Be missionary disciples

“We come with one heart and as one family to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary,” Fr Lawrence Ng CDD said, at the Feastday Triduum of the Church of the Holy Rosary (HRC) on October 7, 2017. The triduum, with the theme Be Disciples of Hope, was celebrated from October 5 to 7. Fr Clement Lim preached on Day One. He said our duty is to spread the Kingdom of God. “Are you hopeless or hopeful people? You might share gossip, but do you share the Good News?

“To be a disciple is not easy. We need to experience God in our lives.

“As disciples of hope, we not only pray, but need to put the words of God in our lives. You are the one to continue His work today. Can I build His Kingdom? If you see one loving family or society, that means Jesus is with us. He comes into our reality. Do not be afraid. We all go through trials but bear it for the Lord,” Fr Lim reiterated.

Hundreds of faithful came for the last day of the triduum. The Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated by Fr Ng, with HRC parish priest Fr Joachim Tan concelebrating.

A procession with the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary was held after Mass.

Earlier, in his homily, preached in both English and Mandarin, Fr Ng said, a year ago in October 2016, there was a large gathering of bishops, clergy, religious and laity for the Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Convention (PMPC) IV. He recalled this important event because it is related to our theme, Be Disciples of Hope.

Fr Ng said there were four great concerns from the findings of PMPC IV. First Islamisation. Catholics must be well established in their own faith in order not to be confused by conflicting religious teaching.

The second concern was Globalisation. The whole world has become a village. When there is a major incident in one place, the whole world will know of it in minutes.

The third concern: Secularisation. The belief that there is probably no God and so we should stop worrying and just enjoy life. Fr Ng said this makes people forget their faith and spirituality and it has become a major concern.

The fourth concern: Corruption, which includes Malaysia. In society, in the world and even in the Church, there is corruption. The priest from the Church of St Ignatius in Petaling Jaya challenged the congregation and asked them how we can face all these concerns.

He said PMPC IV suggested three ways. First, Be Creative. We need to maximize the usage of technology. Fr Ng said that he uses slides in his homily to help convey the message. Once you get the message, you can change and be a light to the world.

The second way is Being Inclusive. We must be inclusive. Accept and welcome everyone, especially in the church. We are the Church, which is supposed to be loving, welcoming and empowering the laity. We are all children of God. We are here to proclaim the Good News to others. Jesus challenges us to re-live our faith in our lives.

Fr Ng said that the third way is Bridge-building, where we need to dialogue with others, especially inter religious-dialogue.

Speaking on the day’s theme, Be Disciples of Hope, he said that, despite all the challenges and problems, “Step out and be proud to be Catholics. Be missionary disciples. Go out and spread the Good News. Tell others that Jesus loves you. God is love. We are called to be missionaries.

“When you receive Holy Communion, Jesus comes into your heart. You are supposed to bring this Jesus to others. By our baptism, we all are called to be missionary disciples.”

Benediction was held in the Church after the procession. All present were feted to a dinner fellowship in Dewan John Hsiong as a conclusion to the celebration.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online