SEREMBAN: The Year of St Paul was officially declared by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI in the Roman Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls on 28 June 2008 to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the Apostle to the Gentiles. In his homily at the launching he was reported to have said, Let us not ask ourselves only: who was Paul? Let us ask ourselves above all: who is Paul? What does he say to me?

The parish of the Visitation in Seremban wound up the Year of St Paul on June 27 with an invitation to all parishioners to participate in a closing talk and discussions. The informal 9.00am to 1.00pm session, held in the Visitation Auditorium was animated by Parish Priest Fr Michael Chua.

Activities in the parish included, besides reflections and discussions in some BECs, a series of interactive talks and discourses in August and September 2008, open to all parishioners and which saw encouraging participation. The sessions were effectively designed, managed and moderated by Parish Priest Fr Michael Chua. Working closely with him in this commitment was Parish Pastoral Associate for Formation and Youth Ministry Dr Sherman Kuek.

The sessions were facilitated nightly over six weeks from 7.30pm - 9.30pm in the Visitation Hall. The closing saw a comprehensive presentation themed St Paul: A Guide to Christian Living where Fr Michael Chua meticulously pieced together the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love which constituted the very ingredients in the person of St Paul. The paper is set to serve as a hands-on resource for Councils, BECs, organizations, parish bodies and apostolate groups and those involved in mission. St. Paul is set to be model for personal and group commitment in the area churches.

“We walk by faith and not by sight,” said Fr Chua as he pointed out that the thrust of the teachings of St Paul stemmed from his implicit faith that Jesus died and he rose again. “It is through faith that we establish a relationship with God and this is what saves us. Faith in Jesus is the very basis of Christian redemption,” added Fr Chua.

He stressed that faith in Jesus formed the very basis and thrust of personal and group commitment in the life of the parish. He said it was important to understand what it really means “to have faith”.

He said that Christian faith evolves from renunciation and “self-renunciation begins only when we enter into a relationship with God asking for his mercy and salvation” against the background that self-renunciation in the world was always a personal effort to give up on things and making an attempt to renew hoping for a new beginning.

To St Paul, to have faith is to trust, to accept, to believe and to surrender to the grace of God; to hope is essentially to keep the faith and to love is to live out the faith in an unselfish way in the spirit of self sacrifice.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20). Parish Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs), ministries and apostolate groups were urged to look at their mission as a (small group) church through understanding the letters of St Paul and the deep messages therein.

Leadership lessons drawn from the life of St. Paul would include having optimism in God, being unifiers to ensure no divisions or camps, ensuring inclusive ministry so that all might participate, being united though diverse, being open to collaborative ministry, being servant, having the desire to learn and grow, being able to 'let go' and ‘let God’, providing encouragement, learning to affirm more than criticize and standing up for what is good for all and to continue to give Glory to God in all the simple missionary works undertaken. —By Eddie Joseph