Time to take stock of religious life

Feb 13, 2015

IPOH (Herald Malaysia): Catholics from Ipoh and the surrounding towns came together on Feb 2 to pray for all religious sisters, brothers and priests, during a special prayer and Mass at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church.

The Mass celebrated on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord was to commemorate World Day of Consecrated Life, as 2015 has been declared the Year of Consecrated Life by Pope Francis.

It was organized by the three parishes of OMPH, St Michael’s and Our Lady of Lourdes.

There was a short yet meaningful prayer session, as the religious, with candles in hand, renewed their commitment to serve the community and others in their religious vocation, in faithfulness and consistency.

The Mass was celebrated by OMPH assistant parish priest Fr Joseph Stephen, CSsR, and concelebrated with Fr Paul Kee, CSsR, Fr Neville Sinnappah, CSsR, SMC parish priest Fr Stephen Liew, SMC priest-in-residence Fr Robin Andrews and Sacred Heart church (Kampar) parish priest Fr Aloysius Tan.

In a challenging homily, Fr Paul Kee spoke of the anxiety, uncertainty and instability of the religious life and its historical journey which led to profound changes. Many have considered the religious life as outmoded.

There was a distrust in the past, and the concern was that some religious orders had lost their way.

Vatican II reviewed, and is committed anew, to the vocation of religious life.

“The year of religious life is to move out of turbulent waters to a new commitment of love, obedience, chastity and poverty.”

It is a new spring, as Pope Francis says, to ‘Wake up.’

He added that the Holy Father believes in unity in diversity, and that we are all called to bring the Good News to others, but do it in different ways.

Again quoting the Holy Father, he said, “We all have different charisms: sisters and brothers, monks and nuns, consecrated laity and priests, all make a vital contribution to the Church.

“This rich diversity is fruitful to the Church as long as its source and centre is found in the Lord Jesus.”

Pope Francis, in his teaching of The Joy of the Gospel said, the Holy Spirit alone can raise up diversity whilst maintaining unity.

“If it is from human calculation alone, then we will tend to impose a monolithic uniformity and this is not healthy for the Church.

“So, those in religious life receive special charisms which are channelled into work for the Lord.

“The religious dedicate themselves to a life for Christ, in chastity and obedience to God’s will. The spirituality of compassion and mercy is given by God to us.

Pope Francis calls us to wake up the world, and he showed us this by his example during his recent visit to the Philippines.”

(Pope Francis was moved to tears upon hearing the experiences of the street children, especially the words of 12-year-old, Glyzelle Palomar who asked him, “Why do children suffer?” and he had no answer to give.)

“To motivate us and to be the disciples we are meant to be, the Pope said that only when we are able to cry are we able to come close to responding to such a question. He was speaking of mercy and compassion.”

Quoting the Holy Father again, he said: “Those on the margins cry, as do those fallen by the wayside and discarded. But those living without a need don’t know how to cry.

“These are some of the realities that can only be seen when we allow love and mercy to enter our hearts, for these are the eyes that have been cleansed by tears.

“Bringing Jesus to the world is by loving others like Jesus does, and young people today want to see a sense of joy on the face of religious.

“They want to know how the religious resolve misunderstandings amongst themselves, and how they radiate the Gospel. Consecrated life is not only our gift to God, but our gift to the world, ” he said.

After Mass, the people joined the religious in refreshments served at the church cafeteria.