Red Mass for lawyers in Melaka-Johor Diocese

Justice is the business of lawyers as health is the occupation of doctors. However, in Malaysia, this is not the common perception of lawyers.

May 28, 2015

By Vincent D’Silva
Justice is the business of lawyers as health is the occupation of doctors. However, in Malaysia, this is not the common perception of lawyers.

In this country, in spite of the attempts to subjugate the judiciary and despite some lawyers’ subservience, there are still a good number of lawyers who speak out and stand for justice.

Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, SJ said this in his homily at the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, or the Red Mass, on May 16 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Bishop of Melaka-Johor presided at the Red Mass and concelebrated with Msgr James Rajendran, VG, Frs Christopher Lee, chancellor, Michael Teng, John Yeow, Benedict Yee and Valentine Gompok OFM Cap and a few permanent deacons.

The Red Mass, the first organized in the diocese of Melaka-Johor, is the Eucharistic celebration dedicated to those who are in the legal profession. A large number of lawyers, in their robes, participated in the Mass as the Church prayed for the Holy Spirit to empower lawyers with the gift of prudence.

Expounding further, Bishop Tan gave an example of Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan who has fought for human rights, spoken up on judicial reform and good governance and stood for religious tolerance.

The prelate then posed a question to the lawyers present. “How are you different from good lawyers who do not profess our faith and who also practice justice?” He said, “Your faith in Jesus Christ should colour your profession, indeed your entire life.”

He explained that St Thomas Moore, patron saint of lawyers, was a shining example of one whose faith permeated his life and his profession and to his martyrdom because he dared to oppose the king. St Thomas said, before he died, that he was a good servant of the king but, first in his life, was faithfulness to God.

Bishop Tan told the lawyers that the teachings of our Popes can enlighten Catholic lawyers on how they can be different from other lawyers and stand out as shining stars.

He said, “The goal of your profession is to ensure peace in the country, hence, promotion of justice is an essential means to that end.”

Quoting Pope St John Paul II in his message on the World Day of Peace, January 1, 1998, he said, “Justice goes hand in hand with peace and is permanently and actively linked to peace.”

The bishop said that promotion of justice alone is not enough for a Christian lawyer — he or she has also to promote truth, freedom and love, which cannot be attained without reconciliation.

Bishop Tan stressed that for him, the grounds upon which freedom, justice, reconciliation and love are built is Truth, adding that, “justice and love cannot be built upon lies.”

“It is only justice that can pave the way for reconciliation — an essential condition for love, and love is the crown of all our Christian actions, for God is love,” he said.

After the Mass, S. Jeyakumar, speaking on behalf of the Melaka-Johor Chapter of the Catholic Lawyers Society said, “Christians in this country have been faced with a host of challenges as never before, ranging from the right to practise one’s religion to the infringement of fundamental liberties as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.”

He urged the Catholic Lawyers Society to be a cohesive unit and to unflinchingly speak up on issues affecting our faith and on injustices faced by Malaysians.

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