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Michael

Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-ash2/49503_1158011857_1247883426_q.jpg By Michael Hii in Evangelising 21 December 2011 at 11:31

Tuesday 10 July 2012 at 2 minutes ago

Description: Description: Description: H:\~seraphim (PURE Web)\divinemercy\fbpage\michael\data\TravelTIPS.jpg Travelling TIPS

Written by Michael Hii. Inspired by Fr Anselm Phang’s article “Travelling LIGHT” (The Apostles 3 April 2011) and his homily on 31st March and 1st April.

This Article was published in the SPP weekly bulletin “The Apostles” on 17 April 2011, Palm Sunday of Lent, Year A.

 

For the past one and a half years we have been travelling much, especially to Singapore. And with God’s guiding light, we chose a small hotel next to St Peter and Paul Church as our “home” in Singapore. While the new Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli stays at the Catholic Welfare Services Building and thus making him a “True Blue Parishioner” of SPP, we consider ourselves parishioners of SPP too, albeit “Visiting Parishioners.”

 

True to its small size, the rooms of the hotel are really small. Little space to put the luggage bags, little room still to move around. Out of necessity, we are forced to travel light, we were well known for bringing the whole house while travelling, but now… we have to travel light, but not too light.

 

Life is a journey, a pilgrimage. As a pilgrim we need a few basic baggage for our journey. Too many will burden us, too light will make life difficult as we journey towards our ultimate destination - Heaven.

 

Jesus told us very clearly the basic baggage we need to carry with us.

 

Baggage Number One: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37).

For most people, it is quite easy to love God, especially when we are in need of this and that, or face with great challenges in life, we quickly remember our God and love Him very much by praying very hard to Him. But when the Church needs us to offer our services such as Choir, Warden, Sunday School, most of us will offer many excuses: no voice, no time, not qualified and so forth. Are we carrying the very basic Baggage Number One? Are we loving God with all our heart and soul and mind? If not, our luggage for our pilgrimage may be too light!

 

Baggage Number Two: Love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39) We all know the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), often we are blind to our “neighbour” in need, we only worry about ourselves, our own wellbeing, neglecting those around us who are in need, some desperately needed help for food and shelter, or clothing, but for some, perhaps just a listening ear, a pat on the back. Often we are too busy going our own way, no time to notice them, let alone “love” them.

 

One year ago, we spent 40 days at SPP, attending the daily 3pm Divine Mercy Devotion and the 5.30pm evening Mass. It was a retreat by Divine Providence. We were so Touched and Comforted by the Merciful Lord that we brought back to Kuching the Divine Mercy Devotion. With the blessing of our Parish Priest Fr Vincent Chin, St Peter’s Church started the Daily 3pm Divine Mercy Devotion on Friday 18 June 2010 and our Divine Mercy Apostolate was launched with a Mass and Benediction on the Feast Day of St Faustina 5 October 2010. Ever since we started in June last year, we have been praying fervently and unceasingly, 7 days a week, even during Public Holidays, Christmas and Chinese New Year. Truly our DMA people have shown their love for God with all their heart, mind and soul. On the other hands, there were people telling us not to start the Divine Mercy Devotion, it would not last and it would surely fail. These people also love God, but not with all their heart, mind and soul. We can only pray for them.

 

Jesus tells us to do work of mercy. To love our neighbours, we identify people in needs and organize visits to their homes, bringing clothing, food stuff and other necessities to help them. Last year Advent we visited one poor family, this year on the Second Sunday of Lent (20 March 2011) we visited one desperate mother of seven children, aged 7 months to 19 years old, her husband is nowhere to be found, leaving her to fend for herself and the children. When 30 odd people visited her with toys, gifts, food stuff, milk, clothing and cash, she was moved with awe. We brought her our good wishes and sang hymns for her. We nearly collapsed her little hut which was overloaded with visitors. Truly we will never forget this Lent.

 

Travel light, but not too light.

 

We need to bring at least 2 baggages:

 

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

And

‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’

 

Michael Hii

3 April 2011

 

This Article was published in the SPP weekly bulletin “The Apostles” on 17 April 2011, Palm Sunday of Lent, Year A.

 

Paul Voon  Hi Mike. Thanks very much for the sharing. Yes, we need only to carry to luggage; Love God and Love one another. Have a very Blessed Christmas. paul

Michael Hii Thanks Paul, the Double Commandment is not easy to live out, especially the poor and needy "neighbour" part... Thanks to SKUP and DMA, we are able to organise WOM visits to some desperate "neighbours".    

 

 

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Michael fb

10 July 2012

 

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