The Advent Wreath Carol

Bulletin Announcements - November 29

Election/ Appointment of New Chapel Main Council 2010
Chapel Main Committee Members are to identify suitable candidates to form the 2010 Chapel Main Committee. The Chapel Main Committee will meet on the 6 December 2009 immediately after mass. Committee members are to furnish the names during the meeting.


No Holy Hour for December
The will be no Holy Hour for the month of December 2009 as the Priests are busy with Penitential Service.


Confession & Anointing for the Home-bound, Elderly and Sick.
Please inform Mr. Anthony Chia (Eng), Mr. George (BM) or Mr. Pakianathan (T) by 6 December 2009


Penitential Service for Chapel of Nilai
Date: 13th December 2009
Time: 5.00 pm (before evening mass)


Children's Party and Carolling Committee
There will be a meeting immediately after mass (29/11/2009) to discuss the Children's Party and Carolling. Those who have volunteered to assist please attend this meeting and those who wish to assist, you are also most welcomed to attend the meeting.


2010 Liturgical Calendar (English & Bahasa) for sale at RM5.00 each.
The Tamil Liturgical Calendars will be available by the first week of December 2009.


The Church of Our Lady of Fatima, Banting is organising a retreat in Tamil titled "Jesus Christ Ideal Priest and Priesthood of the Laity"
Date 20/12/09
Time: 9.30 am to 5.00 pm
Those interested please register with Fatima (016-2355114).


Infant Baptism - Every 3rd Sunday of the Month
Contact Persons :- Mr. Maurice (Eng.) - 017-3962977
Mr. George Mool (BM) - 016-2871712
Ms. Mary (Tamil) - 06-7997450

RCIA: Mr. Anthony Chia (Eng) - 016-3569168
Mr. George Mool (BM) - 016-2871712


Home Stay/ Foster Programme
As you are aware, we have many college students in our midst. Some of whom will not be able to return for the holidays. We hope that some parishioners will be able to open their homes to these students for the duration of the holidays. If interested, please give your names and contact numbers to Mr. Stanly. Students who wish to have home stay may also register.


College Students Representatives
If you're new in this Chapel and looking for a place to belong, we welcome you to join one of the Catholic Students Fellowships in the various colleges in and around Nilai, or join the Central CSS at this chapel.

Please contact the following persons:

Colleges
MIAT and Central CSS (Chapel): Shaun Mirandah (017-7256657)
Inti: Clare (016-9373179)
Nilai: Kevin Mirandah (017-7774816)
KTT: Ricky (014-3727513)

The Advent Wreath Candles

"Customarily the Advent Wreath is constructed of a circle of evergreen branches into which are inserted four candles. According to tradition, three of the candles are violet and the fourth is rose. However, four violet or white candles may also be used” (Book of Blessings 1510).

The rose candle is lit the third Sunday of Advent, for this color anticipates and symbolizes the Christmas joy announced in the first word of the Entrance Antiphon: "Rejoice" (Latin, Gaudete). For this reason the Third Sunday is also called Gaudete Sunday, and rose color vestments are permitted.

The Advent Wreath represents the long time when people lived in spiritual darkness, waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the Light of the world. Each year in Advent people wait once again in darkness for the coming of the Lord, His historical coming in the mystery of Bethlehem, His final coming at the end of time, and His special coming in every moment of grace.

During Advent, family and friends can gather around the Advent Wreath lighting the appropriate candle(s), read from the daily Advent meditation and sing songs.

Here's a video that explains the origins of the Advent wreath and candles.

The Season of Advent: Season of Anticipation and Hope

Advent is the beginning of the Church's Liturgical Calendar Year. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30 (The Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle), and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.

This year, Advent begins at sundown on November 28 (which coincides with the second day of the Islamic Feast of Aidil Adha).

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.

In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

The Colors of Advent

Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is Purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. This points to an important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion. The purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world, of the "Word made flesh" and dwelling among us, is to reveal God and His grace to the world through Jesus’ life and teaching, but also through his suffering, death, and resurrection. To reflect this emphasis, originally Advent was a time of penitence and fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared the color of Lent.

In the four weeks of Advent the third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the fasting was almost over (in some traditions it is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for "rejoice"). The shift from the purple of the Season to pink or rose for the third Sunday Advent candles reflected this lessening emphasis on penitence as attention turned more to celebration of the season.

The Spirit of Advent

Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance!

