WYD Sydney 2008

Pictures courtesy of the BBC website here. I like the one on the right. Only youth and the sheer exuberance of being young could come up with slogans like this!

I remember when in Manila in 1995 for the WYD celebrations there, where the local organisers had come up with the chant for the then Pope: "John Paul II - We Love You" was heard everywhere. Not to be outdone, the pontiff was quick to quip back, "John Paul II - He loves you too!". Sweet!

May the memories of these World Youth Days move us to "become the change that we wish to see in the world".

"You'll receive power" indeed.

WYD Sydney 2008 & Michel Quoist

Today July 15th. marks the beginning of the 23rd. World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney, Australia.

A week long affair, it's expected to draw a few hundred thousand youth in what has become the biggest mobilization of youth in the world. The WYD culminates on July 20th (the actual World Youth Day) with a Mass by Pope Benedict XIV. Began in 1986 by John Paul II, previous WYD celebrations have attracted millions of young people from all corners of the world.

The official world youth day website is a good place to check up on the events as they unfold. EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network), launched 26 years ago amidst much scepticism for the need of a Catholic media network is in Sydney too. In addition, the new Catholic social networking website, Xt3, is up and running. In its own words - "Whether you're coming to Sydney or not, this will connect you with everyone and everything you need. Xt3 – Bringing the Gospel of Christ into the Third Millennium and building a better world".

John Paul II's words continue to echo: "You young people have in a special way the task of witnessing today to the faith; the commitment to bring the Gospel of Christ into the third Christian Millennium, to build a new civilization"

Which leads me to a prayer by Michel Quoist, of a young person caught between his/her hopes, dreams, abilities and fears and the sheer responsibility that comes with this momentous task of witnessing to the world:

Help me to say "Yes"

I am afraid of saying 'yes' Lord. Will you take me? I am afraid of drawing the longer straw. I am afraid of signing my name to an unread agreement. I am afraid of the 'yes' that entails other 'yeses'. And yet, I am not at peace.

You pursue me, Lord, you besiege me.
I run after noise for fear of hearing you, but in a moment of silence, you slip through.
I turn from the road, for I have caught sight of you, but at the end of the path, you are there awaiting me. Where shall I hide? I meet you everywhere. Is it then impossible to escape you?

But I am afraid to say 'yes', Lord. I am afraid of putting my hand in yours, for you hold on to it. I am afraid of meeting your eyes, for you can win me. I am afraid of your demands for you are a jealous God. I am hemmed in, yet I hide. I am captured, yet I struggle, and I fight knowing that I am defeated.

For you are the stronger, Lord, you own the world and you take it from me. When I stretch out my hand to catch hold of people and things, they vanish before me. It's no fun, Lord, I can't keep anything for myself.

The flower I pick fades in my hands. My laugh freezes on my lips. The waltz I dance leaves me restless and uneasy. Everything seems empty. Everything seems hollow. You have made a desert around me. I am hungry and thirsty. And the whole world cannot satisfy me.

And yet, I loved you, Lord; what have I done to you? I worked for you; I gave myself for you. O great and terrible God, what more do you want?

Son, I want more for you and for the whole world.
Until now, you have planned your actions, but I have no need for them.
You have asked for my approval. you have asked for my support, you have wanted to interest me in your work. But don't you see, son, that you were reversing the roles? I have watched you, I have seen your goodwill, and I want more than you, now. You will no longer do your own works, but the will of your Father in Heaven.

Say 'yes', son.
I need your 'yes' as much as I needed Mary's 'yes' to come to earth.
For it is I who must do your work,
It is I who must live in your family,
It is I who must be in your neighbourhood, and not you.

For it is my look that penetrates, and not yours,
My words that carry weight, and not yours,
My life that transforms, and not yours.

Give all to me, abandon all to me.
I need your 'yes' to be united with you and to come down to earth,
I need your 'yes' to continue saving the world!

O Lord, I am afraid of your demands, but who can resist you?
That your Kingdom may come and not mine,
That your will be done and not mine,
Help me to say 'yes'.

My prayer: That out of the hundreds of thousands of young people who will throng to Sydney this year, a handful brave ones say 'yes', then the WYD has accomplished its mission. Amen.

Introducing Michel Quoist

My 7 year old son is responsible for this post! We had just got back from Mass around noon and had just settled in when my Ann, my wife, let out an anguished cry from Jonathan's (the brat!) room. Somehow, he and his cohorts had during their playtime, managed to break the non-reflective glass frame on one of her favourite pictures which had been tucked away in a carboard box away from preying fingers. This would not have been such a big issue had it not been for the fact that we had repeatedly reminded or rather "threatened!" him time and again not to meddle with such fragile stuff. How naive can we parents be! Well, to cut the story short, he was punished (no abuse took place, that's a statutory declaration) and Ann went back to her chores, and naturally I ended up at the computer. Usual, unexciting, Sunday. Until for some reason, I happened to pick up Michel Quoist's "Prayers of Life" masterpiece.

