Lenten Appeal 2016

In addition to the poor people whom the CWS and St. Vincent de Paul Society are helping every year, natural disasters like earthquakes and floods in different parts of the world have left many victims in need, especially, to build up their damaged or destroyed homes. Extraordinary appeals of help for these victims have thankfully met with good response; but these appeals are kept to the minimum so as not to overburden the faithful. Hopefully in this Year of Mercy the Lenten appeal will raise very much more funds than in the past to enable the CWS to extend help to natural disasters. 

In this Year of Mercy, the call to “be merciful like the heavenly Father” (Lk. 6:36) rings out clearly. Admittedly, the rising cost of living today due to several economic factors has imposed heavier burden on people. Despite this burden, the Lord is appealing to our merciful hearts to share generously even in our poverty. Our positive response will be blessed by God to produce the effect that we read in the miracle described in Mk. 6:34-44 in which, with the five loaves and two fish offered by the apostles, Jesus fed five thousand men and had twelve basketfuls of scraps left over. Just as the apostles themselves stood to gain from this miracle – for sure from the left over scraps, so we too will receive abundant blessings from the Lord ourselves for our generosity in sharing with the have-nots and the needy. More importantly, when the Lord Jesus returns at the end of time to take us to His kingdom, we will qualify to follow Him on the grounds of His assessment: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt. 25:40).

Happy giving and God bless.

Archbishop John Ha

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Read the Lenten Appeal message in BM and Chinese.

2016年四旬期的呼吁

除了天主教福利会和圣文生德保善会每年资助的贫穷人士之外，在世界各地发生的自然灾害，如地震和水灾，让无数的灾民需要帮助，特别是在重建他们被摧毁的家园方面。为帮助这些灾民发出的特别呼吁已获得很好的回应；但是为了不给信徒们造成负担，这些呼吁都保持在最低的程度。在今年这个慈悲特殊禧年，希望四旬期的呼吁将能筹到比过去多许多的基金，让天主教福利会能够将服务扩展到帮助自然灾害。 

在这个慈悲特殊禧年，「慈悲如同天父」（路6:36）的召叫清楚地响起。我们承认，因为各种经济因素导致今天生活费高涨已给人们造成更沉重的负担。尽管面对这些负担，主向我们慈悲的心请求慷慨地分享，即使在我们的贫穷中。我们积极的回应将获得天主的祝福，而产生我们在谷6:34-44的奇迹中所读到的效果---耶稣以宗徒们提供的五饼二鱼，喂饱了五千人，并还有十二筐剩余的碎块。就如宗徒们从这个奇迹获得益处---肯定是从剩余的中获得的，我们也将因我们和一无所有的和有需要的人们分享的慷慨而从主获得丰厚的祝福。更重要的是，当主耶稣在世界終穷时再次来临带我们到祂的国度时，根据祂的评估标准：「凡你们对我这些最小兄弟中的一个所做的，就是对我做的」（玛25:40），我们将有资格跟随祂。 

祝施给快乐，天主保佑。 

夏长福总主教

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四旬期的呼吁： 英文 ｜ 国语

Rayuan Musim Lent 2016

Selain orang miskin yang dibantu oleh CWS dan Persatuan St Vincent de Paul setiap tahun, bencana alam seperti gempa bumi dan banjir di pelbagai tempat di dunia telah menyebabkan ramai orang menjadi mangsa-mangsa yang memerlukan bantuan, terutamanya untuk membina rumah mereka yang rosak atau musnah.

Rayuan luar biasa bagi bantuan untuk mangsa-mangsa ini telah menerima sambutan yang baik; namun rayuan ini dibuat pada tahap minimum agar tidak terlalu membebankan jemaat. Pada Tahun Kerahiman ini, rayuan Musim Lent diharap dapat mengumpul jauh lebih banyak lagi dana berbanding pada masa lalu untuk membolehkan CWS menghulurkan bantuan kepada mangsa bencana alam.

Pada Tahun Kerahiman ini, seruan untuk “berbelaskasihan seperti Bapa syurgawi” (Lukas 6:36) bergema dengan jelas sekali. Sememangnya, kos sara hidup yang semakin tinggi sekarang disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor ekonomi telah meletakkan beban yang lebih berat ke atas rakyat.

Walaupun demikian, Tuhan merayu kepada hati kita yang berbelaskasihan untuk berkongsi dengan murah hati walaupun dalam kemiskinan kita. Sambutan kita yang positif akan diberkati oleh Allah untuk menghasilkan kesan yang kita baca dalam mukjizat yang diceritakan di dalam Markus 6:34-44 di mana, dengan lima buku roti dan dua ekor ikan yang diberikan oleh rasul-rasul, Yesus memberi makanan kepada lima ribu orang lelaki dengan bakinya memenuhi dua belas buah raga.