It is that hope, however faint at times, and that God, however distant He sometimes seems, which brings to the world the anticipation of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over His people and in His creation. It is that hope that once anticipated, and now anticipates anew, the reign of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who will bring peace and justice and righteousness to the world.

Part of the expectation also anticipates a judgment on sin and a calling of the world to accountability before God. We long for God to come and set the world right! Yet, as the prophet Amos warned, the expectation of a coming judgment at the "Day of the Lord" may not be the day of light that we might want, because the penetrating light of God’s judgment on sin will shine just as brightly on God’s people.

So, we celebrate with gladness the great promise in the Advent, yet knowing that there is also a somber tone as the theme of threat is added to the theme of promise. This is reflected in some of the Scripture readings for Advent, in which there is a strong prophetic tone of accountability and judgment on sin. But this is also faithful to the role of the Coming King who comes to rule, save, and judge the world.

Because of the dual themes of threat and promise, Advent is a time of preparation that is marked by prayer. While Lent is characterized by fasting and a spirit of penitence, Advent’s prayers are prayers of humble devotion and commitment, prayers of submission, prayers for deliverance, prayers from those walking in darkness who are awaiting and anticipating a great light (Isa 9)!

The spirit of Advent is expressed well in the parable of the bridesmaids who are anxiously awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom (Matt 25:1-13). There is profound joy at the Bridegroom’s expected coming. And yet a warning of the need for preparation echoes through the parable. But even then, the prayer of Advent is still:

Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel!

The End is Near! What shall we do?!

First Sunday of Advent Year C

Today the Church begins a new liturgical year. In many cultures and traditions, we often find their new year celebration as an opportunity to remember and give thanks to God for all the blessings of the past year. More importantly it is a time to pray for a good year ahead. We Christians have a slightly different way of celebrating our liturgical new year. We celebrate this event not by looking to the past or to the following year but we are asked to focus on the end of time – the end of the world. This may seem extremely strange especially when we often regard the end of the world as something frightening.

The first part of today’s gospel does present a frightening picture of the end of the world – “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.” Natural calamities, like earthquakes, tsunami, typhoon, floods etc. often bring about this experience of fear and anxiety. On the other hand, science tells us that these natural calamities are the result of an earth which is growing and evolving. It is signs of life rather than of death. Planets that no longer have such natural calamities – no earthquakes, no storms, no volcanoes – also have no life. Nothing can live on such planets. They are dead planets.

So, Jesus very often uses the image of natural calamities to describe the end of the world in order to show that something new is about to be born. These are birth pangs. These are not signs of death but rather of life. If we begin to view the end of the world in this perspective, then today’s celebration and this season of Advent will become a celebration of hope rather than a celebration of fear.

We should not ask the question: “When will all of these happen?” When and how is not important. The question that we should be asking is this: What shall we do as we await this final day. Today’s scriptures are full of lessons for us.

First of all, even if there is a lot of confusion, things are not going according to our plans, nobody should lose heart. Jesus tells us: “When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.” We must not be anxious because Jesus is coming. This is certain. He is our saviour. Today, we face many problems – family problems, financial problems. Many feel like giving up. Jesus reminds us – do not lose heart – stand erect and hold your heads high because your liberation is near at hand.

Secondly, when faced with obstacles and so much evil in the world, we are often tempted to run away or to look for excuses or fake solutions. Some people turn to alcohol while others to sex in order to find some satisfaction. Jesus reminds us: “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap.” Remember that no one can escape judgment. Everyone will be asked to give an account of their action. Jesus assures us of this: “For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth.”

Thirdly, we must “stay awake and pray”. This does not mean that we should be hiding in the church 24 hours a day. On the contrary, true prayer leads us closer to God and to others. Through prayer, the Lord will increase our love and make us love one another and the whole human race as St. Paul writes in the second reading. Staying awake means that we must take our spiritual development seriously. If our faith is still at the level of a primary school child, we will not be ready when the time comes for us to meet God face to face. St. Paul urges each and every one of us to continue growing in our faith life.

The Liturgical Year

As we come to the end of the liturgical year and prepare to begin a new year with the First Sunday of Advent (November 29), it would be good to reflect on the significance of the liturgical year.

Lay People need Religious to inspire them

HUA HIN, Thailand (UCAN) -- Men and women Religious are needed in Asia today to inspire laypeople and be a powerful a sign of God's presence in their economically driven societies.

