SSVP Penang celebrates feast of the Immaculate Conception

Dec 21, 2016

By Lucia Lai
Mary of the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP). On Dec 8, 2016, SSVP Penang members, together with their families and friends, celebrated the feast day at the Church of the Risen Christ, Penang.

The celebrant was Fr Maiccal Sinnappan, the spiritual adviser of SSVP State Council of Penang.

In his homily, he mentioned that the beauty of our Catholic faith is that, not only do we hold Jesus close to us, but also Mother Mary, whom we love very much.

He pointed out that the first reading tells us that God gives us freedom and power but then, we become self-righteous and full of pride.

“When the devil comes in to disturb you, that is when spiritual pride sets in.” he said. “You begin to think you know better and try to find fault with people, speak badly about people and gossiping. It is important not to cultivate spiritual pride as you move along in life. One way to kill spiritual pride is to reach out to people you find difficult to accept and engage them from your heart.”

The second reading, he says, reminds us that we must discover who we are. We may go through many difficulties but must remember that we always have Jesus’ blessing. Fr Maiccal said that we must be humble, like Jesus. The season of Advent is a good time to practise humility.

He continued by saying that God chose Mary, a humble maiden, to be the mother of Jesus. We must not lose sight of Jesus Christ in our life’s journey as we walk with Jesus and Mother Mary. They will bring us to heaven where we all want to be.

SSVP members received Christ in both species. Then, there was a special blessing for members.