From Action to Passion

Palm Sunday

Many people measure their own worth and that of others by what they can do. If you are talented and able to do many things, you are considered a very special and worthy person. If you are not able to do many things, people often consider you as useless. We all value our autonomy and ability to do things on our own. Only young children and old people need to have things done for them. We feel extremely helpless and vulnerable when we are not able to do things for ourselves. That is why many people become very angry and frustrated and sometimes depress whenever they become sick. Others go through a crisis when they grow old, because they feel that they are not wanted anymore. Other elderly people also feel that they have loss control over their lives. When they were younger, they use to take care of the needs of their children. Many find it hard to accept that their children have now to take care of them.

In conclusion, we value action and activities over no action or a lack of it. We must always be doing something. If not, we feel useless and helpless. We feel totally unworthy. Today’s liturgy and the liturgy of this entire Holy Week gives us an entirely different picture. Jesus does not move from a set of activities to more activities. In fact, Jesus moves from being active to being passive. Jesus shows through the last week of his life that the value of life is not dependent on what we can do but rather on what God can do for us. When we are active and able to do things for ourselves, there is no room for God’s help. We don’t need God if we can solve our own problems. We don’t need God’s help if we can do things on our own. On the other hand, when we are helpless, financially, spirituality, emotionally, physically, we come to realize how much we need God in our lives. In fact, it is when we are powerless and helpless that we come to realize that life is meaningless without God.

Palm Sunday is also called Passion Sunday. Passion comes from the same root word for ‘passive.’ Jesus undergoes a change in his ministry. Before this week, we read of how Jesus performed miracles and taught the thousands that came to him. He was extremely active in his ministry. Somehow, he was not very successful in his active ministry. Many people came to him for miracles and healing. But very few actually decided to follow him. Even his closest friends and disciples will abandon him at the end of his life. His life of action will end in failure. But today, being the first day of Holy Week, a great change will take place. From active ministry, he is now going to become passive. He will be arrested, persecuted, nailed to the cross and finally left to die. He will become powerless and helpless. But it is in his powerlessness that he will accomplish our salvation. In other words, a life of failure will end in victory because God is victorious over sin and death.

When we look around us, we also see this same process happening – from being active to being passive. It is frightening process because no one likes to be helpless or powerless. No one likes to grow old and become useless. No one likes become sick and needing to be cared for. No one likes loosing their securities. But, we also realize that unless we move from the active to the passive, we will never allow God to be in control. If we continue attempting to control our lives and the lives of others, we will meet with failure. Victory and success is only guaranteed when we are prepared to let go and let God take control.

Let us enter Holy Week while keeping all of these in mind. Let us journey with Jesus from being active to being passive. Let us journey with Jesus as we slowly die to ourselves and to our false securities. Let us journey with Jesus to the cross and everlasting life thereafter.

Lectio Divina Meditation for Passion Sunday Year C

Palm Sunday
March 28
“The Road to Glory … The Way of the Cross”

1. Lectio
Luke 19:28-40
28 … (Jesus) went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 Now it happened that when he was near Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives as it is called, he sent two of the disciples, saying,
30 'Go to the village opposite, and as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that no one has ever yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?" you are to say this, "The Master needs it." '
32 The messengers went off and found everything just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said, 'Why are you untying it?' 34 and they answered, 'The Master needs it.'
35 So they took the colt to Jesus and, throwing their cloaks on its back, they lifted Jesus on to it. 36 As he moved off, they spread their cloaks in the road, 37 and now, as he was approaching the downward slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole group of disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for all the miracles they had seen.
38 They cried out: Blessed is he who is coming as King in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!
39 Some Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Master, reprove your disciples,' 40 but he answered, 'I tell you, if these keep silence, the stones will cry out.'

Comments
Holy Week begins with Palm or Passion Sunday. We find two differing scenarios, the first is found in gospel reading above which is read at the beginning of the procession into the Church and the second is found in the gospel reading of the passion during the Liturgy of the Word. The sharp contrast is highlighted by these 2 gospel readings. At the beginning of the week as Jesus enters Jerusalem, he is greeted by the crowds with excitement and enthusiasm for they believe that he would be the leader or the new king that would liberate them from the Roman conquerors. At the end of the week, the same crowd will shout and demand for his crucifixion because Jesus has disappointed them as his kingdom is unlike the kingdoms of the earth. Ultimately, we are reminded that the true road to glory for Christians must take the way of the cross. Without the cross, there can be no glory. It is better to be glorified by God than to be honoured by men.

2. Meditatio
1. Remember the times you received honour and praises from people. How did you feel? (Pause)
2. Now remember the times you were humiliated and embarrassed in front of others. How did you feel? (Pause)
3. Now, imagine that you are at a junction and there are two roads in front of you. The road on the left leads to human glory. Picture people standing and lining that road praising you, they are applauding and carrying banners with your name on it.
4. The road on the right leads to the cross. On this road, you would see people condemning, criticizing and accusing you. Which road will you take?

