St Faustina’s feastday celebration in CDM, Penang

The Church of Divine Mercy in Sungai Ara celebrated the feastday of its patron saint, St Maria Faustina Kowalska, on October 5.

Oct 24, 2014

By Elizabeth Simon
The Church of Divine Mercy in Sungai Ara celebrated the feastday of its patron saint, St Maria Faustina Kowalska, on October 5. A novena to the Divine Mercy preceded the auspicious day to honour the saint whose name is synonymous with the Divine Mercy feast day, the Divine Mercy chaplet and the 3 o’clock prayer.

CDM parish priest, Father Martin Arlando recapitulated the essence of the Sunday readings in his homily. “To love is to take a risk” he said. This is what God did when he made us in His image, with the intellect and free will to act for, or against Him.

Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and brought mankind down with them. The same happened in Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard when God made Israel His chosen people; the desired harvest did not materialize and the vineyard became wasteland. In a similar theme in Matthew’s Parable of the Wicked Tenants, the landowner returned at harvest to collect his due from his tenants, but they instead tortured and killed his servants including his only son, who is clearly Jesus.

The warnings in the parable are applicable to us today, as it was to Israel then.

“‘Never forget who the landowner is,” Father Martin reminded the faithful. “When we know and recognize the landowner of the vineyard, we place ourselves in God’s hands, believing that He will do the very best for us. Pride makes us believe that we are in control of our lives, turning to God only when adversity strikes.”

Christianity, concluded Father, is not a question of what we have not done but of how much we have done, and are doing, in sharing the gifts we have received — our talents, time and treasures. We take the risk of loving others, even though we may be ridiculed for going against the tide.

After Mass, the statue of St Faustina was carried around the church compound to the recital of the Divine Mercy chaplet and was immediately followed by Benediction. The good weather held throughout the procession and fellowship which followed, the sky only clouding over just as the last of the food packets had been distributed.

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