This was the message a lay Church worker gave to leading Asian Religious gathered for a Federation of Asian Bishops' (FABC) meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Religious must live the consecrated life not only for themselves but as an inspiration for laypeople, who face the pressures of modern living, Sherman Kuek told some 60 nuns, brothers, priests and bishops at the Nov. 16-21 FABC symposium. The meeting had the theme, "The Impact of Today's Culture on the Church, especially as regards Consecrated Life in Asia Today."

Kuek, 33, is director of the Melaka-Johor Diocesan Pastoral Institute in Malaysia and was the only lay speaker at the symposium. Religious must live radical antithetical lives that inspire and excite laypeople to emulate them, albeit in their lay state of life, he said.

He noted that laypeople live in a culture that urges them to "work more, earn more, spend more," and which is "at odds with the Gospel."

He said that laypeople have inevitably reinterpreted, redefined and compartmentalized religion. From being at the center of their lives, it is now relegated to a corner. They faithfully perform religious duties and obligations but otherwise they are busy engaging with a culture that advocates consumption and the acquiring of wealth.

In modern Asian societies such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, laypeople "choose both God and mammon," Kuek asserted.

Now the Church in Asia is challenged to answer a prophetic call to authentic discipleship, Kuek continued, explaining that this call is for Religious to make a stand for the sake of the laity.

"The Church can shout and shout" in condemning materialism and urging charity but laypeople do not necessarily listen because they have to survive in the modern world, he stressed.

Many Religious said on the sidelines that his call to them was a powerful challenge.

Filipina Sister Julma Neo noted that after Vatican Council II, many Religious not only "adapted" to the world, as was intended, but also "adopted" the ways of the world.

The former general councilor for Asia of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul agreed that for the consecrated life to make sense, it must be mystical, prophetic and counter-cultural.

(Published in UCAN News, November 19)
Dr. Sherman Kuek was Pastoral Associate of Formation and Youth Ministry in the Church of Visitation, Seremban and Chapel of St. Theresa, Nilai from 2008-2009. He now serves as Director of the Pastoral Institute of the Melaka-Johor Diocese.

Don't Expect a Certificate!

Christ the King Year B

At the end of a course, we usually expect a certificate to proof that we have completed the course. The certificate would also sometimes include a record of our performance. For example, at the end of our studies in school, we get a certificate to show the grades we received in our final exam. Today is the last day of the Church’s liturgical year. Perhaps, we would also be expecting some form of certificate to proof that we have been living good lives according to the teachings of the Church. If our performance has not been so well, if we feel that we have not live as good Catholics, we may feel a bit embarrassed about this certificate.

I’m sorry to disappoint you because the values of God are not the same as the values of the world. Jesus reminds us of this in today’s gospel. In answer to Pilate’s question about whether he is the king of the Jews, Jesus replies: “Mine is not a kingdom of this world.” But Jesus is king, though of a different kind. He says: “Yes, I am a king, I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.”

Just say that if we were to receive a certificate from Jesus, what would be points that would really matter to him and God. Well, the certificate would not be a record of our successes – how well we have done this or that. What matters is not success but faithfulness – have we been faithful to God? Have we been faithful to Jesus’ call to be his disciples? Have we been faithful to all that Jesus has taught us?

Secondly, the certificate would not be concerned with our status or position. Power and status have no place in the kingdom of God. It is only service that matters. Jesus is King but not a king who lords it over others. He is a Servant king. Have we served our brothers and sisters, especially those who are weak and the poor? Have we given them our time and our assistance without expecting anything in return?

Thirdly, the certificate would not record the number of times we pray or attend masses or formations. These things are important. But more important than these is the conversion that must take place within our lives. As we look back this entire year, do we see changes within ourselves? Have we become more committed Christians? Have we been able to overcome some area of sin which we were struggling with before this?

Today, as we celebrate this Feast of Christ the King, let us echo the words found in today’s second reading taken from the book of the Apocalypse: “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the First-Born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever.” Let us be witnesses of Christ the King by allowing him to be king and lord of our lives.

Reverend Know it All on the Kind of Priests we Want

Dear Rev. Know-It-All,

Is there an Encyclical or a Papal Teaching on how the lay person is required to respect their priests? We have someone in our lay community, who does not like the way her pastor gives homilies and is constantly criticizing him. We know this is wrong, but we don't know how to correct her without hurting her. Especially now, in the Year of the Priest, I would think there would be something from Rome.

Please help.