3. Oratio
Jesus Lord,
You have shown us that the glory of God
far outweighs the honour we receive from men.
May we always follow you on the road to the cross,
The cross which is our redemption,
The cross of humiliation,
The cross of your divine love,
And the cross of your glory.
Amen.

4. Contemplatio
Hold the image of the cross in your mind. Gaze at the cross with love.

5. Actio
1. Personal Life – Participate in the liturgy of Holy Week. Take time to reflect on the readings and rich symbolic actions which you will witness during the liturgy.
2. Communal Life – Pray for each member of your family during this Holy Week. Try to spend time together as a family, especially in attending the services of Holy Week.

Lectio Divina Meditation for Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C

Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 21
“Mercy shown to sinners”

1. Lectio
John 8:1-11
1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.
3 The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in the middle 4 they said to Jesus, 'Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, 5 and in the Law Moses has ordered us to stone women of this kind. What have you got to say?'
6 They asked him this as a test, looking for an accusation to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger.
7 As they persisted with their question, he straightened up and said, 'Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her.'
8 Then he bent down and continued writing on the ground.
9 When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the last one had gone and Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained in the middle.
10 Jesus again straightened up and said, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' 11 'No one, sir,' she replied. 'Neither do I condemn you,' said Jesus. 'Go away, and from this moment sin no more.'

Comments
It is interesting to note that only the woman is caught and brought before Jesus for judgment but not the men who had committed adultery with her. Very often, our sense of justice is distorted. It is very easy for us to discover the faults of others but are unable to recognise our own. Perhaps, some of the men who had been guilty of committing adultery with this woman are standing there in the crowd, joining in the cry for justice and punishment. Jesus gives the great lesson of compassion. He teaches us that it is only when we come to recognise our own weaknesses and limitations can we then come to accept the weaknesses and limitations of others. Jesus teaches us to make an important distinction – to hate sin but to love the sinner.

2. Meditatio
1. Imagine yourself as that woman. Feel her shame and her remorse. Also imagine the love and forgiveness she must have felt from Jesus who chose not to condemn her. (Pause for 5 minutes)
2. Imagine yourself as one of the crowd. Remember the many times you have accused others of wrongdoing. Remember the many times you demanded for justice but had been motivated by your own self-righteousness. See Jesus looking straight at you and speaking these words, 'Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone.' (Pause for 5 minutes)

3. Oratio
Lord,
You have liberated us from slavery to sin
And have made us sons and daughters of God.
Teach us the new way of forgiveness
that you have shown to the woman caught in adultery,
help us to hate sin but to love the sinner.
May we always be conscious that we are sinners
So that we may not be blinded by our own self-righteousness.
Amen.

4. Contemplatio
Contemplate by using 2 themes – contemplate by reflecting on your own sinfulness in relation to God’s forgiving love.

5. Actio
1. Personal Life: Make a list a people whom we have judged harshly. Try to make a list of their strengths, qualities and values.
2. Communal Life: Make a commitment as a community to do some penance and make time to pray for souls in purgatory.

2nd Rite of Scrutiny and Exorcism

March 14 - The Elect, candidates for the Sacrament of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, celebrated the 2nd Rite of Scrutiny and Exorcism at the various vernacular masses. The theme for the 4th Sunday of Lent is Illumination, with the gospel taken from Year A lectionary focusing on Jesus, the Light of the World, healing the man who was born blind. Next Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, which is also the final Sunday of Lent before Holy Week, the Elect will celebrate the third and final Rite of Scrutiny and Exorcism. This will be the last set of rites before the celebration of the Easter Mysteries at the Easter Vigil.

Videos of the Rite has been uploaded to The Welcoming Parish Youtube Channel.

To Change or not to Change

Fourth Sunday of Lent Year C

If there is anything which is unchanging in life, it is change itself. From the moment we are born to the time that we die, we are constantly changing. Physical and biological change is part and parcel of life – something we have no control of. But we do have control over one very important aspect – in fact the most crucial aspect of our lives – our direction in life. Strangely, it is this direction that is hardest to change and hardest to accept.

In the first reading, after journeying 40 years in the desert and after their escape from Egypt, the Israelites finally arrived at their new homeland. From that time on, their way of life would undergo a dramatic change as shown by the change of diet – they will no longer have the manna which they ate in the desert.

In the gospel, we have the famous story of the Prodigal Son. In the fact it is a story of three persons – first we have a most generous and loving father. The second character is our famous younger son who started off on the wrong track but who later repented and decided to change his direction in life. And thirdly, we have our elder brother, who is in the background and only emerges at the very end.

Many of you may have been thinking that the ending seems so unfair. The unfilial and good-for-nothing son is rewarded at the end while the faithful and filial older son seems to be neglected. On the surface it really seems so unfair. Of course, when Jesus told this parable, he was referring to his audience. The younger son represented the sinners among his followers who had repented of their past lives while the older son represented the pious and overly religious Pharisees and scribes who continued to hold on to their self-righteous beliefs. It is this second group of persons who refused to change because they felt that they were already good – they had no need to change.