I can't remember who it was who introduced this particular book to me, but I suspect it was a young seminarian almost to become priest in South Perak, some 15-20 years ago. I remember though, being thoroughly captivated by it. Maybe it resonated so much with the way I was thinking, feeling, hoping, etc. So much so, it has become my favourite prayer book of all time. So, I thought, maybe I should put excerpts of it here so others too may discover its sheer beauty and poignancy. And so, here's the 1st installment - appropriately enough, on children! - brats, in other words. I'm sure you'll enjoy this:

I like youngsters

They brought children for him to touch; and the disciples scolded them for it. But when Jesus saw this he was indignant, and said to them, Let the children come to me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. (Mark 10, 13-15)

God says: I like youngsters. I want people to be like them. I don't like old people unless they are still children. I want only children in my kingdom; this has been decreed from the beginning of time.

Youngsters - twisted, humped, wrinkled, white-bearded - all kinds of youngsters, but youngsters.

There is no changing it, it has been decided, there is room for no one else. I like little children because my likeness has not yet been dulled in them. They have not botched my likeness, they are new, pure, without a blot, without a smear.

So, when I gently lean over them, I recognise myself in them. I like them because they are still growing, they are still improving. They are on the road. They are on their way.

But with grown ups, there is nothing to expect anymore. They will no longer grow up. They will no longer improve. They have come to a full stop.

It is disastrous. Grown ups think they have arrived.

I like youngsters because they are still struggling, because they are still sinning. Not because they sin - if you understand me - but because they know that they sin, and they say so, and they try not to sin anymore.

But I don't like grown-ups, they never harm anyone, they have nothing to reproach themselves for. I can't forgive them, I have nothing to forgive. It is a pity, because it's not true.

But above all, I like youngsters because of the look in their eyes. In their eyes I can read their age.

In my heaven, there will only be 5 year old eyes, for I know of nothing more beautiful than the pure eyes of a child. It is not surprising, for I live in children, and it is I who look out through their eyes.

When pure eyes meet yours, it is I who smile at you through the flesh. But, on the other hand, I know of nothing sadder than the lifeless eyes in the face of a child.

The windows are open but the house is empty. Two eyes are there but no light. And, saddened, I stand at the door, and wait in the cold and knock. I am eager to get in. And he, the child is alone. He fattens, he hardens, he dries up, he gets old. Poor old fellow!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Open, all of you, little old men!
It is I, your God, the Eternal, risen from the dead, coming to bring back to life the child in you.
Hurry! Now is the time. I am ready to give you again the beautiful face of a child....

For I love youngsters, and I want everyone to be like them.

YOU Will Receive Power

I just received my copy the July issue of The Word Among Us and was about to browse through it when the headlines stopped me completely: You Will Receive Power.

A Special World Youth Day issue in conjunction with the WYD Celebrations in Sydney, Australia culminating on 20 July, this print is loaded with articles, resources, messages and testimonies from a diverse group of people, ranging from John Paul II, Mother Teresa, to other common folk.

I would recommend getting this issue at all costs, if you are a "young" person (age 15-35) and if you're like me, way over that - to do the dutiful thing: getting this as a gift or souvenir either for someone young whom you know or even for yourself. We can all remain young at heart, even if the grey on the top of our heads suggest otherwise!

You may get your copy at your local church store (if your parish has one) or you may try these places:

Catholic Information Services, 50E & F, Penang Road, 10000 Penang
tel: 04-2617249email: catis@streamyx.com

Daughters of St. Paul (Paulines Sdn Bhd)
162, Jalan Gasing, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
tel: 03-77851915
email: paulineskl@yahoo.com
website: http://www.paulines.ph

or contact the Singapore distributors directly at:

The Word Among Us
The Catholic News
2 Highland Road
#01-03 Singapore 549102

*Price per copy (Pen. Malaysia): RM4.50
p.s. Do this ASAP cause they are notoriously sold out early!

The Problem With Communication

I went to mass yesterday at St. Anne's Parish in Bukit Mertajam. Later, after the service, while at breakfast back home I asked my better half what she thought of the sermon. She said, "I didn't understand what Father was saying". Which was surprising because I thought I had listened to a good homily! Annie, my wife, continued, "Maybe it's because you really tried to listen. I tried but I couldn't." Classic communication problem. One message two different results.

This morning, I logged on to the Catholic News Agency and found that the Cardinal of Sydney had launched the Catholic Social Networking site - Xt3.com, to help connect young people ahead of next month's World Youth Day. It's similar to other popular social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace. The chief reason being, in the words of Cardinal George Pell, "....ensure that young Catholics who cannot travel to Sydney for the event would be able to experience it in real time". Wow! Read the full article here.