Sama seperti rasul-rasul sendiri mendapat keuntungan daripada mukjizat ini – yang pasti daripada sisa makanan tadi – demikian juga kita sendiri akan menerima berkat yang melimpah daripada Tuhan di atas kemurahan hati kita yang berkongsi dengan golongan yang tidak berada dan memerlukan bantuan.

Lebih penting lagi, apabila Tuhan Yesus kembali pada akhir zaman untuk membawa kita ke dalam kerajaanNya, kita akan layak untuk mengikutiNya berdasarkan penilaianNya: “Seperti kamu melakukannya kepada salah seorang saudaraKu yang paling rendah ini, kamu telah melakukannya kepadaKu”(Matius 25:40).

Selamat memberi dengan gembira dan Allah memberkati.

Uskup Agung John Ha

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Rayuan Musim Lent 2016 dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan Bahasa Cina.

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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Too long to read online? Download a printable copy HERE.

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

Christmas Message 2014

The year 2014 is drawing to its close. It has been a year of great blessings for the Archdiocese of Kuching in terms of Jubilee celebrations: Archbishop Emeritus Dato’ Sri Peter Chung’s Diamond Jubilee, Fr. Dato’ Lawrence Chua’s and Fr. Albert Jacobse’s Golden Jubilee; and the Platinum Jubilee of Sr. Celine, Diamond Jubilee of Sr. Mary Jong, Golden Jubilee of Srs. Emily, Sylvia and Paula, and Silver Jubilee of Srs. Agatha, Perpetua and Marian. Though unknown to me, I am sure there have also been many Jubilees of marriages in the Archdiocese. To all these Jubilarians, I say: “Heartiest congratulations and God’s choicest blessings on you.”

Jubilees are occasions of God’s grace to us because they proclaim loudly the fidelity of the Jubilarians to their respective vocations: priesthood, religious life and married life. Despite the ups and downs of their lives, these Jubilarians have stuck faithfully to the Lord’s will for them. In a world which poses many challenges never faced before, such models of fidelity are much needed for inspiration and example. We are grateful to them and for them.

Today’s world poses a lot of challenges to our faith so that fidelity to God’s will becomes more difficult. Against this backdrop, the Year of Consecrated Life which runs from 21 November 2014 to 2 February 2016, declared by Pope Francis, is most relevant. Our attention is drawn to those in consecrated life, that is, the religious. In this connection, we are very grateful for the religious women and men we have in the Archdiocese of Kuching. Their presence and ministry in the Archdiocese bring to the fore a number of important aspects of the Church. Let me single out a few of them.

1. Religious are an essential part of the Church, the family of God. In this sense, their presence in the Archdiocese of Kuching provides a more complete composition of this family of God. Concretely, the religious men we have are not just from Malaysia, but also come from Singapore and India. In this way, they enhance, even though to a limited extent, the universal as well as missionary character of the Church.



2. We have both active and contemplative religious. The Carmelite Sisters belong to the latter. The Carmelite Monastery is the “power house” of the Church in the Archdiocese of Kuching. They pray for the Church’s mission in the Archdiocese of Kuching. It is amazing to see an almost unbroken line of people going to the Carmelite Chapel every day for prayers and some for advice and consolation from the Sisters. The “power house” attracts people because it gives spiritual energy to them.
   
   The rest of the religious men and women in the Archdiocese are actively engaged in ministry in different areas of the Church’s mission: parish ministry, education ministry (ranging from kindergarten to school and to campus ministry), faith formation, youth ministry and so forth. Their contribution to the growth of the Archdiocese of Kuching is incalculable and invaluable.



3. The final point I would like to touch on concerns the kingdom of God. The Church is the kingdom of God on earth constantly on the move towards total fulfilment. For sure, all of us, priests, religious and lay people, are moving together on this journey. Religious women and women play an additional role in that through their community life and vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they bear living testimony to life in the kingdom. In this way, they keep us focused on the kingdom as we journey through earth.

The existence of the Church as the kingdom of God on earth was brought about by the Son of God becoming Man in Jesus Christ to enter our world to live among us and die for us that we might live in the kingdom of God. Christmas celebrates His birth for this mission. So, as we celebrate Christmas, it is important for us to think of the kingdom of God and Jesus’ invitation to us to enter it.

The Christmas story in Luke’s Gospel (2:1-20) has shepherds “going in haste” to see the baby Jesus with His mother in response to the angel’s proclamation of the good news of His birth to them: “Be not afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (vv. 10-11). In a sense, we see around the manger in Bethlehem the kingdom of God in embryo.

We ought to be inspired and moved by the shepherds’ response “in haste” (Lk. 2:16) to the good news of salvation – which is life in the kingdom of God – announced by the angel of the Lord. In a way, those in consecrated life could be seen to play a role parallel to that of this angel of the Lord: they share with us the good news of the kingdom of God in the hope that we will join them to respond positively to it. In the light of this, the Year of Consecrated Life could be taken as a prolonged year-long celebration of Christmas. If we respond to the good news that religious share with us, we will enjoy the peace and joy of Christmas at least for a whole year and even beyond.

