Prophets of God's Truth

Fourth Ordinary Sunday Year C

Who is a prophet? Many people often think that a prophet is someone who foretells the future. Sometimes, the prophet does this but this isn’t the main task of the prophet. So who then is a prophet? A prophet is the messenger of God. He is the mouthpiece (spokesman) of God. He is a man who has been filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God through daily meditation and studying of the scriptures. It is through this studying of the scriptures that he comes to recognize the will of God for his time – what God is trying to say to his people in this time, under these circumstances and in this place. A prophet is not one who keeps silent. Once received, the message of God must be proclaimed. If not, God will raise other prophets to undertake the task.

The task of a prophet is not easy. Sometimes, the prophet is asked to give a message of hope and encouragement to God’s people. This is often welcomed. What is not easy to accept is the fact that the prophet is also given the task to challenge and condemn the people for their sinfulness. He is the conscience of the nation. It is here that the prophet faces opposition and rejection. Everyone likes to hear praises and words of encouragement. No one likes to hear criticism. But such criticism is necessary in order for us to grow. If we are not open to criticism, if we are not honest with ourselves, we would then be blind to the direction which God wants to lead us.

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks of the many prophets in Israel’s history who were rejected by their own people and yet sometimes welcomed by others who were not Jews. Jesus too is such a prophet. When he speaks words of encouragement, like what he did in last week’s gospel reading, he receives people’s admiration. But in today’s gospel, Jesus chooses to reprimand his listeners. The Word of God is a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways. We must be prepared to hear not only words of encouragement but also words that would challenge our present way of life. In doing so, Jesus too is rejected.

What of us? Are we people who only like to hear praises and good things said about us? Or are we also able to accept a challenge to our present way of life? At the time of your baptism, each one of you was anointed to be a priest, prophet and king just like Jesus. Are you able to live up to this mission which you received at the time of your baptism?

Taking the prophetic role is difficult. No one wants to be the bad guy. That is why it is much easier to talk about people behind their backs then to confront them. As a prophetic people, we too are called to confront and challenge each other. Confrontation does not mean that we have no love. On the contrary, love is the reason why we must confront and act the prophet. In the second reading, we have the beautiful passage about love. Love is always patient and kind, it is never jealous, never boastful or conceited, or rude or selfish. Yes, all this is true. But the list also states that love delights in the truth. A prophet is not someone who is harsh and heartless. Rather, he is a person so full of love for God and his people that he is prepared to risk being rejected by his own people in speaking the truth to them.

Today, we are challenged to become such prophets. Love must be our motivation. Without love, we cannot be true prophets – we are only complainers and critics. Let us pray for the strength and the courage to speak the truth, but always to do so with love.

OCPD organises dialogue with Christian pastors and Mosque Officials of Seremban

Last thursday, 21st January, a dialogue session was organised and hosted by the police at the Seremban Police Headquarters in Seremban 2. Pastors and elders from over 30 Christian churches in Seremban and mosque officials from 10 mosques were invited to this dialogue cum briefing session. The meeting was chaired by the OCPD of Negeri Sembilan District, ACP Saiful Azly Kamaruddin, who briefed the participants on the current security situation arising from the arson/ stone throwing attacks on churches. ACP Saiful gave an update on the status of police investigations. He also reassured the participants of police surveillance at both churches and mosques to prevent any future attacks on these places of worship. He, however,advised both church pastors and mosque officials to increase their own precautionary security measures to prevent future occurrences.

The session ended with an open question and answer session, with questions being posed by both mosque officials and church pastors. Overall, the dialogue session revealed that both mosques and churches shared common security issues and problems, and both sides agreed to cooperate with the police and with each other to ensure the continuation of the present atmosphere of peace and harmony that has been enjoyed these past decades.

This text is being fulfilled today ...

Third Ordinary Sunday Year C

What does the Bible mean to you? Whenever you hear the readings during the Liturgy of the Word, what are your feelings? Do you feel encouraged by these readings or challenged by them? Do you really pay attention to the readings or are you just waiting to receive holy communion? If we have never really paid attention to the readings read during the Liturgy of the Word or taken the trouble to read and study the bible, we may, perhaps, have left out one of the most important aspects of the Mass – the Liturgy of the Word. The liturgy of the Word is no less important than the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Both are equally important. Jesus who is truly present in the blessed sacrament is also present in the word proclaimed during the first half of the mass.