Change can be frightening. Change can be disturbing, But unless we change, we will remain like the elder brother – angry, frustrated, complaining always. Unless we change, we can never allow ourselves to be part of God’s salvation. In Jesus Christ, we are told by St. Paul that we are already a new creation. If we are indeed a ‘new creation’ then we must begin to live this ‘newness’ of life.

During this mass, where we are giving thanks for all the blessings that this community has received from God, let us pray for the grace to accept change. And not only accept change when it comes to us but also be prepared to change when the Lord calls us to move forward in faith, love and hope.

Penitential Service

Our parish will celebrate our Lenten/Easter penitential service this evening at 7.00 am. This is a time of grace where we can come to celebrate and experience the mercy, love and compassion of God.

Here's a humorous depiction of what happens when we do not have the mediation of priests for this sacrament. The 'horror' of automatic confessions.

Update Your Faith:

What's the difference between Confession and Reconciliation?

Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest?

Is Confession based on the Bible?

Is Confession by e-mail allowed?

I don't feel comfortable going to Confession -- what should I do?

If I have no mortal or venial sins to confess, should I still go?

Lectio Divina Meditation for Fourth Sunday of Lent

Fourth Sunday of Lent Year C
March 14
“The Prodigal Son”

1. Lectio
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
1 The tax collectors and sinners, however, were all crowding round to listen to him, 2 and the Pharisees and scribes complained saying, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' 3 So he told them this parable:
11 'There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, "Father, let me have the share of the estate that will come to me." So the father divided the property between them.
13 A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.
14 'When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch; 15 so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. 16 And he would willingly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating but no one would let him have them.
17 Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of my father's hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying of hunger! 18 I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired men."
20 So he left the place and went back to his father. 'While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him.
21 Then his son said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son."
22 But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we will celebrate by having a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found." And they began to celebrate.
25 'Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. 26 Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. 27 The servant told him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the calf we had been fattening because he has got him back safe and sound." 28 He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out and began to urge him to come in; 29 but he retorted to his father, "All these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. 30 But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property -- he and his loose women -- you kill the calf we had been fattening."
31 'The father said, "My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. 32 But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found." '

Comments
The theme of these parables in Luke Chapter 15 is “lost and found”. The younger son was lost in his selfishness, self-centredness, and sinfulness but he found himself again in his father’s love. The elder son who had remained behind didn’t even know that he was ‘lost’ and so he could not be ‘found. The elder son was lost because he worked for his father out of obligation rather than out of love. He felt that he needed to earn his father’s love. But the real focus of the story is the father who is given as the perfect example of unconditional love. He loved both sons. He loved the wayward younger son who had turned his back on him and welcomed him back without reservation. He also loved his elder son even though the elder son refuses to acknowledge his father’s love for him.

2. Meditatio
1. Use your imagination to picture the story.
2. Try to picture the story from 3 perspectives: Imagine yourself as the son – selfish, self-centred, and stubborn. (Pause for 5 minutes)
3. Imagine yourself as the elder brother – self-righteous, judgmental, refusing to forgive. (Pause for 5 minutes)
4. Imagine yourself as the father – loving, forgiving and accepting the two sons. (Pause for 5 minutes)

3. Oratio
Father, you are full of mercy and compassion.
Forgive us for having chosen our own way, independent from you.
Forgive us for having followed our selfish desires and
abused the gift of freedom which you have bestowed upon us.
Please help us for we are broken and our life is shattered.
Father, we have sinned against heaven and against you.
We no longer deserve to be called your children.
And yet you receive us with open arms.
Father, your merciful love is abounding.
Forgive us for being self-righteous.
We have judged others harshly and refused to show compassion
And yet You still reach out to us to invite us Home to you.
We are “lost” and are in need of healing.
Help us to turn you with filial love and repentance.
Help us recognise that your joy is our joy and that everything you have is ours.
Help us to remember that we are your children.
Amen.

4. Contemplatio
Imagine yourself being embraced in the arms of God the Father with your head upon his chest.

5. Actio
1. Personal Life: During this month, pray for someone whom you have found hard to forgive. Pray that you would be able to forgive this person.
2. Communal Life: Reach out to someone in the neighbourhood / BEC that you know has not been to the BEC gatherings or to Church for some time. Just show concern without judgment.

Scrutinies and Exorcisms

The Scrutinies are very special rites celebrated on the last three Sundays of Lent, at liturgies where the Elect are present. The Elect are those in our midst who are preparing for Baptism. Part of their journey to the font is that they have been received among us, the Rite of Acceptance, and they have been enrolled in the Book of the Elect in the Rite of Election.

The period of Lent during which the elect are involved in the final stage of preparation for celebrating the rites of initiation is called by various names to indicate the nature of the scrutinies or its result, namely, illumination, purification and enlightenment.

The scrutinies, which are solemnly celebrated on Sundays and are reinforced by an exorcism, are rites for self-searching and repentance and have above all a spiritual purpose. The scrutinies are meant to uncover, and then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect; to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good. For the scrutinies are celebrated in order to deliver the elect from the power of sin and Satan, to protect them against temptation, and to give them strength in Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. These rites, therefore, should complete the conversion of the elect and deepen their resolve to hold fast to Christ and to carry out their decision to love God above all.