Clara Qalysm

Answer

Dear Clara,

First, the simple answer to your question: Yes. There is something recently written, Pope Benedict’s letter of June 16 inaugurating the Year of the Priest. That said, I am delighted to hear that some one is upset by the sermons in your parish. Hopefully, she is upset for the right reasons.

Somehow we have gotten the impression, (I think it started somewhere in the 1950's) that we are supposed to like priests. What an odd assumption. If a priest is doing his job, he should make us feel at least a little nervous, if not downright uncomfortable. We assume that Mass should be entertaining and that sermons should be enjoyable. The job of the priest is not to entertain. It is to do what Jesus did. Certainly you don’t believe that Jesus was crucified because He was such a nice fellow. It seems they didn’t have to look far to find a mob that was willing to shout “Crucify Him!” He must have irritated a few people. The job of the priest is to continue the work that Jesus did. Certainly, preaching and teaching were part of it, but so were healing the sick and casting out demons. However, Jesus’ ultimate work was to offer Himself as a sacrifice in reparation for the sins of the world.


When I was a young priest many years ago, I was given a new assignment as an assistant pastor. Shortly before I arrived to take up my new duties, St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, came to me in a dream and told me that I would have to pray a lot in this new assignment.

When I arrived at my new rectory, I noticed a beautiful wood carving of St John on the mantelpiece in the front room.

A few weeks later, I noticed that the statue of St. John was gone, and in his place was a mechanical monkey.

It seems the pastor had taken his vacation in Las Vegas, where he had won the little wind up monkey in a game of chance. When he needed a refill at the bar, he just switched on the monkey who banged a little pair of cymbals and the bar maid would fill his glass, and he would switch the monkey off, until pressed into service once again.

Thus, it was that the patron saint of priests was replaced with a mechanical monkey.

In the 20th century, we became accustomed to the priest as headman of the immigrant community. That changed into a kind of social director which has developed in our times to “pious bureaucrat.” The priest goes to meetings, conducts programs, fills out forms, visits the school, and glad hands everybody in the vestibule. He does weddings for young couples who have been living in sin for the past two years, then goes to the banquet where he gives the blessings at the beginning and end, thus giving the whole thing a veneer of sanctity. He conducts funerals, reassuring us that perhaps there is life after death and, doubtless, God, who is merciful, will overlook Uncle Mortimer’s gun running business and countless adulteries. After all, Old Mort had a kind heart.

A priest should be good with young and old, but not too good with young. He should be kind and pastoral and never critical he should preach a nice, though brief, sermon. He should go to all the events, the wakes the weddings, the men’s club, the women’s club, the youth group, and having done all that he should be a man of prayer, or at least appear to be. He must have the wisdom of age and the energy of youth, and be ready to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night to give the “last sacraments” to some reprobate who has not darkened the door of the church since his First (and last) Communion.

Above all, the priest makes sure that the fund raising is on schedule and the buildings are in good repair. Keep banging the cymbals, Father. At least keeping up the buildings has something to do with the ministry of Jesus. He was, after all, in the building trades for about 18 years.

In his letter of June 16th, on the year of the priest, it doesn’t seem that the Holy Father is urging people to celebrate the priesthood as much as he is urging priest to remember their calling. The letter is mostly a meditation on the life of my old friend, St. John Vianney. He was the Curé (the Pastor) of Ars, a small town in the south of France. After the French Revolution, the faith in France was in terrible shape, almost as bad as it is now. St John was to this little village of perhaps 250 souls, few of whom practiced their faith. He was not well received. In fact, they hated him.

For years, a group of women offered a special Mass intention. After a while, Fr. Vianney asked what they were praying for. They told him, “For a new pastor.” He went right on praying for their special intention. When he arrived in the parish, he prayed “Lord, grant me the conversion of my parish; I am willing to suffer whatever you wish, for my entire life!” He then went around for a month meeting his parishioners, getting to know the life of his little village, then he went to the pulpit and denounced their sins, especially their dances, which were nothing more than seduction.

As the pastor of Ars, Father Vianney realized that the Revolution's aftermath resulted in religious ignorance, due to many years of the destruction of the Catholic Church in France. At the time, Sundays in rural areas were spent in the fields working, or spent dancing and drinking in taverns. In modern America we work, run errands, go to sporting events and watch soft core pornography on our televisions. Vianney reminded his parishioners that Sundays were meant for the worship of God. Father Vianney began by giving sermons referring to the tavern as "the devil's own shop, the market where souls are bartered, where the harmony of families are broken up, where quarrels start and murders are done." No wonder they hated him.

