The Chapel of Kristus Aman celebrated our Patronal Feast Day on 1 January, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, our Patron. Our celebrations began with the Triduum from 29 to 31 December 2018. The main preacher for our Feast Day celebrations was Rev. Fr Alexuchelvam Mariasoosai who preached on the different perspectives on the theme for the Feast Day - Mary, Star of Evangelisation.
On the first day, Fr Alex said it is the Church’s mission to evangelise, even more so now, as 2019 has been designated as the Year of Mission. He quoted excerpts from the Gospel where Jesus instructed and authorised the Apostles to proclaim the Good News and he pointed out that this commandment was not only for the clergy to carry out but also for those who have been baptised. This “non-negotiable” directive to make Jesus known to the world is for every lay Catholic. In view of the existing sensitivities of other faiths in our country Fr Alex also cautioned us to be careful of whom we try to evangelise to.
The strength of the mission to evangelise is seen in Jesus’ reply to his mother when his parents found him speaking in the temple after 3 days of being missing. “Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” The Father’s affairs are the Church’s affairs Fr Alex stressed, and told us that the work of evangelization, because we have to go out of ourselves, will lead us to discoveries about ourselves in the identity of Christ.
The theme for the 2nd day of the Triduum was The Family and Community as the Seedbed for Evangelisation. In his homily Fr Alex said that evangelization is about God’s love and God manifested this love in the Holy Family by giving himself as child baby Jesus. It was love which started from the family unit and which later extended to the community. For love to exist and grow, it needs a marriage, family and community. This is especially true in today’s world of broken marriages and families which Fr Alex said stems from a rejection of God. Marriage has been created by God involving a man and a woman and it is the seedbed of God’s love in the conception of a new life. When families share this love, there is a multiplication even though it may entail some sacrifice. Evangelisation starts within the family when we allow God the Sower to sow his seeds and his words into the seedbed of marriage, family and community. He added that when you bring Jesus into the family, you will find an increase in wisdom and of stature of your faith. Evangelisation is at work when you let Jesus mature in your marriage, family and community.
The theme for the 3rd day was naturally on The Ways of Evangelisation. Understanding that Jesus is an Evangeliser, we still need to speak out for Him. But He will equip us. To make the evangelization more effective, we need to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist and then become ambassadors for Christ. We will be given gifts to speak out without fear or favour. Mary’s “Yes” has opened the way for evangelization and one needs to be evangelized first before even evangelizing others. And Mary, as Mother of God will prepare the way for us to encounter God.
The Triduum culminated in the Patronal Feast Day with Mass starting at 5.30 pm. The theme was Mary, Star of Evangelisation – Mary was the first person who knew Jesus through and through. She had lived with him for 30 years before going out to preach, constantly telling people who he really was. Thus she was the first evangelizer for Jesus. She was and still is the Star that guides us out of the darkness in our lives to the light of her Son. Likewise, baptised Catholics who have been evangelized, and who are sons and daughters of God, are the other stars that should be guiding those who do not know about Christ to experience the Good News. We are called to be like Mary to accept this mission as part of God’s plan. Fr Alex supported his stand by the number of times Mother Mary had appeared in the different parts of the world which had been experiencing times of deep darkness. Mary was there and saying “Yes” to every plan given to her. For us to become a shining star like Mary we need to let the light of Christ shine through us, bringing the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. He told us to go forth to shine the light of Christ without fear of the darkness. He ended the homily by quoting St Catherine of Sienna – Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.
The Mass was to have been followed by a procession around the vicinity of Kristus Aman with the statue of our Lady accompanied by banners carried by representatives of all the BECs and various Ministries, and all those in the procession praying the Rosary along the way. The evening’s celebration was to end with fellowship after the final blessing and grace and dinner for 600 parishioners including pizzas for the children had already been prepared. However that was not to be, as the heavy thunderstorm which started during Mass did not let up and after some time waiting for the rain to subside, plans for the procession had to be aborted. On the bright side, all those present, parishioners and volunteers from the police force and RELA, were still able to enjoy the fellowship and none of the food went to waste. The KA Youth Ministry also gave a beautiful performance entertaining all present with their rendition of traditional and contemporary Christmas carols. All in all it was indeed a wonderful and meaningful feast day celebration sans procession. In their enthusiasm, the Feast Day Organising Committee is already looking forward to planning next year’s Feast Day celebration.
To view or contribute More Photos, goto:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VCw5319oiGfzYb6o8