Yesterday (Oct 24), the seminary community went to the Singapore Science Centre for our Educational Outing.
Would like to share with you some of my pictures taken during the trip:-
Singapore Science Centre...here we come!!
the 'Organizer' and the 'Cashier' at the ticket counter
Adrian the Baptist
'kaa..boom' an experiment shown to us!
the 'jing-bang' again!!
(Introduction based on Psalm 26 (27).
Last year when I visited my uncle who was old
and sick, I used to bring him Holy Communion. He will usually ask about my
parents and how the other relatives back home in Seremban. He will always tell
me that he wants to come and visit them. Then when his situation became worst and he
couldn’t eat anything, just being fed with fluid through the tube, I did not
bring him Holy Communion. He called me close to him and whispered to me. I
thought he was going to ask the same questions whenever I visited him; how are
my parents and those in Seremban.
But to my surprise he asked me for the
Eucharist. I was speechless. My cousin
heard what he was asking and she consoled him by telling him that once he gets
better and the tubes are removed he can receive Holy Communion. 
In his request to me, my uncle actually repeated the same sentiments found in
psalm 26(27); “There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long, to
live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the sweetness
of the Lord, to behold His temple".
All he wanted was to live with God and to savour the sweetness of the lord. He
never received Holy Communion before he died but he did receive the Sacrament
of the Anointing of the sick and I believe with his faith during his dying days
he is now enjoying God’s presence and savouring the sweetness of the Lord.
Dear friends, how privileged are we, for everyday we have the opportunity to
savour the sweetness of the Lord through the Eucharist and sit in his presence
in the Blessed Sacrament. Let us pray that we will not take God’s gift and
graces for granted but come to appreciate and long for it.
We also thank God for calling us and we pray too, that we will be worthy
ministers of His sacraments.
(Introduction based on the hymn with Psalm 35(36).
Usually in the beginning of the movies, we will always see that the life of the action hero or super hero would go smoothly and successful. Then there would come a situation where they would be in great difficulty, but after all that, at the end, they would somehow get all the strength and be victorious in whatever they were trying to accomplish.
In real life too, we can see this happening. Everything will go on smoothly in the beginning then out of a sudden there will be an overturn where we would face difficult situations or reach a dead end. Then what are we to do? Where are we to get strength like the super heroes? 
The 2nd verse of the hymn gives us a clue that we might have forgotten or even taken for granted. It sings “Your peaceful presence, giving strength, is everywhere, and fallen men may rise again on wings of prayer.” True, this is what we are to do when we are in those situations, and I know many can testify to experiences of rising again through prayer.
Even in times when we have fallen in sin, for psalm 35 (36) says that when we are in a sinful situation we do not experience God, we can’t feel him, we have no fear of God. So we the fallen should all the more pray. For only in God can we find refuge in the shelter of his wings and our sins forgiven.
We can rise again on wings of prayer!
This is one explanation to what is 'inculturation'.
hehehe
Enjoy!!
argh my body and especially the legs are screaming of pain!!
ouch my shin! should have just quietly watched the clip.
(Scripture Reading: Col. 1:3a-6)
The feast of St. Luke reminds us how blessed we are; that we are truly a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart.
Why I am linking this to the feast of St. Luke, is because in his gospel, we see the simple, humble, lowly, upright, just, outcast and the anawim of Yahweh are exalted. People like Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds, the many women, Zachaeus and many more are looked upon by the Lord. The Lord has raised up the lowly.
Thus we are reminded of our own calling. We have come to realize that though we are unworthy but God in his infinite love have called us and is preparing us for a mission. Just like St. Luke, we are called to proclaim the marvel works of our Lord and to announce news of happiness, of God’s love and forgiveness.
This morning, as we praise the Lord for choosing us, we pray that He will bless us with strength and zeal for His mission.
As we celebrate the Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila (also known as Teresa of Jesus), I would
like to touch on one of her writings taken from her book the 'Interior Castle'; "To think little but love much". She was referring this to those who are progressing towards the road to holiness.
It is very true that it is easier to love than to think a lot. In our faith there are so many things to think about and we can get so caught up and confuse about it. Things like, God, His mysterious plans, His ways, those stands that the church takes, and the dogmas and teachings. And Teresa's words think little but love much works here. For example, some people get so confuse about the role of Mary in the church but only if they start loving her they can really understand her and her role better. And by loving, we are actually pleasing God.
It is also just like our relationships, we don't go thinking and questioning about the other person, because if we do that, we get confuse and the relationship comes to ruin, but when we love much, we began to appreciate and understand the other better. It also applies to work, when we love what we are doing, we would peacefully be doing it.
So if we want to progress towards the road to holiness like Teresa, let us then take heed to her writings; 'The important thing is not to think much, but to love much; then, do whatever most arouses you to love. For love consists, not in the extent of our happiness, but in the firmness of our determination to try to please God in everything, and to endeavor, in all possible ways, not to offend Him'.
Oops....after my last post...there's been a fight!!!
Told them not to fight over me...what to do??? Haiz!!!! hehehehe.
In today's Gospel (Luke 11:1-4) we see a disciple of Jesus eagerly asking the Lord to teach them to pray. In the beginning of the text we are told that Jesus was at a certain place praying. Jesus was setting an example for his disciples. Seeing Jesus praying, the disciples wanted to follow him, they wanted to pray too.
As disciples of Jesus, as Christians, do we pray? Are our life an example of prayer? Do people want to pray after seeing us praying in faith? Do our children, siblings, relatives and friends see us praying that they too have been inspired to want to pray?
Jesus has taught us the most simple prayer, just a few words BUT it has so much meaning. We can go on and on talking about this prayer.
Let us now join this 'Great' man of God - the late Pope John Paul II in praying the prayer Jesus taught us - the Lord's prayer. The Pope sings it in Latin - Pater Noster.
Yesterday evening we were happy to have Rev. Fr. Ryan Innas Muthu to celebrate his Thanksgiving Mass at the seminary. He was ordained on October 1st 2007. I journeyed with him since 2001 when i joined the seminary and he was in his 3rd year (2nd year philosophy). We were together again in Singapore when i joined in 2005 to start my theological studies. But i remember him way back in the year 1996 when we went for a vocation camp in College General, Major Seminary in Penang. (Ryan, do you still remember the Nasi Kandar we had at Komtar just before taking the bas back home!!) At that camp there were about 99 participants (short of one and i guess he went missing. Not to worry, Christ has gone looking for him! So are you that one?) and the camp has produced and still producing many fruits. His classmate now Fr. Stanley also from that camp was ordained on October 4th. Waiting for him to come back to the seminary to celebrate a mass with us.
Seeing him celebrating the mass, was really a good motivation for me. His homily was a call to all of us seminarians to persevere and trust in the Lord. I am sure the mass brought back memories to the formators of their own 1st mass and i could see their look of pride for nurturing and guiding Fr. Ryan in becoming a priest.
Dear friends, I ask of your continuous prayers for us seminarians and priest. God bless you.