In the Gospel, Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He attributes what he has read to himself. He is the Word of God. He is the Word made flesh. He is the Word of life. This is the purpose of the Word of God: “to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.” If we have not really been paying attention to the readings every Sunday, we may perhaps have lost out on these promises. If we turn our ears away from hearing God’s word, we will only hear ‘bad news’ – the bad news which society and our experiences feed us with everyday of our lives. The good news of the Bible is this – that in spite of all the evil that we see, hear and experience in this world of ours, God’s salvation is far greater. The good news is that Jesus, the Word of God, has conquered evil and death. Yes, we continue to experience many problems and difficulties, but we believe that God has already won the victory through Jesus Christ. This is our good news. We are no longer poor because Jesus has promised us the treasures of heaven, treasures that will not eaten by moth or turn to dust – everlasting life.

Those who fail to listen to God’s word continue to be trapped and imprisoned by their fears and addictions. Jesus promised us that he has come to proclaim liberty to the captives. If we listen to him, we too can experience this liberation. The most important freedom is internal freedom – it is only eternal freedom that can promise lasting joy. Those of us who fail to listen to God’s word will continue to be blind. We will continue to be blind to our own mistakes and our sinfulness. We will continue doing things as if everything was alright. A blind man is in a worst position when he doesn’t realize that he is blind. If you feel that everything is going wrong in your life, if you feel that the burden of tragedies and problems after problems, Jesus has come to set you free. Jesus has come to set the downtrodden free and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

In Asian society, the teacher has a place of high standing in society. We are to treat our teachers with reverence as how we treat our parents. Likewise, within the Church, those members who have been given the position of teaching and instructing and of spreading God’s word are given the first place. This does not mean that they are to be treated as better than others in the community. The reason for giving them the first place is because of the Word of God which has been entrusted to them. The Word of God must have a central and prominent place within the community. Likewise, the Word of God must also be the basis of each of our lives. It is not enough to recite prayers and attend mass. These are good. But what is far better, is the need to study and read the Bible so that the Word of God can become our daily guide. When we constantly read the bible and listen attentively to the readings at every Mass, the Word of God will find fulfillment in our lives. Then, we can echo the words of Jesus as he says: “This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.”

Pongal - Tamil Harvest Festival

Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu, where it is also considered the Tamil New Year. Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan - sun's journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal, where newly harvested rice is ceremonially cooked in milk.

This harvest festival is also a time for communal thanksgiving, being grateful to God for all the material possessions, especially the fruits of the earth and of our labour.

As the date of cultural festival usually coincides with the Feast of Epiphany, Christians in Tamil Nadu have often made a link between both festivals. Pongal among Christians is also popularly known as the Feast of the 3 Kings (Wisemen) or Pongal Raja. The first fruits of the harvest represent the gifts that were brought by the Wisemen of the East to honour the Christ Child.

The Tamil Apostolate and Tamil speaking community of Visitation celebrates Pongal tomorrow morning at the 7.15 am Tamil mass. All are welcome to participate in this celebration as we wish our Tamil community: Pongal Vaathuggal!

When the wine runs out ...

Second Ordinary Sunday Year C


St. Paul in today’s second reading tells us: “There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people; it is the same God who is working in all of them.” Do we agree with this statement? If we agree with this statement, can we see it happening in our own parish? Do we see a variety of gifts manifested in different ways in our parish? Do we see God’s spirit working in this parish through the many people who volunteer for ministry? Are you using your gift for the service of the community and the Church?

If God wishes his church and his community to grow stronger, he will certainly provide it with all the gifts necessary to do so. God will not fail his community. Nevertheless, we sometimes fail God and the community. This happens when we do not acknowledge our gifts and the gifts of others in the community. A community can only flourish if its members are able to recognize their own gifts and are able to affirm one another gifts. A community is in real danger of being destroyed if its members are only always expecting something from others and who are not prepared to give or share. A community is in real danger when its members are constantly criticizing and finding fault with one another. A community is in real danger when the gifts of its members are suppressed rather than identified and nurtured. A community is in real danger of being destroyed when the wine runs out.

Today’s gospel tells the story of the wedding at Cana. This joyous occasion nearly ended in tragedy because the most important element that was keeping the party going had finished – they ran out of wine. Sometimes, when we see the same people serving in the Church growing older and older with each passing year without any successor, we begin to think that the wine is also running out. No Wine, no new leaders, no new plans, no new members, no Holy Spirit! The END! Do you think that our parish, is heading in this direction? Do you think that our wine is running out and we are about to ‘close shop’?