In this peace and joy of Christmas, I wish all readers: A Blessed Christmas. May all respond to Jesus’ invitation to enter the kingdom of God. He was born to enter our world so that we might be born to enter His kingdom. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!” (Lk. 2:14).

Archbishop John Ha

A Christmas Message 2011

Christmas celebrates the Word of God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ (cf. Jn. 1:14) and being born of the Virgin Mary. The Word of God was made flesh to dwell among us. His presence among us is not just external – just being in our midst – but internal as well. He is in each one of us and because of this every disciple lives in Him too. Theology calls this “mutual indwelling”. With this mutual indwelling, an intimate union exists between Jesus Christ and every disciple of His. On such grounds, St. Paul is able to assert very confidently and convincingly, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). His life is Christ’s life.

Taken to its logical conclusion, this mutual indwelling between Christ and His disciples draws them into an indivisible unity which He asserts through the metaphor of the vine and the branches (cf. Jn. 15:1-7). Evidently, Christ is the agent and driving force of this unity for all His disciples. It is He who has chosen all of them. In union with Him all disciples are brought into union with each other. This common union is what we call communion.

The communion of the disciples of Jesus, the Word made flesh, is what theology calls “the Church”. It exists at different levels – the family, the parish, the diocese and the universal Church. Communion has been our focus in the Archdiocese of Kuching. In order to foster it, we went down to the most basic unit of the Church, that is, the family. In a couple of weeks’ time, our five-year pastoral focus on the family will draw to its close. But this closure opens up to a new phase in which we take our focus on communion to the next level – which is the parish and the Archdiocese as a particular Church.

All this means we need to move on. The first step in this move is for families to open up and reach out to one another. This evidently touches on the parish which is a communion of the faithful with their families and eventually on the diocese which is a communion of parishes. Moving in order to reach out to others with love is what Christ commands His disciples to do. Love is the fruit He appoints them to “go out and bear” (Jn. 15:16). This is the mission He gives to them. If love is the fruit of mission, the communion of disciples is a pre-requisite for mission.

The citation from Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples that opens this message is the inspiration for what we in the Archdiocese of Kuching intend to do as a follow-up of our pastoral focus on the family. The Archdiocesan Pastoral Congress scheduled for August 18-22 2012 seeks to chart the direction for the Archdiocese in the years ahead. The same citation is the undergirding text for the theme of the Congress: “Church: Disciples of the Word in Communion for Mission”.

The road leading up to the Congress has been paved. It includes a substantial study of the Gospel of John and a presentation of the Congress’ theme. An important exercise on this road is the parish review of the five-year focus on the family. For this, evaluation by families of how much they have been impacted by the five-year pastoral focus will be sought. It is my hope that all families will be forthcoming in their contribution and all parishes will do a thorough job. Surely, we need to know where we are before we can be clear about where we are to head as a particular Church. I ask for prayers for God’s guidance through His Spirit to lead us on in our pastoral endeavour to build His kingdom for His glory.

Jesus Christ was born in very humble conditions – in a manger in Bethlehem, because “there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk. 2:7). He wants a room in our hearts and in our families. Let us make room for Him, even though we may be tempted to think that our sinfulness makes us unworthy to host Him. He came precisely to dwell in our midst – indeed, to dwell within us. He took this initiative to come to dwell within us precisely because of our sinfulness. Let us respond to His initiative and live in Him as He lives in us and, in our union with Him, be in communion with one another in the family, in the parish, in the Archdiocese. This communion will certainly bear the fruit of love.

Following His discourse on the vine and the branches, Jesus clarifies, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15:11). May this joy be ours in its fullness as we celebrate Christmas. To close, I wish every Catholic in the Archdiocese of Kuching and every reader of Today’s Catholic: A joyous Christmas and a blessed New Year 2012.

Archbishop John Ha

[Messages] Lenten Message 2010

Photo by Hobart Kho Chik Wei

Several years ago I met a devout Muslim from Indonesia at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He told me, “If I had 100 plates of rice and could only consume one, all the other 99 belong to those who do not have any.” This striking view surely reflects the Gospel’s clear teaching, “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise” (Lk 3:11). Often what we have and do not need go to waste. Can we continue to accumulate goods to eventually throw them away, when there are so many who do not have basic necessities? Do we realise that what we have is a blessing from the Lord and the Lord’s blessings are to be shared? When we share generously and radically, on earth “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into our lap” (Lk 6:38), and in heaven, we will have “a treasure that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Lk 12:33). Don’t we want such blessings from the Lord? If so, be generous and give to the poor!

Archbishop John Ha