Malacca Johore Diocese News Update #207

Visit Malaysia 2025 targets 32.8 million tourists, generating RM147.1 billion in tourism receipts. The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) kicks off, planning to attract 100 projects.

Jan 26, 2025


Dear Friends of MJD,
the Ordinary Times are here. Green is back.

Movements! Visitors entering, travellers exiting!
Visit Malaysia 2025 targets 32.8 million tourists, generating RM147.1 billion in tourism receipts. The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) kicks off, planning to attract 100 projects. The Vatican estimates massive numbers converging at the Vatican for the Jubilee Year of Hope. Already, the Camino de Santiago has had an unprecedented 499,239 pilgrims in 2024. There’s a renewed resurgence in appeal for this pilgrimage.

Similar to the cold, the flu or COVID-19 is the HMPV (human metapneumovirus) that has been reported in China and other countries.

Experts are urging the government to rethink strategies and repatriation of Palestinians to Egypt or, as per their request, after their medical treatment. People are more mobile these days. There are no more movement restrictions. Forced restrictions agitate; respecting freedom to move is calming.

Conscience-less Times:
Dogs getting arrowed. Cats getting killed. Sharing articles or books on one’s faith journey or God experience excites police reports, prosecution or persecution? Rallies to free a convicted criminal but eyes closed to child marriages in the name of tradition, child and women abuse cases, and growing incidents of bullying? Are we becoming a nation without a conscience? When wrongdoings are not condemned as evil, when the inexcusable can be excused, the unpardonable can be pardoned? Can we continue whitewashing sin, wrongdoings, crimes and criminals? There is forgiveness for the penitent, but one must be held accountable for the damage.

A Thought for the Week: My Balloon
Once, a group of 50 people was attending a seminar. Suddenly, the speaker stopped and started giving each one a balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room. Now these delegates were let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written, within five minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos. At the end of five minutes, no one could find their own balloon. Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The lesson from the speaker: Everyone is groping around, frantically looking for what is theirs(happiness) everywhere, and getting nowhere. Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness, you will get your own happiness.

QnQ. Q asks? They say small is beautiful. Do small things have an impact?
1. The Scriptures never underestimate the power of small people, small deeds, small gestures and small offerings. A boy with five loaves and two fish triggered a miracle that fed 5000 that day.

2. Small habits like saving RM8 per day, amount to RM3,000 per year; reading 20 pages per day becomes 30 books per year; walking 10 thousand steps per day becomes 70 marathons per year. Never underestimate small habits.

3. E.F.Schumacher’s philosophy “Small is Beautiful”, is one of enoughness, appreciating human needs, limitations and appropriate use of technology, which developed from his study of village-based economics.

4. Among the many small things, simple acts of kindness, expressions of love and moments of connection have a significant impact on our well-being and relationships. The small things slow us down to be present, lowers one’s anxiety level and appreciate the outcome. Vincent Van Gogh said: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

The Holy Spirit @work:
God will never direct us to be prideful, arrogant and unforgiving, immoral or slothful or full of fear. We step into these things because we are insensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit within us. --Charles Stanley

Something To Tickle You:
I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church.” --Charles H. Spurgeon

Total Comments:0

Name
Email
Comments