I was at the 1995 World Youth Day in Manila and all we had then was e-mail! Handphones were still at the 1st generation stage. SMS was just beginning to happen. Now everyone can SMS!. And, Xt3 has arrived. Surely, as time goes by, such communication devices will evolve. But will our communication have improved in tandem? Most likely not. Because it's not the devices that are at fault, rather the people who use them.

"The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred." -- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish playwright and essayist said once. Which is what probably happened to me in church that day. And I liked this explanation from www.fastcompany.com:

Communication occurs when someone understands you - not when you speak. Don't mistake speaking for communication. Words are merely the tip of the iceberg. They're what the world gets to see. What they don't get to see is the thinking that lies below the surface of the water. And as such, they don't always understand where you're coming from even if they hear your words

John Paul II in his last message for World Communications Day in January 2005 addressed communicators in this way:

"Modern technology places at our disposal unprecedented possibilities for good, spreading the truth of our salvation in Jesus Christ and for fostering harmony and reconciliation" and goes on to say, "the model and pattern of all communication is found in the Word of God himself. The Incarnate Word has established a new covenant between God and his people - a covenant which also joins us in community with one another. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph.2:14)

May we all then become better communicators, drawing from the example and life of Jesus himself, at home, in schools, our places of work, in our churches (and pulpits!), organizations, in society, wherever and whenever the occasion calls for.

Go here for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign.

Enthusiasm

For the past couple of months, I've been juggling extra duties at my everyday job, venturing into Internet Marketing, being present to my wife and son, struggling in my faith journey while keeping my sanity at the same time! Needless to say, it's not exactly been a resounding success. In fact, there have been times when one thing seemed to want to swallow up another. Progress (if any!) has been slow.

But, while life was giving me another of its lessons in my face, I stumbled upon a couple of new things on the Internet today. First, I found there was actually such a thing as a Christian Social Networking website (much like the current favourites like Facebook, Friendster and MySpace). Which was amazing, because I'd never bothered to search for one - and, I don't know if that's a positive vibe or otherwise! Second, after registering and skimming through its pages, I read a gem of a devotional on the very meaning and power of the word "Enthusiasm", written by John Roos.

Which, after pondering, lifted my spirits no end. This is for all of us who may find the road a bit too rough, the paths a bit too rugged for now. Go here for some much needed "Enthusiasm"!

Awaiting The Holy Spirit

The Pentecost Praise and Worship and Novena to the Holy Spirit entered its 7th day today in my parish. I had planned to go for some of the days but somehow, owing to work and other factors, I hadn't been able to. It was a case of the "spirit was willing but the flesh weak" syndrome. Nevertheless, I managed to go today for the 8 pm service with my 7 yr old boy insistently wanting to tag along. And so, I went, I sang, I prayed with a couple of hundred others and returned home happy, grateful and thankful for the opportunity. My 7 yr old hero? Well, he had dozed off midway through the Praise and Worship! Presumably, resting in the spirit!

I was glad I went because I had the opportunity to hear my priest, in his homily, mention about true courage - not the physical kind, but the kind that Paul talks about in Acts 23:11 - the courage to stand up in the face of everyday trials. I'm sure all of us are familiar with that. Even right at this moment, there are people climbing Everest with the Olympic torch, trudging through sludge, snow and ice capped mountains. That requires a certain kind of courage. Not everyone has that.

But ordinary, everyday courage - just to stand up in the face of everyday trials, that requires real courage too. Every time a father reprimands his son, a pastor fulfills his priestly duties despite his own sufferings and pain, a government official speaks up for the truth at the risk of being branded a traitor by his own people, a journalist writes what he or she sees and not what he or she is told to write, etc., ordinary courage is at work in an extraordinary manner. We should not merely put aside this as an expected "sacrifice" rather we should celebrate it, with our hearts bursting for joy! For - this is Courage - indeed. May we remember all our "local heroes" - who quietly go about this most amazing act everyday, without fanfare, without recognition.

As we come to the Feast of the Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, it would be good to ponder a little on this message from the World Council of Churches. Read it here in full. The message ends with this prayer:

O, Giver of life,
who brought all things into being,
sustain and replenish your whole creation
that it may reflect your glory.

Come, Holy Spirit.
fill all life with your radiance.

O, Spirit of Truth,
who convinces the world of sin,
consume, as a mighty fire,
the powers of evil that bind your people
and set us free to walk in your light.

Come, Holy Spirit,
and illumine our hearts and minds.

O, Spirit of unity,
judge, restore and call us again.
bestow on us the gifts
that build us up into your people.

Come, Holy Spirit,
and light the flame of love
on the altar of our hearts.

O, Holy Spirit,
transform and sanctify us,
that we and all people
may have life in all its fullness.

Come, Holy Spirit,
Renew the whole creation.

Amen.