I wonder what he would have to say about the way people come dressed when they bother to come to church at all. I bet he would have a few thing to say about video games and television programming as well. We live in an age when the Catholic Church is being systematically attacked from without and within. The ignorance of children regarding the faith and the sacraments is appalling. The torrent of pornography to which children are exposed is unfathomable, and that’s just prime time TV.

Our entertainments have corroded our sense of right and wrong just as they did in Ars 150 years ago. I am genuinely shocked when young people come to arrange a marriage and they are not living together. No one thinks twice about what in a former time would be called adultery or perversion, in fact it is celebrated. Parents are at a loss, unable and sometimes unwilling to do anything. God forbid the priest should fail to be in step with the times. We priests have been so in step that many of us have been swept away in the same river of filth and narcissism that is currently engulfing the world.

The problem then, as I see it, is not that someone in your parish is critical of the priest, but that only one person is critical of the priest. People want to love their priests because they are such nice fellows and give such nice homilies. This is a mistake. The priest is to be valued because he absolves sins and offers the sacrifice of Calvary, the only sacrifice which can make up for the barbarities of the age. In his own life, the priest is called to offer the sacrifice of the Mass as an expiation for his sins and the sins of his congregation, even if the congregation believes itself sinless, and worse still if the priest refuses to acknowledge his own weakness and sinfulness. The priest is supposed to be the one who leads his people to repentance, having himself wholeheartedly repented.

Allow me to quote from the Pope’s letter as he quotes St. John “The great misfortune for us parish priests – (St. John Vianney) lamented - is that our souls grow tepid"; meaning by this that a pastor can grow dangerously inured to the state of sin or of indifference in which so many of his flock are living. He himself kept a tight rein on his body, with vigils and fasts, lest it rebel against his priestly soul. Nor did he (St. John) avoid self-mortification for the good of the souls in his care and as a help to expiating the many sins he heard in confession. To a priestly confrere he explained: "I will tell you my recipe: I give sinners a small penance and the rest I do in their place". Aside from the actual penances which the Cure’ of Ars practiced, the core of his teaching remains valid for each of us: souls have been won at the price of Jesus' own blood, and a priest cannot devote himself to their salvation if he refuses to share personally in the "precious cost" of redemption.

We want to like the priest for the same reason we like the softball coach, the scout leader and Santa Claus. Again quoting St. John Vianney, the priest is to be valued for a quite different service, “Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put Him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest. ... After God, the priest is everything! ... Only in heaven will he fully realize what he is. 'O, how great is the priest! ... If he realized what he is, he would die.' (St. John Mary Vianney)

If only a few more priests would take these words to heart and forget what their congregations thought of them.

Rev. Know-It-All

Bulletin Annoucements - November 15

Chapel Committee for 2010
Chapel Main Committee Members are requested to meet in your subcommittees and identify suitable candidates to form the 2010 Chapel Main Committee . The Chapel Main Committee will meet on the 6th of December 2009 immediately after mass. Committee members are to furnish the names during the meeting.


2010 Liturgical Calendars on Sale
The English calendars are on sale at the entrance of the Chapel at RM5.00 per copy. The Tamil and Bahasa Liturgical Calendars will be available by the end of November 2009.


Advent Events
Christmas Party and Carolling
Volunteers are needed to organise and run the Christmas Party and Caroling. Your support and assistance is highly appreciated as this will kindle the Christmas spirit among the parishioners . Those interested please see the commentator after mass.


Organists/ Musicians for Chapel
Keyboardist / Guitarist urgently needed. Those who could assist please contact Mr. Stanly (012-2277 799)


District Altar Servers Camp
22nd (evening) to 24th (after lunch) November 2009
(3 Language Groups)
Venue: Catholic Centre
Compulsory for All Altar Servers
Please register with Mr. Stanly


Infant Baptism - Every 3rd Sunday of the Month
Contact Persons :- Mr. Maurice (Eng.) - 017-3962977
Mr. George Mool (BM) - 016-2871712
Ms. Mary (Tamil) - 06-7997450

RCIA: Mr. Anthony Chia (Eng) - 016-3569168
Mr. George Mool (BM) - 016-2871712


Home Stay/ Foster Programme
As you are aware, we have many college students in our midst. Some of whom will not be able to return for the holidays. We hope that some parishioners will be able to open their homes to these students for the duration of the holidays. If interested, please give your names and contact numbers to Mr. Stanly. Students who wish to have home stay may also register.