By the means of scrutinies, first of all, the elect are instructed gradually about the mystery of sin, from which the whole world and every person longs to be delivered and thus saved from its present and future consequences. Second, their spirit is filled with Christ the Redeemer, who is the living water (gospel of the Samaritan woman in the first scrutiny), the light of the world (gospel of the man born blind in the second scrutiny), the resurrection and the life (gospel of Lazarus in the third scrutiny). From the first to the final scrutiny the elect should progress in their perception of sin and their desire for salvation.

In the rite of exorcism, the elect, who have already learned from the Church as their mother the mystery of deliverance from sin by Christ, are free from the effects of sin and from the influence of the devil. They receive new strength in the midst of their spiritual journey and they open their hearts to receive the gifts of the Savior.

Visitation Parish will witness the first of the three scrutinies and exorcisms at these weekend masses.

Will the real God stand up!

Third Sunday of Lent Year C

What is your image of God? If I were to ask you to draw a picture of God, what would you draw? Many people would imagine that God looks like a very old man with a long white beard. You would also imagine that God looks like a Westerner. Perhaps, God appears to be sitting like a judge, ready to pronounce judgment on sinners. He is stern and not smiling. He is of course surrounded by angels and lightning issues forth from his throne. It is an image of great and powerful king. You would be afraid to come too close to his throne because you feel that you are not worthy.

This is an image that many people have of God. It is an impersonal image. It is a God who is distant from us and who is far above us. Perhaps, this may have been your experience of God prior to this retreat or even after this retreat. Today’s readings give us an entirely different picture of God. God is not hiding behind the clouds in heaven. God is present here among us. God does not reveal himself only in spectacular and miraculous events but reveals himself in the daily events of our lives, sometimes, very ordinary events. In the first reading, we have the story of how God appears to Moses and appoints him as his messenger to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses would never have expected to encounter God in the middle of the burning bush. This part of the wilderness was always dry. Bush fires were something natural and frequent. God chose to appear in the ordinary. He could have chosen to appear in the magnificent temples of Egypt or in the proper places of worship, but he didn’t. Sometimes, we too imagine that God is high above in the heavens. He is so high up in the skies that our prayers are not heard. Very often, we only expect to experience God in the Church, during the mass and in our prayers. We never expect to encounter God in the ordinary events of our lives. God is present everywhere. He is present in the market. He is present in our homes. He is present in our family even in the midst of our arguments. He is present when we are in trouble. He is present when we feel alone and confused.

God is not the god who frowns on our happiness and who loves to make our lives difficult. God does not enjoy seeing us suffer. On the contrary, God is full of humour. He rejoices at our joy and grieves with us in our sorrow. God is not a police man waiting to catch us for breaking his law. He is not a stern judge waiting to condemn us and send us to hell. Rather, God is a God of compassion and mercy. He is ever patient. Jesus gives us the beautiful parable of the man who planted a fig tree. Even though the tree was not bearing fruit in spite of all the hard work that had been put into it, the man patiently decided to wait and to give the tree another chance. This is our God who patiently waits for our repentance. This is our God who looks on us sinners with compassion. This is our God who was even prepared to send his only Son to die for us so that we may be saved from our sins.

Our image of God affects our spirituality and the way in which we relate to others. If we imagine that God is a stern judge or a police man waiting to catch us for every infringement of the law, then our religion would be based on fear rather than on faith and love. If we imagine that God is a hard and uncompromising judge, we would also begin to judge others harshly. If we imagine that God is always serious and never laughs, we would also be very serious and feel uncomfortable when we see others having a good time.

Let us pray that God would purify our images of him. Let us cast off the false images of God that do not help us in our spiritual growth. God has made man in his image and likeness. Let us not make God in our own image and likeness. Let God be God as his name suggests: “I am who I am.”

First Parish Event: Formation on Catholic Social Teaching and Lenten Campaign 2010

Friday (February 26, Seremban) A team from the Archdiocesan Office of Human Development (AOHD) were invited to give a formation on the Catholic Social Teachings and Lenten Campaign 2010. 200 participants from 3 language groups were in attendance. Apart from the parishioners of Visitation, Seremban, there were also several participants from the Negeri Sembilan District,i.e. Nilai, Port Dickson, and Mantin.

The participants were introduced to the work and projects of the AOHD. In the morning, they were also exposed to the main themes of Catholic Social Teaching. The afternoon session were dedicated to a briefing and explanation of this year's Lenten Campaign. The participants viewed a DVD production where various priests of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, explained the major themes of this year's Lenten Campaign, which is based on the various parts of the crucifixion.

Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa

The Way of the Cross is also called by other names - Stations of the Cross, Via Crucis, and Via Dolorosa. These names are used to signify either a series of pictures or tableaux representing certain scenes in the Passion of Christ, each corresponding to a particular incident, or the special form of devotion connected with such representations.

