All are called to help the poor

The Church of St Elizabeth celebrated her patron saint’s feast; the feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary, from November 13 to 15, followed by the Feastday Mass on Nov 16.

Dec 06, 2019

By Bernard Anthony
The Church of St Elizabeth celebrated her patron saint’s feast; the feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary, from November 13 to 15, followed by the Feastday Mass on Nov 16.

The preacher for the feastday Mass was Fr Joseph Nasanathan OFM. Parish priest, Fr Joseph Lee OFM was the concelebrant. During the Mass there was the Anointing of the Sick for the elderly and those in need. Those sick received the sacramental anointing, whereas a general anointing was given for those in need.

In his homily, Fr Nasanathan said that baptised Christians are called to live saintly lives. Fr Nasanthan said it was not impossible to imitate the saints, like St Elizabeth of Hungary, who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ.

He shared about the life of St Elizabeth, who came from royalty, saying the moment she discovered Jesus Christ she came to realise how blessed she was. She devoted her life to serving the poor.

Fr Nasanathan asked, “Who are the poor? You think it is the destitute — in material need only? They are also those who have no one to love them. Someone who is suffering, seeking help, in need of God. We only think about ourselves — what we need. If we only look at ourselves, we can’t be saints.”

Fr Nasanathan challenged the assembly  to help those in need and to be passionate about loving them like Jesus Christ. “If in your midst you have someone in need, share with them the love of God by showing your love to them.”

Fr Nasanathan said this is a poor parish with a monthly RM1,000 collection, not even enough for utility bills. Yet he commended the parish for their initiative in the St Elizabeth Project - A Bread For Help. As the parish imitate St Elizabeth of Hungary in reaching out to the poor, homeless and marginalised in their community, the bread symbolises a donation to help the needy.

“When you meet a poor person of any religion or race, do something good out of love. It’s a blessing to you. People longing for God are spiritually poor. Do you  give your time to assist that person?” God doesn’t ask us to be successful, but to be faithful, said Fr Nasanathan. God challenges us to be holy, saintly people. Saints too have their own difficult paths, but they remain faithful to the end.

Fr Lee thanked all those who came to help and for assisting his small parish in the feast preparations. He also quoted Pope Francis who said we have to reach out to people and share the Good News; as well as for our personal conversion. The Prayer to St Elizabeth was recited before all adjourned for dinner.

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