College Students Representatives
If you're new in this Chapel and looking for a place to belong, we welcome you to join one of the Catholic Students Fellowships in the various colleges in and around Nilai, or join the Central CSS at this chapel.

Please contact the following persons:

Colleges
MIAT and Central CSS (Chapel): Shaun Mirandah (017-7256657)
Inti: Clare (016-9373179)
Nilai: Kevin Mirandah (017-7774816)
KTT: Ricky (014-3727513)

Facebook, Wikipedia, and Youtube in the Vatican

Preachers of Truth Meet Sellers of "My Own Truth"

By Jesús Colina

ROME, NOV. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- There are not a few voices in the Church calling for the message of the Gospel to make better use of the Internet -- Benedict XVI's is among them.

And yet, when representatives of some of the most successful Internet initiatives met in Rome today with the European bishops' Commission for the Media, a great difference in mentality became obvious, even if there was also evidence of a genuine desire for mutual understanding.

The chamber of the former hall of the synod of bishops -- which the producers of "Angels and Demons" rented for millions of euros -- witnessed two views of reality: On one hand, an institution, the Church, founded for 2,000 years on the proclamation of Truth; and on the other, exponents of successful business initiatives, which arose a few years ago, based on giving everyone the chance to express "his own truth."

The meeting occurred in the context of a four-day conference that began Thursday in the Vatican, promoted by the Commission for the Media of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE).

Networking prelates

The meeting began with a survey among the bishops and representatives of the episcopal commission.

Moderator Jim McDonnell of the Signis World Catholic Association of Communication asked the bishops, priests and some lay experts in communication -- just under 100 in total -- how many had a profile on Facebook. More than one fourth raised their hand.

Nearly everyone in the group was familiar with Wikipedia and about 10% had collaborated in editing one of its entries.

Almost everyone had also viewed videos on YouTube and about 15% had used the site to post one of their own.

Approximately 10% had used or followed Twitter.

The networkers

Then came the presentations from the Internet representatives. Christophe Muller, director of YouTube alliances in Southern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, illustrated the philosophy that gave origin and life to Google.

In particular, he praised the Holy See's decision to make a place for itself on YouTube. And he presented a promotional video showing how the great of the world -- from Barack Obama to the Queen of England -- use this platform. Among them is Benedict XVI.

Delphine Ménard, treasurer of Wikipedia, France, explained how the collaborative encyclopedia does not seek to give a view of truth, but rather aims for all points of view to be represented.

For his part, Christian Hernandez, in charge of the commercial development of Facebook, showed how Christian initiatives have arisen in the Facebook world that range from a Shrine of Lourdes profile, to "Jesus Daily," a profile that offers phrases from the Gospel, and has more than one million followers.

Among these initiatives, he also presented Benedict XVI's profile. What he did not say is that this profile was created by an unknown individual who has fraudulently taken the Pope's identity.

In a subsequent conversation with ZENIT, Hernandez said that today, this issue was brought to his attention at the Vatican.

He said that Facebook has blocked a Vatican profile page, but for the fraudulent Benedict XVI profile, he was unable to offer a solution.

Apples and oranges

As the meeting moved to the questions-and-answers stage, it was evident that there was clear difficulty in understanding.

On one hand, the prelates acknowledged the limits of the Catholic Church, which seeks to dialogue on the Internet, but by and large uses basic pages: About 70% of Catholic institutional sites have not introduced interactive elements of Web 2.0.

Then as well -- contrary to what they expected -- the bishops did not find themselves in a meeting with communication experts, but rather with representatives of enterprises with a very specific business model. This model is their primary interest and leaves aside humanistic considerations.

"Can one still speak of truth on social networks based on the idea that each user has his truth?" one of the prelates' working groups asked the Internet representatives.

The representatives of the three enterprises agreed that "power" has now gone to the users; users "control" the media -- but they will be able to seek truth more effectively knowing how to use the media.

The Consequence of Our Lives

Thirty Third Ordinary Sunday Year B

There are consequences to the way we live. Every action of ours has a consequence. Sometimes we see the consequences of our actions in our present life. For example, when we drink and smoke without restraint, we see these habits have an effect on our health. If we have not paid our attention to our studies when we were young we would most likely have to struggle on a low pay for the rest of our lives. When we steal and cheat, we would soon be exposing ourselves to the law.

