“Walking in the footsteps of Jesus”

May 28, 2015

PENANG (Herald Malaysia): The presence of a large cross with the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John Paul II invited passion and positive emotions among the youth of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on May 8. The arrival of the cross and icons were long awaited by the youth as a sign that the Penang Diocese Youth Day-3 was close at hand. Shortly after its arrival, the cross was decorated with a piece of red cloth which made us realize that the search for Jesus Christ must begin with us looking into ourselves. Is the presence of the cross and icons at our Church a call from Jesus and His Mother, that they have a special message to convey?

Many questions passed though our minds. How do we follow in the footsteps of Jesus? What is the mission that Jesus has for us in this world? We reached a consensus that we would spend our time at the Church until the cross and icons were handed over to the next parish. On the first night, the parish youth began with an activity to walk in Jesus’ footsteps with the help of Our Lady. Indeed, when the Blessed Virgin Mary stands near the cross, it reminds us that she is the one who will bring us to her Son. Many came to recite the Rosary that evening and the atmosphere in the church was full of radiance. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit which gave us strength to continue with the activities the following day.

The second day began with hymns of praise. The presence of the Holy Spirit was significant for all of us. The session reminded us of how we are so obsessed with our daily tasks that we put Jesus aside. Accompanied by hymns, we began the session Monologue with Jesus. Our hearts were open as we made our confession in front of Jesus. Then, all our prayer petitions were collected and burnt as a sign of our resubmission to Jesus.

At 3.00am in the morning, we gathered to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We began our meditation by visualizing ourselves as Mary Magdalene, just as she was rushing to the tomb of Jesus. We could feel her fear at the thought that Jesus could have been taken from the tomb. There would only be an empty space in our hearts, exactly like an empty tomb. That is the fact that we must accept.

Maybe this is the message that Jesus is giving to us with the presence of the cross at our parish. How could Jesus be in our souls which are filled with other things that we forget to spread the Good News to others? Jesus wants to love and is love. Yes, Jesus wants us to love him fully, as well as love ourselves and others. Like Mary Magdalene, Jesus is calling us again, to put aside our worries and focus on the mission of approaching others who need Him in their lives.

On the third day, Fr Stanislaus, in his homily asked, “How do you cut down many trees if you do not sharpen your axe every day? How can you love somebody if you do not love Jesus in yourself first?” The presence of the cross and icon brought a message to all of us that we must not forget to love Jesus in ourselves and that the crucified Jesus had risen for all of us. One’s life should not be bound by seeking satisfaction to enhance one’s own life. On the other hand, we are called to enhance the life of those who are struggling and whose lives are worse off than ours. We are called to forgive those who have hurt us and only then can we feel the presence of Jesus, just as Mother Mary forgave those who crucified her Son.

Finally, this three-day experience gave new life to the youth of the Church of the Holy Redeemer. We realized that the time had come to rebuild our spiritual life with Jesus and to extend our humanitarian activities to make it more meaningful. As Mother Teresa said, “Whenever we do something for others with sincerity, it gives power. No matter whatever it may be, it will fill your life with a deep abiding love.” We hope that all the meaningful experiences that we enjoyed will also be felt by the youth of other parishes when it is their turn to receive the cross and icons.