Joint Christmas Service 2015

The annual Joint Christmas Service 2015 was held on 17 December, at the Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre. This year, the Service was hosted by the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop John Ha gave the reflection for the readings. The text of his reflection can be found below.

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JOINT CHRISTMAS SERVICE – 17 DEC 2015

We are here this evening to celebrate Christmas together – to celebrate it through worship and prayer. Our celebration keeps the Lord Jesus very much in focus and draws us to gaze on Him. The theme for our celebration “Merciful like the Father” inspires us to fix our gaze on Him as the bearer of the Father’s mercy to us. This theme is drawn from Lk. 6:36 which records Christ’s command to His disciples: “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.”

YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL 

In order to have a better grasp of Christ’s command, it is useful for us to remind ourselves of what the Father’s mercy consists in. Evidently we can never fathom the Father’s mercy totally; but we do have a good idea of its essence since we have repeatedly heard it being proclaimed to us in the Bible. The primary element about the Father’s mercy is that it flows from His love. So let us do a quick run through the Bible to remind ourselves of this love and see mercy in its context.

God’s love underpinning our existence 

The very first chapter of the Book of Genesis tells us that God created us human beings in His own image and likeness (cf. Gen. 1:26,27). In essence, this means God created us to share in His own life in paradise symbolically depicted as the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15). Why? Because God is love and wanted to share His life with us. Unfortunately, we were not contented with that; we wanted to be “like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Deep down in our hearts we strove to declare independence from God and be gods to ourselves and compete with God our Creator.

God’s mercy underpinning our salvation 

As God had warned us, the consequence of our ambitious attempt to be gods unto ourselves was death (Gen. 3:3). In justice, we deserved to die. But God’s love for us was too great to allow us to die. God’s love led to His mercy. So He immediately announced His plan to destroy the serpent tempter: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15). When carried out, this plan would bring us salvation.

The one to destroy the tempter would be Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man. Indeed, the Son of God “emptied Himself (of His divinity), taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness” (Phil. 2:7). We lost the image and likeness of God through sin; the Son of God took on our human likeness to restore God’s image to us.

Satisfying God’s justice 

As if emptying Himself of His divinity to become man was not enough, Jesus “being found in human form, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death – death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Here, Jesus took our place to pay the death penalty we deserved for sinning. In this way, He satisfied the justice of God for us.

Justice satisfied and mercy shown 

On the third day of His death, the Father raised Jesus to life. Following that, Jesus ascended to His Father’s right hand to reassume His divine status. Through His resurrection and ascension, the Father expressed His acceptance of Jesus’ satisfaction of justice in the name of fallen humankind. With this came forgiveness of sins and bestowal of life to all.

In the symbolic terms borrowed from the opening chapters of Genesis, Jesus’ death on the cross was the striking of His heel by Satan; His resurrection from the dead was His striking of Satan’s head, whereby He scored total victory over him. Indeed, by His resurrection, Jesus restored to us the image and likeness of God in which we were created but which we lost through our sins. In this way, we have been reconciled with God and brought into a renewed relationship with Him in paradise.

Christmas celebrates God’s love and mercy 

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus the Son of God who emptied Himself of His divinity to become man and die on the cross on our behalf to satisfy God’s justice and win His mercy for us. The birth of Jesus manifested God’s love. The love of God gives us joy.

GRATITUDE: “BE MERCIFUL” 

Our experience of God’s love and mercy stirs up in us a deep sense of gratitude to Him. The greatest and most genuine expression of gratitude is to imitate God in His mercy. The directive Jesus gave to His disciples, “Be merciful as your Father is merciful”, is a call to express gratitude to the Father for His mercy.

This evening I would like to look at our response at two levels: the level of the ACS and our own personal level.

The level of the ACS 

The Association of Churches in Sarawak was established, I think, at least forty years ago. Before that, the different Churches were not only not talking to one another but often talking against one another – with an air of superiority and a judgemental attitude.

