Friday, December 9, 2011
The Nativity Story told in current world.
A story that has been told to us by our fore-fathers orally, that the Emmanuel was with us here physically on earth 2 centuries ago.
Unfortunately, the current generation is too 'sucked into' the cyber-world and could not relate this story in the same manner it's been told to us.
Therefore, there's this need to put the same story in the context that they knows best - the social network. The Church continues on from the first disciples hand-picked by Christ himself up-to-date. There were many ideology and philosophy arise and gone, e.g. Marxism, Communism, etc. However, the truth will never be over ruled. Christ himself proclaim that he is the way, truth and life. (Jn14:6)
The Church has evolved from her mediaeval faults to adapt to the current world, but the core teachings which were passed down by Christ himself remain unchanged.
"Go and therefore, make disciples of all nations." (Mt28:19a) is the call of Jesus for all of us to reach out to proclaim the Gospel - The Good News. It was told to you personally by the Bishop during your confirmation. Jesus is the words who will reveals himself when you muse through the bible.
He promised :"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."(Jn8:32). Free in this context refers to no lies or misinformation that eventually fails over time.
So, therefore, go and spread this truth to your love ones.
Friday, December 2, 2011
"If I am saved and all of my sins are forgiven, why not continue to sin?"
Question: "If I am saved and all of my sins are forgiven, why not continue to sin?"
Answer: The apostle Paul answered a very similar question in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The idea that a person could “trust in Jesus Christ” for salvation and then go on living just as he/she lived before, is absolutely foreign to the Bible. Believers in Christ are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit changes us from producing the acts of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) to producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Christian life is a changed life because the Christian is changed.
What differentiates Christianity from every other religion is that Christianity is based on what God has done for us through Jesus Christ—divine accomplishment. Every other world religion is based on what we must do to earn God's favor and forgiveness—human achievement. Every other religion teaches that we must do certain things and stop doing certain other things in order to earn God's love and mercy. Christianity, faith in Christ, teaches that we do certain things and stop doing certain things because of what Christ has done for us.
How could anyone, having been delivered from sin's penalty, eternity in hell, go back to living the same life that had him on the path to hell in the first place? How could anyone, having been cleansed from the defilement of sin, desire to go back to the same cesspool of depravity? How could anyone, knowing what Jesus Christ did on our behalf, go on living as if He were not important? How could anyone, realizing how much Christ suffered for our sins, continue sinning as if those sufferings were meaningless?
Romans 6:11-15 declares, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”
For the truly converted, then, continuing to live sinfully is not an option. Because our conversion resulted in a completely new nature, our desire is to no longer live in sin. Yes, we still sin, but instead of wallowing in it as we once did, we now hate it and wish to be delivered from it. The idea of “taking advantage” of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf by continuing to live sinfully is unthinkable. If a person believes himself to be a Christian and still desires to live the old, sinful life, he has reason to doubt his salvation. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Answer: The apostle Paul answered a very similar question in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The idea that a person could “trust in Jesus Christ” for salvation and then go on living just as he/she lived before, is absolutely foreign to the Bible. Believers in Christ are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit changes us from producing the acts of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) to producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Christian life is a changed life because the Christian is changed.
What differentiates Christianity from every other religion is that Christianity is based on what God has done for us through Jesus Christ—divine accomplishment. Every other world religion is based on what we must do to earn God's favor and forgiveness—human achievement. Every other religion teaches that we must do certain things and stop doing certain other things in order to earn God's love and mercy. Christianity, faith in Christ, teaches that we do certain things and stop doing certain things because of what Christ has done for us.
How could anyone, having been delivered from sin's penalty, eternity in hell, go back to living the same life that had him on the path to hell in the first place? How could anyone, having been cleansed from the defilement of sin, desire to go back to the same cesspool of depravity? How could anyone, knowing what Jesus Christ did on our behalf, go on living as if He were not important? How could anyone, realizing how much Christ suffered for our sins, continue sinning as if those sufferings were meaningless?
