The Holy Spirit will give us all the gifts to be humble servants of God

Sep 14, 2019

By Bernard Anthony
Archbishop Julian Leow cautioned the assembly about the danger of falling into false humility, which is a form of pride. He gave an example of queuing up for food; when we insist on being last in order to draw attention to ourselves. That is pride. We think we are being humble, but we are actually trying to manipulate and impress. We want to be in the limelight to show how charitable or how great we are.

Archbishop Leow said this in his homily at the Church of St Anthony on September 1 at the Confirmation Mass, where 15 candidates were sealed with the sacrament by the prelate. The Morning Mass was concelebrated with parish priest, Fr James Gabriel.

The prelate said that we Catholics should follow the scriptures, especially that day’s reading (Luke 14:1, 7-14). The Archbishop elaborated, “When you invite people for lunch, do not ask your rich neighbours but invite those who can’t invite you back. Those who never had any opportunity or couldn’t afford to go for the buffet lunch. This is an opportunity for you to share with them.

“Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you all the gifts to be humble servants of God.

The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur explained, “To be humble doesn’t mean to let people step all over you. To be humble takes more courage. It takes wisdom, it takes great courage. May the Holy Spirit influence us in our behaviour that we be gentle and find God and reflect on His words. To have a heart that is attentive and remember the poor. Not just to give fish to the poor, but to help them stand on their own feet to be independent.”

The prelate mentioned that the Holy Spirit will guide us to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, to help the least, those without any voice, those facing great challenges and difficulties, including those in our parish.

At the end of the Mass, Fr James in his speech thanked the Archbishop for administrating the sacrament and prayed that the Lord will continue to bless him with good health and wisdom for many years to come. Fr James also commended the catechists for their time, effort and commitment to teach and guide the Confirmands. He also thanked the presenters for the three-day seminar in Port Dickson, where the Confirmands were preparing to receive the sacrament. Fr James also encouraged their parents for their commitment in guiding their children to receive this great sacrament. He instructed the Confirmands to be great disciples of the Lord.

Then Archbishop Leow thanked Fr James for his pastoral care and leadership in this parish. The prelate also told the Confirmands that now they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, belong one hundred per cent to God and are under God’s protection and leadership to walk in the presence of God and in holiness.