The Association of Churches has now come a long way from that kind of attitude. Over time and guided by the Holy Spirit, we have learnt to love one another. In this love, we have learnt to forgive the hurts we caused to one another. We have learnt to respect and accept one another as children of the one Father in heaven – a status we do not deserve but we enjoy by the grace of the loving mercy of the Father.

Yes, we have experienced this loving mercy of God and are now reflecting it not just to one another but also jointly to others. Let me just single out a couple of ministries clearly reflecting the Father’s loving mercy.

Pro-Life Ministry 

This ministry seeks to save the lives of unborn babies. Those in this ministry have gone all out to proclaim the sanctity of life and reach out especially to pregnant girls and young women contemplating abortion. They have also been invited by different schools to talk to students about the value of life and advise them about boy-girl relationship. Their good work has been widely acknowledged.

Prison Ministry 

Another ministry of mercy is the Prison Ministry. Members make regular visits to the prison – reaching out to prisoners with God’s love and mercy to give them hope and inspire them to turn over a new leaf. Prison ministers carry out their visits without a judgemental attitude.

Individual member Churches 

There are many other ministries of love and mercy different member Churches of the ACS are carrying out. It is not possible to list all of them within the limited time available in this Joint Christmas Prayer Service. But surely, all of them are ways in which we Christians seek to be “merciful like the Father”.

Personal level 

The personal level on which we seek to respond to Christ’s call to “be merciful like your Father” touches on several areas.

The family 

The primary place where we are called to show love and mercy is of course the family. Let Christ’s call this evening be an occasion for us to examine our attitude towards our spouses and children. Am I loving and merciful towards those closest to me? Do I forgive when hurt? Do I apologise when wrong? Do I take out my anger on my family? Am I a terror in my family? Or am I a person of love? Am I doing my part to put God at the heart of my family? Am I drawing my family to God and to one another in love?

Neighbourhood, workplace and Church 

From the family we move to our neighbourhood, our work place and our Church. How do I relate with people around me? Are they persons or simply nobodies? Do I exploit them for my own ends and purposes? Do I have a personal agenda in my relationship with others? Am I imposing on them? Do I apologise when wrong? Do I forgive when offended? Do I show love and inspire love?

Poor and needy 

There are many people around us we are called to help – the poor and the needy, the sick and specially challenged persons, victims of human trafficking and exploitation, and even those in prison, and the list goes on. It would be strange if we did not know of any individual in need. We are called to respond to their need in the name of Christ – to show the Father’s mercy to them. For all of them are our sisters and brothers, children of the one Father in heaven.

In short, have we Christians been “the salt of the earth and light of the world” (Mt. 5:13,14) by being “merciful like the Father”?

LOVE AND MERCY – QUALIFICATION FOR THE KINGDOM 

When Christ returns at the end of time, He wants to take us into His kingdom. But we need to qualify for entry. What is the qualification for entry? Christ spells it out in very clear terms in Mt. 25:31-46. Let me quote the following verses (34-37; 40):

“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me… Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

What does this all mean for us at Christmastide? As we gaze at the Lord Jesus in the manger, we are led to sense His helplessness as a baby just born, His poverty as He was wrapped in swaddling cloth lying on the feeding trough of cattle, His humility as He became man. All these conditions reflected those of our sinfulness: in sin we are helpless, poor and humiliated. At birth Jesus identified Himself with us in conditions we have landed ourselves in through our sins.

Underlying Jesus’ identification with us is of course His love and mercy for us. In His love and mercy He wanted to take our place to satisfy His Father’s justice and pay the death penalty due to our sin. In this way, we could once again be reconciled with the Father and share in His eternal life in His kingdom for which He created us.

In the light of all this, Christmas is seen as a manifestation of the Father’s love and mercy for us. Our celebration of it becomes meaningful and fruitful only when we genuinely respond to Christ’s call to “be merciful like your Father”. From this genuine response springs forth joy – the joy of Christmas.

