Combined BECs Meeting

Sr. Regina was very inspiring as the facilitator for the first combined BEC Meeting hosted by Mr. & Mrs Francis Lai

        (For Video goto this link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CzZOVZQHE4)

The big turnout at the Combined BEC with participants actively singing hymns and listening to one another

Francis Lai the dynamic host at the BEC meeting held on Friday night 8 March 2013

Our KCYS youth with their bright new tee-shirts - You are part of the Fatima Family!

Smile! KCYS members  posing for the 'big' shot on her I-Pad by Sr. Jackie

All attention given to the activites

The youth and the Golden girls are all attention  

Jane Able, sharing her life experience with the communtiy

"I have decided to follow Jesus!" sung with gusto as the closing hymn

(For video, highlight/select this link, right click and goto :  http://youtu.be/Vfhdqkjmnks )

Hope more can join us next time!

Grace very confidently shared her life experience 

Our capable BEC Coordinator welcoming the participants

Facilitator Sr. Regina and BEC Coordinator  Marianne Lim

Happy Birthday Fr. Robert!

 Fr. Robert being presented with gifts and Birthday cake on Friday 1st March 2013

Sunny Teoh presenting a birthday gift to Fr. Robert

View Video by clicking the following link:

http://youtu.be/SC0rgZ0e7I8

Chap Goh Meh Celebration

 "Come! Let's celebrate as one family! "

Fr. Nelson Chitty is saying grace followed by blessing of the sumptuous pot-luck!

Parishioners gather to taste the delicious food and to chit-chat

Philip Tiau is serving real 'green' tea from Taiwan

Smile! You are going to appear in  Fatima News tonight!

Mary Martin, Sr. Jackie, Celine Cheah and Auntie Catherine

Chairman and Secretary are enjoying their food

Wishing all readers A Happy CNY

Interfaith Gathering & World Peace Prayer Day

Leaders from various Religious Communities who attended the Interfaith Gathering and World Peace Prayer Day

In conjunction with World Interfaith Harmony Week (1 - 7 February 2013), an Interfaith Gathering & World Peace Prayer Day was held in Kota Bharu on Friday, 1^st February 2013   About eighty participants from various religious communities gathered to pray for peace at Fatima Hall, Church of Our Lady of Fatima of the Holy Rosary, Kota Bharu. Organized by the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Fatima, and sponsored by MCCBCHST(Kelantan Branch), this event was the second time that representatives from the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Christian faith came together to pray for world peace.

The event kicked off with a minute of silent prayer. The Fatima Youth Choir beautifully sang the opening song  “Where Peace begins”(Theme song for World Peace Festival Malaysia 2008 first sung by Jaclyn Victor and Daniel Lee) bringing home the message that we are ‘One family under God’.

            Representatives from each religious community were then invited to lead the gathering in their prayer for peace, praying in their own languages. In conclusion, as a sign of unity, all participants joined in a prayer for peace for our nation

            The highlight of the event was the World Peace Flag Ceremony. As the MC called out the name of each state of Malaysia, the flag bearer stepped forward, waving the state flag while participants repeated invocations for peace in each state, in the nation and the world. “May peace prevail in Malaysia! May peace prevail on earth!”.

Finally, as participants exchanged the sign of peace with one another, the choir  sang the concluding song ‘Satu Suara”. 

Participants were then treated to a sumptuous high tea. It was a most memorable experience for the participants present .

Joseph Wang

Fourth Sunday of the Ordinary Time

When I read the Gospel, I asked myself this question: “What made the people so angry at Jesus that they wanted to throw Him down the cliff?” As I continue to reflect, I began to realize that it could be the two examples that he narrated which set them off. The two incidents which Jesus quoted were: the widow at Zarephath and the leper, Naaman, the Syrian – whereby both of them have benefited something from the prophets Elijah and Elisha respectively. In fact, the widow at Zarephath and the leper Naaman, the Syrian were notIsraelites, they were pagans. As Jesus began to speak, the audience could have expected some form of consolation and reward. And also that the enemies of Israel would be destroyed and get nothing as God of Israel is always on the side of the chosen people and will vindicate whoever threatens them. This was the belief of the people of Israel, even at the time of Jesus.

 

As Jesus speaks of the above two examples, his preaching did not match with the thoughts and aspiration of the people of his time. Why was He speaking of the pagans receiving help from prophets of Israel? How could Jesus bring out such an example at this time when our nation was under the rule of the pagans, the Romans and God should vindicate all enemies of Israel? This was totally unacceptable and an insult to our faith! However, they failed to realize the magnanimity of God's planwhich includes everyone.What they didn't realize was that thesetwo examples which Jesus narrated is a typical invitation for the people to realize and come to their senses of the magnanimity of the plan of God. God includes all and excludes none!

Third Sunday of the Ordinary Time

We either live our life thinking of the past or thinking of the future and seldom do we live our lives in the present moment. For some people, the events which took place in the past are so vivid in their memory that everything they do is determined by these past experiences. Thus, there is no newness of experience and there is no opportunity to learn new things. Living while thinking of the future sometimes makes us too preoccupied as to what to do that we get into manipulation, planning and plotting, hence often embarking into a sort of day dream or mere wishful thinking. In short, living in the present is what we must do. Though things of the past keep emerging in our lives, and thoughts of the future preoccupy our mind, the present moment should harness both of the past and present, and effectively display them at this very moment of our lives. So, how do we do that?

According to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4, Jesus opened the scripture and read a text taken from Isaiah. After having read it, he rolled up the scroll and gave it to the assistant and sat down. He began to speak: “This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.” What a powerful expression of the past being effectively fulfilled in the very present moment. Today, as you listen, the text is being fulfilled. Words of Isaiah are not of the past but now effectively happening in the present. Jesus has assumed and absorbed that which everything Isaiah spoke as something happening in the very present.

Therefore, by assuming into our very self what that had happened and everything that will happen, we harness the power within to live in the present. The present moment is always the converging point of the past and future. As the memories of the past come into our minds, look at the wisdom of the experiences and let it influence our present state. When the things of the future emerge, look and feel the enthusiasm, hope and faith and let these feelings and emotions influence our present moment. When we do this exercise regularly, we make the present moment expanded, and the future and the past embraced into the here and now experience. Jesus brings the Kingdom of God and the experience of the presence of God real and present in this very moment (“today”). For him, it was not the things of the past, neither was it the thing of the distant future. It is alive here, now and in front of you as you listen and see. Thus, you are challenged live concretely and evidently.

Fr Robert Daniel Francis.