But there are some consequences that we may not see in this life. Some people are able to live rich and comfortable lives in spite of their sinful lifestyle. Others seem to get away with the crimes they have committed without being caught by the police. Still many others go through life without thinking of God or placing him last on our list of priorities. But that doesn’t mean that our actions have no consequences. In fact, we are reminded by the readings today that it is to these actions that we must pay special attention. Ultimately we will be called to account for our every action or omission. If not now, then on Judgment Day.

The problem that we often face is this: because we don’t see the consequences of our negative actions in our present life, we may erroneously believe that there are no consequences. Many people live their lives with this misconception. Unless we wake up to the truth that we shall be accountable for our every action, we will die without the opportunity to mend our ways. All will be judged on the Last Day. All our actions, our mistakes, our good deeds, our sins, our failures, our successes would be made clear on that day. In spite of the mercy of God, no one can escape judgment.

The first reading from the prophet Daniel reminds us that “of those who lie sleeping in the dust of the earth many will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace. The learned will shine brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue, as bright as stars for all eternity.” Let us hope and pray that on the Last Day we will rise to everlasting life and glory and be able to shine as bright stars in heaven for all eternity. But we are also reminded that unless we take our faith seriously, unless we begin to live up to our identity as Christians, another fate may await us – we may wake up to shame and everlasting disgrace.

We are approaching the end of the year. There is still time to amend our ways now. Don’t wait till tomorrow or next month or next year. As Jesus reminds us in the gospel today: “but as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.” For some of us the Day of Judgment will come sooner than others. Be ready to give an account of your life when you called to meet the Lord.

The History of the Crucifix

In the light of the controversial decision by the European Court of Justice to ban crucifixes from schools in Italy, it would be opportune to reflect on the significance of the crucifix for Christians and Catholics. Below is a video from Catholic News Agency giving a brief history and explaining the significance of the crucifix.

The Gift

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

有一位瞎女很討厭自己因為眼睛瞎了。她也討厭每個人，唯一不討厭的是她的男朋友，因為他都常守在她身旁。於是她對她的男朋友說：「如果能讓我看到這個世界，我愿意嫁給你！」

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

有一天，有人捐了一對眼精給她。當紗布解開時，她能夠看到一切，包括她的男朋友。

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

男朋友問她：「現在你可以看到這世界，你愿意嫁給我嗎？」那女孩看了男朋友是個瞎子，他那對蓋上眼皮的眼睛嚇到了她，這是她無法想像。她想：要我嫁給他而一生對着他這個樣子，我無法接受。

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

於是，她的男朋友很傷心的離開她，幾天後寫了字條給她：「親愛的，請你好好照顧你的眼睛，因為它不是屬於你的之前， 它是屬於我的。」

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

這也是人的腦會如何做當情況有所變動。只有少許人會記得他或她之前的生活及誰會在身旁當他或她處在困境的時候

How much are we prepared to give?

Thirty Second Ordinary Sunday Year B

How much are we prepared to give to God? Here’s a story that may help us to understand. One day, three clerics, a Protestant minister, a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi were having a discussion on who gave the most to God. The Protestant minister proudly said that he only took ten per cent of the Sunday collection. The rest of the money was used for the Church’s work and mission. The Catholic minister didn’t want to be outdone. He said that the entire collection was given to God and his Church while he only took RM10.00 as his stipend. The Jewish rabbi turned to the both of them and laughed. “You men of little faith”, he exclaimed, “I on the other hand give everything to God. At the end of every Sabbath I take the whole collection and throw it up as an offering to God and whatever God allows to fall back down is mine!”

How much are we prepared to give to God? I don’t think that any of us are ready to give even 10% of whatever we earn. At least we see among the Protestants this willingness to contribute 10% of their earnings to the mission and work of the Church. Perhaps our Sunday offering may just be a dollar, which is less than one percent of what we earn. And yet, we often forget that all that we have is a gift from God. God has given us everything that we need and yet we often find it so hard to give back to him. We give back to God not only by our monetary contributions to the Church. We give back to God also through helping the poor, through our sacrifice of time and effort to further the Church’s mission. How much are we prepared to give to God?

The challenge given in today’s readings is really great. God is challenging us to give our all, to give our best and to give our lives to him. We have two stories to illustrate this. In the first reading, we have the story of the non-Jewish widow who is asked to share her last meal with the prophet Elijah. The prophet and God rewards her generosity by performing a miracle allowing her food to never be totally spent. In the gospel, Jesus takes the example of another poor widow to illustrate this need for total self-giving. This poor widow puts in only two small coins, which is nothing compared to big sums donated by the rich. And yet Jesus praises her action because “she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.”