Thousands of years ago, the people of Israel also thought that the destruction of their country meant the end of everything. They were called the “Forsaken” and “Abandoned” People. But Isaiah in the first reading gives an entirely different message. It is a message of hope. All is not lost because God will return to redeem them. They will be called by a new name, they will receive a new glory, they will be called “My Delight” and “The Wedded” for God has taken delight in them again. God has renewed his covenant with them – God has wedded them again. What brought about the change? They realized that glory and blessings came from God alone. No human power, riches or glory will last. Eventually all these things will run out. Only God’s blessings remain. Only God can ensure that the wine will never run out.

All is not lost! The wine need not run out. This community still has a chance to grow and become stronger. Firstly, we must recognize that we need conversion. We need God and Christ to become the center of our lives. We can no longer think that we can solve all our problems through human efforts. If we have the ability to solve problems, it is the ability which is given none other by God. If this community is to survive and grow, each of us must experience a conversion of heart. We need to be re-evangelised. If we have become complacent and satisfied with what we have, its time to wake up. It’s not enough to maintain the things that we have. The community and the church must grow; if not, it will die. Let us then pray that our community will be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit and that we will come to recognize our gifts and how we can use these gifts in the service of the Church.

Interfaith group visits burnt SIB church in Seremban 2

Seremban, Malaysia (January 13) – Fifteen religious leaders made up primarily of members of the Negeri Sembilan State branch of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBHST) paid a social visit to the Sidang Injil Borneo (Borneo Evangelical Assembly) Church in Seremban, which was recently fire bombed.

The church's front wooden door was charred in the pre-dawn attack. According to Pastor Eddy Marson Yasir, the senior pastor of the Church, the arson incident was discovered on the following morning by a church member and he was contacted immediately. “We have been occupying this building for the last 4 years and we’ve never had any incident. We have lived peacefully with our neighbours and do not know of anyone having any issues against us.”

The Seremban church incident brought the number of churches attacked in Malaysia within the week to nine. A Sikh temple was attacked with stones yesterday evening.

These incidences of violence to places of worship is unprecedented and follows after the controversial protests over the High Court ruling in favour of the Malaysian Catholic weekly newspaper, The Herald, allowing the latter to use the word “Allah” in its publications. Both Christians and Sikhs use the word “Allah” in their scriptures and publications.

Mr. Goh Kim Seng, the Buddhist representative in the interfaith council, said that all parties should respect the High Court decision to allow the use of the word for their own religious purposes.

“These incidences of violence could have been avoided if all parties were committed to regular dialogue. We live in a multi-religious society and country where we should learn to dialogue with one another for the purposes of living together in harmony,” added Rev. Christopher Mun, senior pastor of Tabernacle of Worship Church.

The interfaith group decided to pay to visit to the church as a sign of solidarity with the pastors and members of the congregation. “It all started as an informal conversation between the local Anglican priest, Rev. Albert Walters and I over steps that could be taken collectively in response to this incident,” said Fr. Michael Chua, the parish priest of the Roman Catholic Church of Visitation, who had initiated the visit.

During the visit, various suggestions were put forward and discussed as to how the interfaith council and the various religious communities should handle the current security situation in Malaysia. There was a consensus that the different communities should be reminded to remain calm and not to blame any party for these attacks. They also agreed to allow the police to handle the security situation.

The chairman of the interfaith council, Mr. Alfred Selvam said that his committee will be organizing a dialogue session with the state police head over the security situation of places of worship.

The visit concluded with a moment of silent prayer for peace and harmony.

Bishops' Conference: Keep Calm, Do not React and Pray

Malaysian Bishops Respond to Violence
Note Muslim Support; Say Root Is Politics, Not Religion

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, JAN. 12, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Malaysian bishops are urging reconciliation in the wake of attacks against nine Christian churches over the weekend, and affirming the incidents stain the reputation of the country's Muslim majority.

The prelates responded to attacks on three Catholic and six Protestant churches in a communiqué made public today by the Fides news agency. The prelates are beginning their plenary assembly of bishops from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

The assembly, planned some time ago, had to change its agenda completely in the wake of the violence.

Known as moderate

The bishops' communiqué noted harmony between Islam and Christianity in Malaysia, and said the attacks stain the reputation of Malay Islam, "known for its moderation and its peaceful coexistence with other religions."

In fact, Fides reported, moderate Muslim groups have organized watches in churches to prevent a repeat of the violence.

The communiqué stated Christians "are committed to do everything possible to keep calm, not to respond to the provocations, and to pray so that the violence will not spread."

The attacks over the weekend come in the context of a Dec. 31 high court decision overturning a ban on Christian groups referring to God as Allah.

Both Christians and Muslims pointed to political motivations behind the violence.