2011 CHRISTmas Experience.

This year's Christmas celebration for me has been somehow like a 'Biblical Christmas'. Allow me to explain further; The gospel readings taken for the midnight mass - Luke 2:1-14. From this reading we hear that the humble King's birth is proclaimed first to the lowly. The shepherds were generally poor and to some extent outcasts, considered by the 'respectable' to be ignorant, dirty and lawless. In another word, they can be called as 'Anawim' Yahweh - The 'poor' of Yahweh.

After my Christmas eve masses at Segamat and Cha'ah, together with Fr. Cyril and Bro. Joseph ofm cap, we traveled to the Orang Asli Kampung in the morning of Christmas Day. We had a Mass there for them and later joined them for lunch. They were prepared for the celebration, in fact I can say better then the city parishes. The singing was superb and though they had no Christmas tree or any of that sort of decorations at their 'Rumah Besar' (Place of Worship) they had decorated the place with their own cultural way with young coconut tree leaves and they even had a simple crib. They all came dressed in their best. I was told by the priest that some even wanted to do confession before mass just because they missed the penitential service 2 weeks ago. Now tell me, did they have a sense of Christmas? Was their celebration of Christmas with Christ. I'll give a big YES. They have put many of us 'materialistic' and 'respectable' people to shame. After the mass, we had the opportunity to be 'Santa Claus' or rather the real 'Saint Nicholas' by distributing some gifts to the children.

After that mass, we rushed back to Segamat to celebrate the Eucharist for the Migrants. And here again I witness tremendous preparation for the Eucharist Celebration such as the singing for mass. The church was packed for the 3.30pm mass and it was followed by an early dinner and fellowship.

In our society today, the two group above i.e. Orang Asli and the Migrants are considered the 'poor of Yahweh'. They are look down at and to some extent treated as outcasts. The scripture mentions that the Angel proclaimed to the shepherds 'good news of great joy', I hope through my presence and participation in their (Orang Asli & Migrants) celebrations I was able to proclaim the same 'Good News' and passed on the 'Joy', 'Peace' and 'Love' of Christmas.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen....Lk.2:20.