A Prayer for GE13

 

With just 2 days to go before the most crucial 13GE,there is anxiety and even fear of the uncertainties that we are bracing for during and after the voting. While we must do everything within our means to ensure a favorable and peaceful outcome, but our human efforts alone may not be enough without your divine intervention from above. So let us join the people of all faiths to pray for the nation, for a fair and peaceful election where the people are free to vote without fear or harassment.

Let us all ask God to grant us :

1.Wisdom – Let’s ask God to enlighten the minds of the voters with great wisdom to vote the right person and party that will form the new government. They will be making one of the most important decisions in the lives in choosing their future and that of their children and grandchildren. We hope and pray that God will guide them in the decision they make on 5/5

2.Courage. We pray that God grant the voters the courage to vote from their hearts and not out of fear or selfish desires for themselves and their families. Make them realize that their votes for the right party this time will help get rid of corruptions, abuse of power and racism that plague our nation.

3.Emergence of new and capable leaders. May the 13GE give rise to the emergence of many young and talented leaders who are people oriented and dedicated to work for the people rather than for themselves. May the leaders who are elected be people with integrity and honesty and always willing to put the interest of their voters above them.

4. Free and fair elections. Let us pray for a clean, fair and free election so that the people truly get what they voted for. We pray for the Elections Commission to be impartial in carrying out their duties as their actions will affect the outcome of the polls.

5. Peaceful election. Let us pray for peace to prevail throughout the period of this election - before, during and after. May the individuals and parties that participate in the elections conduct themselves in a dignified and civilized manner upholding the laws at all times.

May God guide the people and parties to accept the verdict of the people with magnanimity in keeping the principles of democracy. May the winners and losers close ranks quickly peacefully and return to serve the people who voted for them


Lord we thank you for all the blessing you have showered upon us, our nation and the people. We thank you for the peace and unity among the people of various races and religions.

Continue to bless us with that peace and unity during this election.

Grant us the peace and goodwill especially after the elections if there is a change of government. May the winner show humility to extend their hands of friendship to the losers and may the losers accept the verdict of the people with peace and magnanimity. May both the losers and winners put aside their animosity and differences close ranks and return quickly to serve the people who have placed their trust in them.

Lord bless our nation with a government that practices good governance and places the welfare of the people above all others. Help create an environment of peace and goodwill where we can all live harmoniously together as equal citizens of our beloved Malaysia.

May our heavenly Mother be with us to guide us as we cruise along our journey in this land of ours.

GE 13 - our moral obligation to vote

 

Just 4 days more and we will have to make one of the most important decisions in our lives - who to vote in this 13GE on 5/5. In this 13GE we have to choose mainly between maintain BN and changing to PR.

As Christians, we know what Jesus stood for - truth and righteousness, love and compassion for all of mankind. He demonstrated these to the extreme – to accept death to stand up uncompromising for truth and injustice

Factors to consider on making our choice in this crucial 13GE :

1.We have to vote to end triad of evil - corruption, abuse of power and racism.

2.Justice.The people especially the poor need justice, treated with dignity and fairly as Malaysians.

3.We need freedom to do what we believe is right including freedom of   worship

4.We need unity and goodwill among the different races and religions. We need to be treated equally and not abused and insulted for being different in color and creed

5.We need a free media to question and expose every wrong at the corridors of power. We need an independent media to reveal the truth, however deeply it may hurt.

We have to choose the party that will fulfill all these aspirations of the people. Considering all these, as a Christian I don't think we have any choice but to vote for change, a change that will bring the dawn of a new Malaysia with a better system of governance to regain our past glory as united, progressive and peace-loving nation.

Let’s ask God to give us the wisdom to make the right choice on 5/5.Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to inspire us as we mark that most important ‘X’ in our life.

Let’s  VOTE WISELY. Let’s Vote for change

Easter Reflection 2013

 

Jesus is risen and alive in our midst

Tomorrow we will be celebrating the great feast of Easter that marks the resurrection of Jesus. The church considers this as the greatest feast in its liturgical calendar as the resurrection forms the basic foundation of our faith.

The resurrection of Jesus 3 days after his death on the cross remains a mystery despite being clearly documented in the Gospels as witnessed by those close to him. It could have taken place 3 millenniums ago but it continues to be the strength of our faith.

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to us today? It is not so much of Jesus walking out of death and physically ascending into the heavens. Instead it is more about Jesus being still alive in our midst today despite being crucified more than 2,000 years ago. He may not be physically visible, heard or felt but he is definitely present in each and every person we meet and in every event that occurs in our lives, good and bad alike. If we believe in his resurrection, then we must believe that he is alive in each and everyone one of us.

