos on the 22 June 07. The whole office was actually in a chaos... thank God our boss wasn't around then, else he must be furious if he saw us leaving our work just to watch the halo!

A Fengshui master commented in the newspapers the next day, that this halo was a bad omen of more bad weather and a bad economy in Kuching. Oh well, that's what people who believe in Fengshui and those who always look for bad signs would say.

For me, it meant something else. Something like an assurance. Hey, how could a beautiful, unusual natural happenings like this be bad? I stopped my work like everybody else, and stared into the blue sky to watch the halo. It was just... amazing! Suddenly I felt a surge of tremendous fear of the Lord... I saw a tiny glimpse of His Glory!

I saw and felt the Glory of the Great Creator in His beautiful Creation!

I was supposed to give a short sharing on the apparitions of Our Lady in Marpingen*, Germany to a few of my Catholic colleagues 1 hour from the sighting of the sun halo. You know, I never liked sharing or even chairing a meeting; talking in front of so many people really freaks me out! And so I was actually getting very nervous until I saw the beautiful sun halo. It was just like an assurance from the Lord and Our Lady... that they would be with me as I talk about the apparitions.

I was nervous still. Plus fear. But much assured that I would be doing all right. A wonderful experience, indeed.

Have you ever tried to imagine how God's glory looks like? I only know that His Glory is way too much for our human eyes to behold. Perhaps, that sun halo (and many other natural phenomena, rainbows, the bright sun being partially covered by the clouds creating rays of lights from the clouds, etc.) is a reflection of His wonderful Glory.

Photo source: Edwin Lay

*Please refer my next post for more information on Our Lady's Apparitions in Marpingen, or you can visit the website.

Priests - We Need Them

2007-06-17T13:08:00.000+08:00

Whether we realise it or not, priests play an important role in our lives as Catholics. Theirs is a ministry of total service to God's people, as they follow the footsteps of Christ, the great High Priest.

"The priesthood is an irreplaceable treasure in the Church. This is so, not because of administrative, culture or educational needs, but because it is essentially united to the sacramental ministry of Christ, the High Priest. The ordained Priest, acts in persona Christi capitis, that is: in the person of Christ who is the Head, when he celebrates the Eucharist and the other Sacraments of salvation. [...] So also the responsibility of teaching the gospel, guiding the faithful and counseling the distressed."

- Adapted from the speech of Bishop Nicola de Angelis at the Chrism Mass

Fr. Marcial Maciel summarized the importance of priests in our world today.

Most of us who have priests as our friends, worked with them before, or even those who only had opportunities speaking to them or having encountered them in one way or another, would agree that priests are influential not just in our spiritual lives, but in every aspect of our lives.

Many friends have shared with me how priests have touched their hearts; how their (priests) encouragements, prayers and even their little gestures of love have helped them increase their faith and kept them going in the midst of great hardships.

"Pope John Paul II is always my hero, and he's here in my heart forever." - A youth of my parish told me. Amazing how John Paul II could touch the hearts of young people (like me!) without having to meet us personally! I personally have met a lot of interesting priests and each of them is so different, but they are all so loving and caring! Some of them are even good looking! (Oh gosh, Lord have mercy!! But they look good because Christ shines through them!!) And I thank the Lord for working through these wonderful priests to make a difference in people's lives.

If priests have 'power' to build, so can they misuse their authority (given to them by Christ during Ordination) to destroy. And to be honest, I have also met this kind of priests.

"You are a stumbling block in this parish!"
How do you feel if a priest would point a finger at you with these words?

"They left this parish on their own free will. It has nothing to do with me or others!"
If a major misunderstanding broke out in your parish, and people (who have been faithfully serving the parish for years) started leaving one by one but the parish priest didn't even care to settle it in a way it ought to be settled, rather he made this statement and caused more faithful getting hurt... what would you do?

It hurts me when I heard these from a priest! And it hurts me double when he broke the heart of God's people!!

"I'm not going to step into this parish again. Yes, I know I'm serving the Lord but why do I have to put up with those who purely want to condemn? I can no longer grow spiritually here!"

"I don't know if I should ever trust him again, after so many things that happened here."

"He drove me out, so why should I go back?"

Imagine these happenings being witnessed/encountered by a Catholic who is still not mature enough to deal with matters like this. He/She might end up leaving the Church or becoming Protestant or worse still, turning away from God. The bottom line is, priests need a lot of prayers and support from us. I love all the priests I’ve met, no matter what personality each of them has. I have a special respect and love for them; it is the kind of love and respect that I don’t understand and I don’t know how to explain. In them, I saw and experienced a glimpse of His presence – something which I’m constantly searching for.

The following are taken from Our Lord’s revelations to Mutter Vogel (pg. 29, Mutter Vogel’s Worldwide Love, St. Grignion Publishing House, Altoting, South Germany):

"One should NEVER attack a priest, even when he's in error, rather one should pray and do penance that I'll grant him My grace again. He alone fully represents Me, even when he doesn't live after My example!" (29.6.1929)

"Oh pray much for My priests, that they'll love purity above all, that they'll celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of Mass with pure hands and hearts. Certainly the Holy Sacrifice is one and the same even when it’s celebrated by an unworthy priest, but the graces called down upon the people is not the same!" (28.2.1938)

I urge you, friends, to constantly remember your priests in your daily prayers.

For further reading, I recommend these:

Pope Reminds Faithful to Pray for Priests

The Value of Prayer and Sacrifice for Priests

Praying for Priests

A Prayer for Priests

<>< <><>
This post is meant to be posted for World Day of Prayer for Priests.
Please pardon me for the imperfect use of English as it is my 2nd language. Thank you.

Celebrating a Father's love...

2007-06-17T12:57:00.000+08:00

To my greatest Abba, Heavenly Father God -- You're the ultimate Father of all mankind, and You've shown Yourself the most loving Person I've ever known in my whole life, and I thank You for so many graces and blessings and guidance which You've shown me. I love You, Father!

To my Dad who have brought me up in the best way he could -- thank you so much, Daddy, for teaching me all the life's most precious lessons; and for so patiently bearing with me despite my disobedience and rebelliousness. I will remember you in my prayers today, and everyday, that the good Lord will bless you abundantly for all you've done for me, my brother and this family. I love you, Daddy!

And to all the fathers in the world, Happy Fathers' Day!

Feast of the Sacred Heart

2007-06-08T12:43:00.000+08:00

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on 15th June this year. Read what it is all about here.

The 9 days Novena to the Sacred Heart has started on 6th June. Besides these devotions and this prayer, I have also found a day-to-day novena prayer here. The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so I recommend daily devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Also not forgetting that on the same day, 15th June, is the World Day of Prayer for Priests. Please pray for our priests! They need God's blessings, guidance, strength and grace to go through difficult moments as they serve God's people.

*Updated*

Some of the prayers I mentioned above are said for special intentions. So I searched up the Internet and found this one, a prayer of preparation for the Feast of Sacred Heart:

O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Thy will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within Thy Heart I place my every care. In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust saying, Heart of Jesus help me.

Source

"Let us remember that the Heart of Jesus has called us not only for our own sanctification, but also for that of other souls. He wants to be helped in the salvation of souls." - St. Padre Pio