It is in this joy that I wish all of you and your dear ones at home: “A joyous Christmas filled with the Lord’s love and mercy.” 

- The end -

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A visit to Thailand

Archbishop John Ha celebrates Mass in St Joseph’s Church, Ayutthaya

In 2013 Bishop Silvio Siripong of the Diocese of Chantaburi (Thailand) led a group of 22 of his priests to visit the Archdiocese of Kuching. We were of course thrilled and worked out a programme of praying and reflecting together, sharing our pastoral experiences and challenges and enjoying one another’s company.

In September 2015 11 priests from the Archdiocese of Kuching went with me on a return visit to the Chantaburi clergy. We also took opportunity of our visit there to meet the Archbishop of Bangkok, Cardinal Francis Xavier Kriengsak, and the Archbishop Emeritus, Cardinal Michael Michai, and the priests of the Archdiocese of Bangkok.

The visit was most fruitful in many ways. Needless to say, the experience of fraternal unity in the priesthood as well as the universality of the Church was concrete and edifying. While we had met the 22 Chantaburi priests who had come to Kuching, we did not know the others. The hospitality we received from the Thai clergy could only have come from a heart that felt we all belonged to the family of God – the Church, and we were all exercising the same ministry of serving the members of this family, but in different dioceses and countries. This experience had a value beyond dollars and cents.

The Catholic Church in Thailand makes up no more than 1% of the country’s entire population. Yet her contribution to the nation especially through her schools is enormous. With more than 400 schools throughout the country, the Church has educated millions of Thais, regardless of religion. A good many national leaders as well as those in different businesses and organisations were students of Catholic schools before.

The education Catholic schools in Thailand are giving is so good that many parents, including Buddhist parents, strive to enrol their children in them. True to form, these schools do not seek to convert their Buddhist students. They seek to provide high quality education coupled with good character formation to make their students good persons and good citizens – a point much appreciated in the country.

Among the social works engaged by the Diocese of Chantaburi we had the opportunity to see two. The first is the good work done by the Good Shepherd Sisters. They have set up the Fountain of Life Centre in Pattaya. The town is a tourist hotspot well known for its sex industry. There many women have been lured into the sex trade. Many of these have migrated from rural areas to earn a living.

In order to equip those of these women wishing to seek a decent and dignified livelihood, the Fountain of Life Centre provides training in different skills (like hairdressing, dressmaking, cooking, foot massaging, and even learning to read and write). Some graduates of this training Centre have started their own businesses while many others have found employment in different companies.

Group photo at the Fountain of Life Centre, Pattaya

Every person wants a decent livelihood. Deprived of that, some are forced into the sex trade because they lack proper skills for employment. The Fountain of Life Centre is providing an opportunity for those women caught in the situation. In reality, many of them want decent employment. With this employment, their lifestyle also changes and they are rewarded with a sense of satisfaction and self-fulfilment. They also recover their dignity as persons.

The second social project is the Diocesan Orphanage. Abandoned or unwanted babies are taken in, taken care of and brought up by very dedicated “mothers”. Some of these children have been adopted by couples after very stringent screening. Those not adopted continue to be looked after in the orphanage with love. Those who have reached school going age are sent to schools. A good number have even gone to university and graduated. Their photographs are proudly displayed on a wall in the conference hall.

Two stories narrated by Fr. Michael Weera, Director of the orphanage, were particularly telling. The first was the response by a child of a visiting family. Everyday families line up to bring food to the orphans. The child remarked that the orphans were having good life. He was then jokingly asked: “Would you like to live here?” He spontaneously answered, “No.” It was a serious answer because the orphans had no parents. Indeed, no matter how much they try to look after the orphans, the dedicated “mothers” can never replace their biological parents. Deep in their hearts, every child in the orphanage, though well taken care of, must be yearning for parental love.

