is Risen today

Apr 16, 2014

A blessing being baptised on Easter Vigil

It’s a blessing that our family is to be baptized this Easter Vigil. We are very thankful to God for having chosen us to be his followers and bringing us to the Catholic Church. We come from a Buddhist family. Nobody taught us to go to the Catholic Church. This is an invitation from God himself. After our first visit to the Catholic Church we felt so peaceful, pure and holy. This is where we belong.

So, our family decided to enroll in the RCIA. Our children are attending the Sunday School. The RCIA has deepened our knowledge to know more about God and the Catholic faith. We would like to thank our parish priest Fr. Christopher W. Soosaipillai and all the RCIA facilitators for their patience and kindness.

It is good to have the BEC community gathering to strengthen and share our faith. We have also learnt that prayer will help us build a closer relationship with Our Lord. It’s given us a new meaning in life, filled with hope, love and forgiveness. During this Lent session, we were touched by Jesus Christ who was crucified and died for our sins. Thanks to Jesus Christ for being our Lord and Saviour. We want to serve and love you with all our hearts.

Today, we are really proud to be Catholic and worthy children of God. Jesus’ door is always open and waiting for us to step in. The choice is yours. --See Tow Family of the Church Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus.

Looking to growing in God’s love

“The journey for me began a few years ago when I attended Church after a long absence.

“At the beginning I wasn’t serious about believing in God because I did not understand the message shared from the Bible. I felt that it was very difficult for me to continue going to Church.

“Then I began praying to God every day. I was hoping God could help me to understand better. As I prayed, I felt the spirit of God guiding me. Thereafter I started attending Mass every week, and I have a better understanding of God.

“I started to learn about the Catholic faith. I was guided by my Catholic friends and supported by the priests. I began to attend the RCIA.

“The RCIA programme provided a solid basis in helping to connect with scripture and in the understanding of the Church. From the RCIA class my knowledge of Christ and the Catholic faith expanded.

I am feeling wiser and more confident than before. “I’m very appreciative of my godparent.

“I thank you all for making this commitment so special and I look forward to growing with you in God’s love.” -- Regina Lai, Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sg Buloh.

Life is not just about the material world

With her husband to be Charles Low a cradle Catholic, Sabahan Kimberly Lim, during her seven-year courtship, learned from Charles to see Christ as selfless and loving. Belonging to a Christian denominational church prior to meeting up with Charles, she said, “Through the Bible, Christ showed me the way to a good Catholic lifestyle. Also, I was attracted to the Catholic Church because of the ambience during gatherings and the way parish activities were conducted. All in all together with Charles’ support, this was the right way for me.

“With the denominational Christian church, I used to be a go-getter, driving myself and others very hard.

“But, when introduced to a Catholic environment, I learned to be more at peace and came to understand that life is not just about the material world and that I have to have a sense of balance. I’m more patient now and I am willing to be better.”

Charles admits that Kimberly has become less anxious because she entrusts her worries to the Lord. She feels good and very comfortable with her new faith. She wants to be God-seeking and follow the right path, he noted. -- Kimberly Lim

Just want to be in the Church

“The RCIA served as a sort of refresher course for me,” said 60-year-old Elizabeth Chee, a former primary school teacher at a convent in Ipoh where during her school days she had attended catechism. Her husband, a retired police officer was educated in the Methodist School in Penang and they moved to Melaka in 2007 to live out their retirement years.

Michael Lim, on his coming Baptism said, “I just had a feeling I wanted to be in his Church, so I just followed Jesus and continued my search. It is the encouragement and assistance from our godparents and the many new-found Catholic friends we have in the local parishes, that really ‘touches us’”.

Betty added, “We shall continue to journey with Christ after our Baptism. We also aim to do our best to spread the Gospel to our friends, relatives and former working colleagues. We have gained much knowledge about the Church from our RCIA facilitators who have taken much effort to teach us and guide us along the way.

“As we grew in our belief in Christ, we began to find that His love was growing within us. We are ever grateful and thankful that the Lord is patient and hassent us to a good parish community to guide us during our faith journey.”--Elizabeth & Michael Lim

Ready to answer the Call

“The journey of faith for me began some 60 years ago as a student at St Paul’s Institution, Seremban mainly due to the excellent work done by the Christian Brothers(mostly Irish).

Through the years my faith in God matured and in June 2013 my wife (with a similar background) and I decided to see the priest at Jesus Caritas Church to enquire how to embrace the Catholic faith, thus starting a further journey with the RCIA in Jesus Caritas Church.

The guidance of this RCIA team further enlightened and strengthened our Faith in Jesus Christ and we are now ready to answer the Call. -- Alexander Thambyrajah, 77, Pensioner

Since young I had the intention to become a Catholic

“I grew up with my aunt and uncle. They are both Catholics and they have told me a lot about God. I’ve followed them to Church from a very young age.

“As a child, I was very curious about who Jesus is, why did he die for us on the cross etc. I remember asking them questions about it.

“When I was about 13 years old, they taught me how to pray to God and pray the rosary.

“From an early age, I had actually made up my mind to be a Catholic.

“In the year 2012 around October, I googled and found a church near my place and decided to go and attend Mass. After Mass, I went to see the priest and I told him about wanting to join the RCIA but because I was already a few months late, the priest suggested that I join the year after.

“The next year in June, I finally joined the RCIA. I was really excited about it. Along the RCIA journey, I was introduced to the key aspects of the Catholic faith. We also had discussions about the Bible as well as discussions about the historical Jesus.

“I have been taught about the teachings of Jesus and God’s relationship with man. It was all about God’s unconditional love for us.

“I have also learnt about the importance of attending Mass as well as the importance and significance of the sacraments and the Holy Eucharist.

“I have never regretted my decision to join the RCIA and I look forward to the day when I can finally get baptized and be a child of God.” -- Ellen Chia

Had the urge to know more about the Catholic faith

“My wife is a cradle Catholic, and we have been married for more than 30 years. When we were young, I was too busy with work to learn more about God. I used to follow my wife to Church on certain feastdays and Christmas, but other than that God was put on the backburner.

“Now that I have retired and have more time, I found an urge to learn more about this Catholic faith that has drawn our three children to convert. “As my friend and classmate Dr Ryan was joining the RCIA, I also decided to sign up.

“It really proved to be a turning point. I understand more about the rituals of the Catholic Church, and the symbolism of certain practices.

"I feel a great sense of belonging to the Church. It has made me happy and joyful about everything in my life.” -- Dr Bernard Choy, 63, retiree