The erection and use of the Stations did not become at all general before the end of the seventeenth century, but they are now to be found in almost every church. Formerly their number varied considerably in different places but fourteen are now prescribed by authority. They are as follows:

1. Christ condemned to death;
2. the cross is laid upon him;
3. His first fall;
4. He meets His Blessed Mother;
5. Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross;
6. Christ's face is wiped by Veronica;
7. His second fall;
8. He meets the women of Jerusalem;
9. His third fall;
10. He is stripped of His garments;
11. His crucifixion;
12. His death on the cross;
13. His body is taken down from the cross; and
14. laid in the tomb.

The late Pope John Paul II popularised devotion to the fifteenth station, which depicted "the Resurrection of the Lord."

The object of the Stations is to help the faithful to make in spirit, as it were, a pilgrimage to the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death, and this has become one of the most popular of Catholic devotions. It is carried out by passing from Station to Station, with certain prayers at each and devout meditation on the various incidents in turn. It is very usual, when the devotion is performed publicly, to sing a stanza of the "Stabat Mater" while passing from one Station to the next.

History
Inasmuch as the Way of the Cross, made in this way, constitutes a miniature pilgrimage to the holy places at Jerusalem, the origin of the devotion may be traced to the Holy Land. The Via Dolorosa at Jerusalem (though not called by that name before the sixteenth century) was reverently marked out from the earliest times and has been the goal of pious pilgrims ever since the days of Constantine.

Tradition asserts that the Blessed Virgin used to visit daily the scenes of Christ's Passion and St. Jerome speaks of the crowds of pilgrims from all countries who used to visit the holy places in his day. There is, however, no direct evidence as to the existence of any set form of the devotion at that early date. A desire to reproduce the holy places in other lands, in order to satisfy the devotion of those who were hindered from making the actual pilgrimage, seems to have manifested itself at quite an early date.

At the monastery of San Stefano at Bologna a group of connected chapels were constructed as early as the fifth century, by St. Petronius, Bishop of Bologna, which was intended to represent the more important shrines of Jerusalem, and in consequence, this monastery became familiarly known as "Hierusalem.” These may perhaps be regarded as the germ from which the Stations afterwards developed, though it is tolerably certain that nothing that we have before about the fifteenth century can strictly be called a Way of the Cross in the modern sense. Although several travelers who visited the Holy Land during the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, mention a "Via Sacra,” i.e., a settled route along which pilgrims were conducted, there is nothing in their accounts to identify this with the Way of the Cross, as we understand it.[citation needed] The devotion of the Via Dolorosa, for which there have been a number of variant routes in Jerusalem, was probably developed by the Franciscans after they were granted administration of the Christian holy places in Jerusalem in 1342.

The earliest use of the word “stations,” as applied to the accustomed halting-places in the Via Sacra at Jerusalem, occurs in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land in the mid-1400s, and described pilgrims following the footsteps of Christ to the cross.

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the Franciscans began to build a series of outdoor shrines in Europe to duplicate their counterparts in the Holy Land. The number of stations varied between eleven and thirty. The erection of the Stations in churches did not become at all common until towards the end of the seventeenth century, and the popularity of the practice seems to have been chiefly due to the indulgences attached.

In 1686, in answer to their petition, Pope Innocent XI granted to the Franciscans the right to erect stations within their churches. In 1731, Pope Clement XII extended the right of all churches to have the stations, provided that a Franciscan father erected them, with the consent of the local bishop. At the same time the number was fixed at fourteen. In 1857, the bishops of England were allowed to erect the stations by themselves, without the intervention of a Franciscan priest, and in 1862 this right was extended to bishops throughout the church.

Catholic Social Teaching

Love for widows and orphans, prisoners and the sick and needy
of every kind, is as essential to the Church as the ministry of
sacraments and preaching of the Gospel.

(Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, no.22)

What is Catholic Social Teaching?


Modern Catholic social teaching is the body of social principles and moral teaching that is articulated in the official documents of the Church issued since the late 19th century and dealing with the economic, political, and social order. This teaching is rooted in the Scriptures as well as in traditional philosophical and theological teachings of the Church.

Does this mean that Catholic Social Teaching was non-existent before the 19th century? The answer is No. Catholic Social Teaching is as old as the Church and even predates the Church (i.e. Hebrew Scriptures). However, it was only in the late 19th century that such teachings began to be articulated in a systematic way in the official documents of the Church.

Catholic social teaching has been called "our best kept secret," "our buried treasure," and "an essential part of Catholic faith."

"Far too many Catholics are not familiar with the basic content of Catholic social teaching. More fundamentally, many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith. This poses a serious challenge for all Catholics, since it weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true to the demands of the Gospel. We need to do more to share the social mission and message of our Church."

Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions
U.S. Catholic Bishops

Basic Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

1.Human Dignity - The person is sacred, made in the image of God.

2. Common Good and Community - The human person is both sacred and social. We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community. How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.

3. Option for the Poor - The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The option for the poor is an essential part of society's effort to achieve the common good. A healthy community can be achieved only if its members give special attention to those with special needs, to those who are poor and on the margins of society.