In the second reading, Jesus himself is given as an example for giving. It is not money or material goods that is being given here. Jesus gives his own life as a sacrifice in order that we may be saved. Jesus has given his 100%, he has held nothing back.

Back to the question that I’ve been asking from the start: How much are we prepared to give to God? Are we very calculative? Are we trying to hold back many things because they give us security? Are we forgetting that Jesus has given himself entirely to us? Have we forgotten that God has given us everything we need? How much are we prepared to give to God?

Today, let us reflect over our own willingness or unwillingness to make sacrifices for God. How much time have we given to him? How much have we contributed to the Church through our talents? Or have we only been coming here to beg favours from God as if we were beggars? Today, let us pray that we will be able to give back to God what God has given to us everyday of our lives.

All Souls Day - November 2

All Soul's Day (sometimes called the "Day of the Dead", "Feast of All Souls," or "Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed") is always November 2 (November 3rd if the 2nd falls on a Sunday).

The day purposely follows All Saint's Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory. It is celebrated with masses and festivities in honor of the dead. While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of Heaven and those there, the Feast of All Souls reminds us of our obligations to live holy lives and that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for Heaven.

The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, alms deeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass.

The traditions of the Feast of All Souls began independently of the Feast of All Saints. In the early days of Christianity the names of the departed brethren were entered in the diptychs. The Feast of All Souls owes its beginning to seventh century monks who decided to offer the mass on the day after Pentecost for their deceased community members.

In Spain there was such a day on Saturday before Sexagesima or before Pentecost, at the time of St. Isidore (d. 636). In Germany there existed (according to the testimony of Widukind, Abbot of Corvey, c. 980) a time-honoured ceremony of praying to the dead on 1 October. This was accepted and sanctified by the Church.

In the late tenth century, the Benedictine monastery in Cluny chose to move their mass for their dead to November 2, the day after the Feast of all Saints. St. Odilo of Cluny (d. 1048) ordered the commemoration of all the faithful departed to be held annually in the monasteries of his congregation. Thence it spread among the other congregations of the Benedictines and among the Carthusians.

Of the dioceses, Liège was the first to adopt it under Bishop Notger (d. 1008). It is then found in the martyrology of St. Protadius of Besançon (1053-66). Bishop Otricus (1120-25) introduced it into Milan for the 15 October. In Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, priests on this day say three Masses. A similar concession for the entire world was asked of Pope Leo XIII. He would not grant the favour but ordered a special Requiem on Sunday, 30 September, 1888.

Bulletin Annoucements - 2nd November

Book of Remembrance
Feel free to write down the names of your departed loved ones in the Book of Rememberance which is placed at the Chapel entrance.


All Souls Day - 2nd November (Monday)
Mass at 6.45 am (English) in Church of Visitation. No mass in Chapel


Holy Hour (First Friday) 6/11/09 at 8.00 pm


Second Collection 1/11/09
There will be a second collection this evening for the maintenance of the chapel. Do be generous.


Organists/ Musicians for Chapel
Keyboardist / Guitarist urgently needed. Those who could assist please contact Mr. Stanly (012-2277 799)


District Altar Servers Camp
22nd (evening) to 24th (after lunch) November 2009
(3 Language Groups)
Venue: Catholic Centre
Compulsory for All Altar Servers
Please register with Mr. Stanly


Infant Baptism - Every 3rd Sunday of the Month
Contact Persons :- Mr. Maurice (Eng.) - 017-3962977
Mr. George Mool (BM) - 016-2871712
Ms. Mary (Tamil) - 06-7997450

RCIA: Mr. Anthony Chia (Eng) - 016-3569168
Mr. George Mool (BM) - 016-2871712


Home Stay/ Foster Programme
As you are aware, we have many college students in our midst. Some of whom will not be able to return for the holidays. We hope that some parishioners will be able to open their homes to these students for the duration of the holidays. If interested, please give your names and contact numbers to Mr. Stanly. Students who wish to have home stay may also register.


College Students Representatives
If you're new in this Chapel and looking for a place to belong, we welcome you to join one of the Catholic Students Fellowships in the various colleges in and around Nilai, or join the Central CSS at this chapel.

Please contact the following persons:

Colleges
MIAT and Central CSS (Chapel): Shaun Mirandah (017-7256657)
Inti: Clare (016-9373179)
Nilai: Kevin Mirandah (017-7774816)
KTT: Ricky (014-3727513)