The second story concerned an orphan who had graduated with a degree. His biological mother came to look for him. Both of them met in the presence of Fr. Weera. While the graduate knelt before Fr. Weera to express his gratitude to him for the care and education given him, he kept his distance from his mother. When she asked him if he would take her as mother, he said, “Give me time.” This, of course, was an understandable response since relationship requires time to build up. I pray that the time will come when the mother and son could build up a family relationship.

The graduate could, however, have given an opposite response. To say the least, he could have expressed his utter disappointment with his biological mother and grilled her with uncomfortable questions. Or, he could have become angry with her and thrown nasty remarks on her. I guess the good upbringing received at the orphanage and the maturity of mind acquired through good education have made of the graduate a real gentleman.

After four days in the Diocese of Chantaburi we left for Sampran where the Archdiocese of Bangkok has a Pastoral Training Centre called “Baan Phu Wan” (House of the Sower). It is a magnificent building with 180 guest rooms and a whole lot of facilities spread over acres of land with a huge lake and countless trees of different species. There we were accommodated and treated to a sumptuous lunch by the Archbishop of Bangkok with his priests – the only opportunity we had for fellowship.

In the Archdiocese of Bangkok we visited two main places of interest. The first was the Shrine of Blessed Nicolas Bunkerd Kitbamrung. He was martyred in 1944 when the Church was persecuted. The other place was Ayuthaya, the ancient capital of Siam. There College General was born in 1666 as a result of a synod convened in 1665 by French Foreign Missionaries. Blessed Nicolas received his priestly training at the College.

College General, also known as College of the Holy Angels, was started as the Major Seminary to train priests for East Asia. It has a long and difficult history, moving from Ayuthaya to Chantaburi, later to Hondat in Cambodia, then to Pondicherry in India and finally in 1808 to Penang where it still is. The College had trained many priests for dioceses in countries like China, Indochina, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak before these dioceses formed their own diocesan or regional seminaries. Thailand started its own national seminary, Lux Mundi, in the mid-seventies, Kuching in 1980 and Singapore in 1983. These seminaries could truly be said to have been born of College General.

Facade of St Joseph's Church, Ayuthaya

As one trained in College General, I felt a very strong bond with Ayuthaya its birthplace. We visited St. Joseph’s Church, the place where the synod took place. The birthplace of College General could not be precisely identified, but it was in the vicinity of St. Joseph’s Church – somewhere on the opposite bank of the river that flows past the Church. Thinking of the so many Thai priests and some Bishops who were trained with me as well as before me at College General, I felt a deep sense of “coming back” to a common ancestry with the Church in Thailand. The presence of the Kuching presbyterium with me during the visit intensified the feeling of communion with the Thai Church.

While the first Mill Hill Missionaries landed in Sarawak in 1881, my visit to Ayuthaya led me to a period well before that. I was carried way back to 1666 when College General was born. Yes that was history. But it had everything to do with the Church in Sarawak so that I could say that the history of the Church in Sarawak forms a part of that history which eventually is a branch of the history of the universal Church!

All this history could only be the work of God through His Holy Spirit. The history of salvation planned by God and carried out by Jesus Christ has reached our day through the Holy Spirit. All thanks, praise and glory be to Almighty God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Archbishop John Ha

Lenten Appeal 2015

The sharp fall of oil prices has an adverse effect on the economy of our beloved oil producing Malaysia. Low income earners in our country are likely to feel the effect most and become poorer. As if this economic disaster was not enough, Malaysia was hard hit in January with the worst floods in decades. Evacuees numbered more than 200,000. With much of their property destroyed or damaged, many of these victims have also become poorer. We cannot imagine how much poorer the poor ones have become.

Given the situation, the Catholic Welfare Services this year need more funds to help the poor and the needy. Let us contribute generously to their Lenten appeal. In doing so, we not only help the poor and the needy, but also serve Jesus Christ in them and live as true disciples of His. For He says, “Whatever you do to the least of these brothers of mine, you do unto me” (Mt. 25:40).

Archbishop John Ha