4. Rights and Responsibilities - Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency – starting with food, shelter and clothing, employment, health care, and education. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities -- to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.

5.Role of Government and Subsidiarity - The state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good. All people have a right and a responsibility to participate in political institutions so that government can achieve its proper goals. The principle of subsidiarity holds that the functions of government should be performed at the lowest level possible, as long as they can be performed adequately.

6. Economic Justice - The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organize and join unions. People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life. Catholic teaching opposes collectivist and statist economic approaches and also rejects the notion that a free market automatically produces justice.

7. Stewardship of God's Creation - The goods of the earth are gifts from God, and they are intended by God for the benefit of everyone. How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship, a sign of our respect for the Creator.

8. Promotion of Peace and Disarmament - Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action-oriented concept. In the words of Pope John Paul II, "Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and binding agreements.” Peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order among human beings.

9. Participation - All people have a right to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society.

10. Global Solidarity and Development - We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial, economic and ideological differences. We are called to work globally for justice. Authentic development must be full human development. It must respect and promote personal, social, economic, and political rights, including the rights of nations and of peoples.

Visitation Parish Event
Tomorrow, February 26, we will be having our first Parish Event of 2010, a formation by the Archdiocesan Office of Human Development (AOHD) on the Social Teachings of the Church and the Lenten Campaign.

Rite of Election 2

The second part of the Rite of Election was celebrated in the Church of Holy Family, Kajang, which saw 629 catechumens being enrolled by the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, His Grace Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam, as elect in preparation of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. Apart from the catechumens (now called the Elect), their sponsors, godparents, RCIA teams members, parish priests and other parishioners were also present to lend them support.

35 candidates from the 4 RCIA language groups from the Church of Visitation were also present at the Rite of Election.

More photos can be viewed on Facebook.

Rite of Election

This weekend, we will witness the first part of the Rite of Election in our parish. The Rite of Election is the second rite to be celebrated in the RCIA process. The catechumens who are preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation & Eucharist) during the Easter Vigil mass have completed a period of catechesis known as the Catechumenate.

The first part of this rite will be celebrated at the weekend masses of our Parish, English and BM group(sunset mass), Tamil group(Tamil Mass) and Mandarin group (Mandarin Mass). The first part of this rite is also called the Rite of Sending or the Rite of Enrollment of Names. As our parish is not the Cathedral Parish or the parish where the Bishop will be enrolling the names of the Elect (the new name given to the catechumens), as in the case of this year (Holy Family Parish in Kajang will host the archdiocesan level Rite of Election), the candidates will be prepared with this Rite of Sending.

At the Rite of Sending, the parish prepares to send the candidates to meet with the Bishop who will receive them at the Rite of Election. The Rite of Election is a testimony of their faithfulness to this process in the past year or so. This act of sending is done by the whole parish. Therefore, it is celebrated within the mass in the presence of sponsors and RCIA Facilitators. Another integral part of this ceremony is the signing of the book of the elect. As the candidates sign this book they will signify that they are prepared to seal their covenant with God.

On the First Sunday of Lent, the bishop will then receive contingents from all parishes with catechumens. The catechumens will then be presented to him by their sponsors who will attest that they have completed their Catechumenate formation. The sponsors will also affirm that these candidates have experienced a true conversion of heart, mind and soul. As the bishop signs the same book that was signed by the candidates in the first part of the Rite of Election (or the Rite of Sending), he is receiving the candidates into our family of Christ. The candidates are now called the “elect” and have been elected to receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil mass.

The elect will now be given a more intense spiritual formation during the season of Lent. They will undergo further Rites of Scrutinies and Exorcism, a period of purification and enlightenment. Let us continue to support them in our prayers.

'Nobody' in the eyes of men, but 'Somebody' in the eyes of God

First Sunday of Lent Year C

What are the criteria of a successful man? The answer seems obvious – having money, lots of money, power and popularity. No one will give you a second look if you are poor, weak, or unpopular. Yes? No?

Today’s gospel goes against this very trend of thinking. Jesus is also confronted by these 3 temptations – possessions, power and popularity. The temptation to change the stones into bread is the temptation to place one’s trust in riches, possessions and objects. We may be tempted to feel that if we have lots of money or that we have acquired a very good education, we are then somebody important – others will look up to us.

In the second temptation, the devil tempts Jesus with power. This is a very powerful temptation – many of us are tempted to control our lives, to control organizations, to control other people. We are tempted to think that if we are in control then we would be somebody important.

The third temptation is the temptation to be popular. Jesus did perform miracles but never to show off or to make himself popular.

We see Jesus rejecting all these 3 temptations because none of them could take away the fact that he was the Son of God. Nothing could change that. He was indeed the Son of God and there was no need to prove it by putting his trust in riches, power and popularity. For Jesus, the foundation and core of his whole ministry and identity is the Father’s love for him. We find this in the story of his baptism by John the Baptist which immediately precedes today’s gospel story. In that story, when Jesus comes out from the water, he hears a voice from heaven that says: “You are my beloved son, my favor rests on you.” What a wonderful thing – to be totally dependent on this knowledge that God loves us no matter. God does not want nor need us to prove it through our achievements. We don’t need to prove our importance by acquiring riches, power and popularity. Being God’s sons and daughters is all that we would ever need.

