Wake Up the World ~ Pope Francis

�Religious life ought to promote growth in the Church by way of attraction. The Church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in this world,� Pope Francis said in conversation with the Union of Superiors General of Men 29 November 2014 in the Vatican. Italian Jesuit journal, La Civilt� Cattolica is publishing an article on the dialogue between the Catholic Church�s first Jesuit Pope and the Union of Superiors General of Men. 

�It is possible to live differently in this world. We are speaking of an eschatological outlook, of the values of the Kingdom incarnated here, on this earth. It is a question of leaving everything to follow the Lord. No, I do not want to say �radical�. Evangelical radicality is not only for religious: it is demanded of all. But religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way. It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be men and women who are able to wake the world up,� Pope Francis said. �Life is complicated,� Pope Francis recalled. �It consists of grace and sin.� �He who does not sin is not human. We all make mistakes and we need to recognise our weakness. A religious who recognises himself as weak and a sinner does not negate the witness that he is called to give, rather he reinforces it and this is good for everyone. What I expect of you therefore is to give witness. I want this special witness from religious.�

The 15-page article (available in English at the La Civilt� Cattolica website) documents the views of Pope Francis on religious life.

2016 ~ Holy Year of Mercy

On 13 March, 2015, Pope Francis has declared an extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy which will highlight the Catholic Church's mission to be a witness of mercy. It will begin on 8 December 2015, on the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Ecumenical Vatican Council II and will run until the Feast of Christ the King on 20 November 2016. The theme of the year will be "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful� (cfr. Luke 6:36). The logo for the year is as below, where we see Christ Jesus carrying a man sideways on His shoulders (instead of a lamb), and there are three eyes visible, the centre one clearly being shared between Christ and the man.

* * The logo has been registered in the international forum in order to safeguard its rights and to prevent any inappropriate use. It is obvious that permission must be granted by the Pontifical Council for any non-religious use of the logo and that any infringement will be duly prosecuted.

....not to condemn anyone for eternity.� Rather, �It is to pour out the balm of God�s mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heart. The way of the church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those essentially on the �outskirts� of life; to adopt fully God�s own approach; to follow the Master who said: �Those who are well have no need of the physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call, not the righteous but sinners to repentance.�

�Jesus� call encourages each of us to look underneath the surface of things,� the Pope explained, "particularly when we are face to face with a person. We are called to look beyond and to focus on the heart in order to see how much generosity one is capable of. No one can be excluded from God�s mercy; everyone knows how to access it and the Church is a home that welcomes all and rejects no one. Its doors remain wide open so that those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness. The greater the sin, the deeper Church�s love must be for those who convert.�

I Cry to You, Lord .... Hear me and Answer me. Be with me ....

Lord, I cry out too you.

Please hear me, Lord.

You alone know 

what I am going through

in my life.

You are the One who created 

me in my mother's womb,

You knew me even 

before I was formed.

You are the One who knows 

the plan for me.

You have said, 

"come pray and seek me

with all your heart, 

I will be found by you".

You also said,

"Do not be afraid,

for I am with you

to deliver you".

Lord, You have made me 

see many sore troubles

will revive me again,

from the depths of the earth

You will bring me up again.

Restore my life, O Lord,

I really want to change.

You will increase my honour,

and comfort me again.

For my enemies speak concerning me,

those who watch for my life 

consult together, and say, 

�God has forsaken him;

pursue and seize him,

for there is none to deliver him.�

O God, be not far from me,

O my God, make haste to help me!

and I say AMEN to Your will.

Lord for You alone my soul 

waits in silence,

for my hope is from You.

Lord you are my rock 

and my salvation, my fortress. 

I shall not be shaken.

On You Lord, rests 

my deliverance and my honour.

You are my mighty rock, my refuge.

I trust in You,

O Lord, You alone are my God

You alone are worthy

of all praises and glory.

I will adore and praise

You all the days of my life.

Amen.

Worship the Lord, according to His Words

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)

It is Christ who owns the church which He purchased it with His blood, and He is the Head of all His churches.

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you guardians, to feed the church of the Lord which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28) 

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. (Colossians 1:18)

Christ alone is the Head of the church as it is His church, and we as the body of Christ, we will stand in His Word, and affirm it as the truth.

God not only appointed a day of worship which is the Sabbath day, but also a way of worship. Therefore, we we should not worship any way we want. 

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)

Worship is a selfless act of giving and when we give selflessly to our God that worship will be the meaningful experience for us that we and God want it to be.

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39)

He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

Thus, we must give of ourselves completely and totally to the worship of God to receive abundant spiritual blessings in return. 

Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back. (Luke 6:38)

You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. (Matthew 4:10)

We must worship Him according to His word. Every word God was inspired by Him and is without error. 

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) 

You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me. (John 5:39)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith. (Romans 1:16)

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

St.Paul's Catholic Church, Kuala Kubu Bahru, Selangor, Malaysia

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church (1965)

Jalan Rasathurai

Kuala Kubu Baru, 

44000 Malaysia.

Sunday Masses: 7:00am & 6:00pm