Anyone attending mass
at the church of St.Anne last Sunday would have realized the serious concern
expressed by its Parish Priest, Rev.Fr.Hendry Rajoo on commercialization of the
yearly feast of St.Anne in Bukit Mertajam. This was also clearly printed in the
weekly bulletin. This is indeed a concern that most of us share but the
question is what are we doing to stop this commercialization of our faith?We all seem to join in the fun to celebrate the feast in ways contrary to what St.Anne would have wanted.
I fully agree with Fr.Rajoo that we must put a stop to
activities dealing with making money in the premises of the church during the
feast. This is a good move although many may not agree but as it is the right move
we should not hesitate to push hard for it.
In fact I feel we should stop celebrating the feast on the
scale it is done today. Celebrate it just like any other feast, one a small scale
and making it more solemn and personal to the heart. Unless we take deliberate and
bold measures to put a stop to the commercialization of our feasts, I am afraid
they are going to soon lose the real meaning and significance in our lives.
As the people of God let us give our support to Fr.Rajoo in
his efforts to halt the continuing commercialization of the annual St.Anne’s feast,
which is becoming a major money-spinner for the church and many others who use it to make quick money. The
money spent on the feast can be put to better use on those who are in dire need
of material and spiritual help.