This is the reason why Moses wanted to remind the Israelites of their history and their identity in the first reading – they were ‘nobodies’ – they were ‘slaves.’ But God gave them an identity- he saved them, gave them a land which they could call home and made them His people. Without God they had no identity, no freedom, no riches, no importance. Only with God was this all possible.

So it is with us today. Let us pray for the grace to resist these temptations of riches, power and popularity, knowing that they can never promise us eternal happiness. It is only in God that we shall find happiness and everlasting life. That is all that matters.

Lectio Divina Meditation for First Sunday of Lent

February 21
“Victorious over Temptation”



1. Lectio
Luke 4:1-13
1 Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert, 2 where he was tempted by the Devil for 40 days. In all that time he ate nothing, so that he was hungry when it was over.
3 The Devil said to him, “If you are God’s Son, order this stone to turn into bread.”
4 But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone.’
5 Then the Devil took him up and showed him in a second all the kingdoms of the world. 6 “I will give you all this power and all this wealth,” the Devil told him. “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose. 7 All this will be yours, then, if you worship me.”
8 Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’ ”
9 Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here. 10 For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’
11 It also says, ‘They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will
be hurt on the stones.’ ”
12 But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
13 When the Devil finished tempting Jesus in every way, he left him for a while.

Comments
We begin the season of Lent with a reflection on temptations. The three temptations point to three major temptations in the life of every person: possessions (bread), power (kingdoms of the world), and popularity (leaping down from the Temple). We often deceive ourselves into thinking that we can only be somebody important if we have one or all three of these things: possessions, power and popularity. We forget that we are already loved by God, and that is the very foundation of our worth. The three temptations also illustrate the core of every temptation: the desire to push God aside, to regard him secondary and redundant, to rely solely on one’s own strength, and to forget our identity as God’s beloved children.

2. Meditatio
1. Are we often tempted to forget about God? Are we tempted to believe that our worth comes from possessions, power and popularity?
2. Do we rely on our own strength and imagine that we can put right the problems of the world? Do we recognise that we need God especially when we are experiencing the desert or the emptiness in our lives?

3. Oratio
Lord,
Your word is life and joy for me.
Fill me with your Holy Spirit
That I may have the strength and courage
To embrace your will in all things and
To renounce whatever is contrary to it.
Let me not fall into the temptation of believing
That my worth comes from possessions,
Power and popularity,
But help me remember that I am truly loved by You
In spite of my weaknesses and sinfulness.
Amen.

4. Contemplatio
Imagine yourself in the desert, alone with God. Let go of images and words and just abide in God’s presence.

5. Actio
1. Personal Life: What is one area of my life that I would need to work on to free myself from the temptations of the devil? Possession, Power, Popularity?
2. Communal Life: Set aside a day or a few days for communal fasting, i.e. everyone in the group makes a commitment to fast on that day. Offer up this day of fasting for some intention: for the sick, the elderly, the lonely, for the country, etc.

Season of Lent

Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.

Lent, in Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to the greatest Christian feast, Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different churches and denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the wilderness before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

This practice was virtually universal in Christendom until the Protestant Reformation. Some Protestant churches do not observe Lent, but many, such as Lutherans, Methodists, and Anglicans do.

Lent was also traditionally the term used to describe the period leading up to Christmas before the term Advent was officially recognized.

Where does the word "Lent" come from?
The Teutonic (High German) word Lent, which we employ to denote the forty days' fast preceding Easter, originally meant no more than the spring season. Still it has been used from the Anglo-Saxon period to translate the more significant Latin term quadragesima (French carême, Italian quaresima, Spanish cuaresma), meaning the "forty days", or more literally the "fortieth day". This in turn imitated the Greek name for Lent, tessarakoste (fortieth), a word formed on the analogy of Pentecost (pentekoste), which last was in use for the Jewish festival before New Testament times. In Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia, it is known as "Pra-Paska"

How is the 40 days calculated?

The Western Church
Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, we skip over Sundays when we calculate the length of Lent. Therefore, in the Western Church, Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter.

In many countries, the last day before Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching) has become a last fling before the solemnity of Lent. For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining from meat during Lent, which is why some people call the festival Carnival, which is Latin for farewell to meat.

The Eastern Church
The Eastern Church does not skip over Sundays when calculating the length of the Great Lent. Therefore, the Great Lent always begins on Clean Monday, the seventh Monday before Easter, and ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday—using of course the eastern date for Easter. The Lenten fast is relaxed on the weekends in honor of the Sabbath (Saturday) and the Resurrection (Sunday). The Great Lent is followed by Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, which are feast days, then the Lenten fast resumes on Monday of Holy Week. Technically, in the Eastern Church, Holy Week is a separate season from the Great Lent.