Romans 6:11-15 declares, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”
For the truly converted, then, continuing to live sinfully is not an option. Because our conversion resulted in a completely new nature, our desire is to no longer live in sin. Yes, we still sin, but instead of wallowing in it as we once did, we now hate it and wish to be delivered from it. The idea of “taking advantage” of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf by continuing to live sinfully is unthinkable. If a person believes himself to be a Christian and still desires to live the old, sinful life, he has reason to doubt his salvation. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friendship with Jesus: A Camp with A Difference
Excitement and enthusiasm filled the air as 33 young people from the Church of the Immaculate Conception assembled at Stella Maris, Penang for a bonding and fellowship with Jesus. It was held on 25 - 27 November 2012 and was facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan, IJS with her team of facilitators, Florita Tan Buenaobra, Valentine Gill, Jelorie Peroja and Asella Jessica Goon.
A Bible Enthronement, facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan, set the mood for a prayerful and meaningful introduction to be nourished by God’s Word during the whole camp.
The awareness session was done very creatively by Jessica Goon where participants were asked to pick their secret friend and to encourage them to write positive notes of affirmation.
The session on the sense of belonging and acceptance was conducted by Valentine Gill. The participants were given the opportunity to reflect on their sense of belonging to self, family, friends and God. To emphasize the sense of belonging, two movies were shown, “The Outsider” and the “Children of Heaven”. These were followed by a Movie Forum conducted by Sr. Gertrude Tan. This helped the participants to reflect on the movies and to share on their life experiences.
A Taizé prayer was a moment of quiet time with God which provided the participants a space to be united with the Lord in songs and mantras. Tea candles were lighted in the form of a cross reminding them of the love, suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord.
 |
| After the Taizé Prayer |
This was done through a simple ceremony by the facilitators in honoring each participant with a blue ribbon, symbolizing his or her uniqueness - “Who Am I Makes A Difference.”
Hands together to Fr. Michael Cheah and the Parish Pastoral Council for the financial support and prayers. A heartfelt thanks also goes to Florita Tan Buenaobra and her assistants for the enthusiasm and support in organizing this friendship camp without forgetting Catherine Tan who helped in the planning as well as the parents who came and shared the pot bless with the participants.
by: Jelorie
Youth Leaders Prepare for PDYD 2
It was with great enthusiasm and joy that 28 youth leaders from the five districts of the Diocese of Penang gathered at the Church of St. Anne Penang island.
The 2-day meeting was organized and facilitated by the Pre-PDYD 2 committee composed of the staff of the Penang Diocesan Youth Network (PDYN ), WYD 2011 pilgrims, representatives from CHOICE Penang and members of Islander´s Tamil Youth Network (ITYN).
The Bible Enthronement, led by Sr. Gertrude Tan, IJS, highlighted the Word of God as the source of inspiration and wisdom. Each participant offered a lighted candle as a symbolic gesture of openness and commitment.
Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu, the director of PDYN , cheerfully welcomed the participants and presented the theme for PDYD 2 celebration. The reflection on the theme, Rejoice in the Lord always! (Phil 4.4) was facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan where participants were asked to reflect and share in small groups the sources and hindrances of abiding joy, love and trust in Jesus and the experiences of hopelessness and ways to overcome it.
A beautiful and touching testimony from the World Youth Day (WYD) 2011 pilgrims followed where varied experiences of joy, conversion and encounter with God were highlighted. Michael Peter Foo wrapped up the sharing with the line, “The spiritual journey in the WYD is an invitation to focus our gaze on Christ.”
The invitation to focus our gaze on Christ was the central point of the planning for PDYD 2 which was facilitated by Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu. Proposals made by the Pre-PDYD 2 committee were presented and participants discussed them in small groups. The final plan was presented and accepted by all the participants.
The experience of outpouring commitment and generosity ended with ritual on lights, facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan, reminding them of their responsibility to continue to share their experiences. Members of the PDYD 2 committee were presented to the group and Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu asked the participants to join him in blessing the youth leaders who generously accepted the responsibility to make PDYD 2 a reality.
By: Jelorie
By: Jelorie
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Taize Prayer and Youth Mass in conjunction with 1st MCYMC meeting
All the youth ministers from all 9 dioceses in Malaysia will come to Penang for the 1st Malaysia Catholic Youth Ministers Committee (MCYMC) meeting from 24 to 28 October 2011.
We would like to meet with all the youths in Penang in the two events above.
Hope to see you all there!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
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