 

In whatever we do or say we must bear in mind the words of Jesus, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.”(Mathew25:40). It doesn’t matter who the person is but as long as we do something to him we do it to Jesus as Jesus lives in that person with whom we deal. If only we realize this basic fact that Jesus left behind by Jesus we will never do bad to anybody but only good. If only we understand this fact, we will not waste our time, money and energy in search of the risen Jesus in places he may not dwell. 

As we celebrate Easter seek that risen Jesus in everyone we meet especially the poor and despised. Let us seek him in every problem that we face as we journey through life.

A blessed and joyous Easter

Good Friday - forgiveness

Cross - Love, Sacrifice, Forgiveness 

Today on Good Friday Catholics will gather in churches to commemorate the passion and crucifixion of Jesus. One of the most significant rituals in today’s celebration is the veneration of the cross, when the members of the congregation take turns to honor and kiss the cross on which Jesus died. It used to be a very exciting ritual when we were young but today I wonder whether what we did then was just a ritual without any real meaning in our lives.

Today being much older and having undergone the bitter and happy experiences in life we tend to understand the true meaning of the cross. The cross reminds of the agonizing final moments of Jesus before his death. It reminds us of the excruciating pain Jesus would have endured before he was mercilessly nailed to the cross. It was truly a very painful time but the beauty was that Jesus did not resist arrest and subsequent torture before finally being crucified. He accepted all that willingly without anger and hate for those who plotted and killed him for standing up for truth. He even forgave those who tortured him by saying, “Father forgive them as they not know what they do”. This extreme sacrifice and forgiveness is what makes Jesus different from ordinary humans like you and I. His Passion and death was a wonderful lesson for all us who fight and kill to fulfill our greed and jealousy.

Today the cross to us refers to the numerous trials and tribulation that we have to undergo in life from the time of birth till death; as a student, working adult, a husband or wife, a parent, a caring child to our parents, a retiree and finally as a neglected elderly parent during the last days of our lives. It refers to the many troubles we face in standing up for truth and justice in this world where the meek and humble are bullied. It refers to the many challenges we face in bringing up our children through thick and thin. It refers to the pain we undergo when our children neglect us at the time when we need them most. It refers to the pain and suffering we undergo when a major illness or tragedy strikes us and our families. Finally it refers to the pain that we go through when someone close leaves us and when people who meant so much us betray us.

 
The cross should remind us fop the need to have a heart to forgive even the cruelest and those who do all kinds of harm to us. It should also remind us not resort to anger, hate or violence even against those who hurt us.

As we venerate the cross today let us remember the many people around us who may be suffering like Jesus on that fateful day of his crucifixion. Let us remember the many people who are longing for food, shelter and above all for our love and consoling words and physical presence.

Let us pray for those suppressed and despised in society and those seriously ill or dying. Let pray asking God to give us the courage and a loving heart to bring a little comfort to them. Let us finally pray that God give us the virtue forgiveness, to forgive even our worst enemies.

The cross is not a symbol of sorrow but one of love, sacrifice and forgiveness

Have a Blessed and Thoughtful Good Friday

 

Holy Thursday – humility in our lives

 Jesus washing the feet of his apostles

The most significant act of Jesus that we commemorate on Holy Thursday is the washing of the feet of the apostles by none other than their master, Jesus himself. This act is one of extreme humility that Jesus wants us to emulate in our own lives when he said, “If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you must    you must wash each other's feet”(John13:14).

Today over 2,000 years later we still remember this act and our priests without fail wash the feet of their parishioners on every Holy Thursday. But do they do it out of humility or is it just a ritual that has to be done every year? Unfortunately to many of us too it is has become just a ritual of humility which we forget soon after we leave the church. 

The decision of Pope Francis to say his Holy Thursday Mass at a juvenile detention center in Rome and wash the feet of the inmates there is a very bold but right move, which shows his humility. This humility    is the real meaning of the Last Supper of Jesus. The Holy Father by his actions is leading his clergy to serve their congregation with humility. He is leading us too to serve those under our care with humility.

The question is how willing are we go down to wash the feet of those less fortunate than us. It is not literally washing their feet but going down to their level to be part of their sorrow and joy. On Holy Thursday by washing the feet of his apostles, Jesus is calling us to put aside our pride and be one with those who are poor and despised, to empathize with their plight and share the little we have with those who don’t have any. Humility should be our way of life not just on this Holy Thursday but throughout our life.



Let us pray specially this Holy Thursday that God grant us the wisdom and courage to choose the right people as our elected representatives in the coming 13GE to serve the people with humility and simplicity.
 

Have a blessed Holy Thursday