The lesson of ashes

Ash Wednesday


It is interesting to note that no matter how beautiful, varied and different everything that we see may be, all are reduced to ashes when subjected to fire. A beautiful and priceless painting, a human body, stacks of money, expensive clothes and flowering trees, all become in differentiable when reduced to ashes. It may normally seem strange to admire ashes. It’s just dust – no shape, no beauty, no use, no value. Yet, ashes take on an entirely new meaning when we view it through the eyes of faith. Ashes remind us that all the things which we treasure in this life, our money, our possessions, our environment and even our loved ones are impermanent. Ashes then become our teacher – for they teach us to understand that we cannot place our trust and hope in things which will eventually disappear, things that will become ashes. Ashes point to our own mortal lives – in spite of how long we may live or how healthy we may be, one day, all of us, without any exception would become ashes.

Today, we celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the period of Lent. Ash has often been used as a sign of death and grieving. For us Christians, ash is also used as a sign of penance. Each of us may come from different backgrounds. Some of us are rich while others poor. Some may hold very important positions while others perform clerical task and other manual work. No matter who you are or where you come from, all are invited to come forward to place ashes on your forehead. Rich or poor, young or old, powerful or weak, stranger or friend - all equally sinners in need of salvation. In this way, we are all equal in the eyes of God. We all require forgiveness and redemption. We all need to die to our old sinful self in order to be reborn into the new life with Christ. When all is reduce to ashes, there are no longer differences among us.

This is season of Lent is therefore an opportunity for us to die to sin. When we die to sin we also die to the illusions and lies caused by sin. Sin tells us that we only need to think of our own needs without having to think of others. Sin tells us to make a big show of our spiritual exercises e.g. prayer, fasting, coming to church etc. Sin blinds us to the kingdom of God and tempts us with worldly values that are impermanent. Today, on this first day of Lent, let us pray that the Lord will burn away our sins and the illusions caused by such sin. Ashes reveal the truth. As our sin and illusions are reduced to ashes, our focus is now turned toward God. In God, we shall find everything that is good and beautiful. In God, shall we have the promise of eternal life which will not be reduced to ashes. In God, we will find a place where all are welcome, both sinner and saint, young and old, sick and healthy, poor and rich. In God, we will find our resting place and true home.

Every year, Lent is a period for us to examine our lives and experience repentance in order to make a new start. It is not a time for sorrow and false humility. Rather, Lent should be an occasion for joy. Let us therefore joyously begin our Lenten preparation for Easter with the call to “turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel.”

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. This year Ash Wednesday falls on February 17. Lent is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

Why we receive the ashes
Following the example of the Ninevites in the Book of Jonah 3:6 (the act echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ashes over one's head to signify repentance before God), who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told

"Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return." —Genesis 3:19

Other formulas which may be used during the imposition of the ashes:

"Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." —Mark 1:15

"Repent, and hear the good news." —Mark 1:15

The distribution of ashes reminds us of our own mortality and calls us to repentance. The ashes that we receive are a reminder of our own sinfulness, and many Catholics leave them on their foreheads all day as a sign of humility.

Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice. The ashes used in the Mass are sacramentals, not a sacrament. In other words, the ashes do not communicate saving grace as Sacraments do. But as a sacramental, the imposition of ashes 'excite' the faith that is already within us which is strengthened by the graces we received through the Sacraments.



The distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past. Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance. On Ash Wednesday, the Bishop blessed the hair shirts which they were to wear during the forty days of penance, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the palms from the previous year. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the church because of their sins -- just as Adam, the first man, was turned out of Paradise because of his disobedience. The penitents did not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday after having won reconciliation by the toil of forty days' penance and sacramental absolution. Later, all Christians, whether public or secret penitents, came to receive ashes out of devotion. In earlier times, the distribution of ashes was followed by a penitential procession.

The Ashes
The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.

Is Ash Wednesday a Holy Day of Obligation?
While all Roman Catholics are encouraged to attend Mass on Ash Wednesday in order to begin the Lenten season with the proper attitude and reflection, Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. It is, however, a day of fasting and abstinence.

Day of Fast and Abstinence
Ash Wednesday is one of two days determined by the Roman Catholic Church as days where penance, fast and abstinence is to be observed (the other day being Good Friday).

The Church used to prescribe very rigorous rules for the Lenten fast (including abstaining from all meat and eating only one meal per day). The current rules, however, are much more lax. Catholics are only required to fast on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and on Good Friday, the day that Jesus Christ was crucified. Anyone over the age of 14, but under the age of 60, should eat only one full meal on those days, although they can also have small amounts of food in the morning and the evening.

The Church continues to encourage individual Catholics to observe a stricter fast (e.g. extending days of fasting throughout Lent or other times of the year, although fasting is never permitted on a Sunday). Extreme fasting, however, can be physically harmful, so, as with all physical forms of penance and of spiritual discipline, you should consult with your priest before embarking on a very strict fast.

Fasting in the Catholic sense always include abstinence. Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Inasmuch as abstinence signifies abstaining from food, the law of abstinence prohibits all responsible subjects from indulging in meat diet. Although, seafood and dairy products are not included as 'meat' in terms of this definition, the spirit of the law is promote self-restraint.