Courage! It is I!

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

Does God continue to manifest Himself to us? I guess many of you would agree that He does but you would also personally desire for an opportunity to witness this with your own eyes rather than rely on second-hand hearsay information. This explains why shrines associated with apparitions or any rumours thereof are often the most popular crowd pullers. We Catholics want a faith that is tangible, sensible and visible. It’s part of our human nature as sensible beings rather than purely spiritual beings like the angels.

Today’s readings provide us with glimpses into the way God communicates with us. In the first reading, we see the prophet Elijah witnessing a theophany of God which seems to be anticlimactic. After the dramatic phenomena of a strong wind, an earthquake followed by a fire, God reveals Himself in “the sound of a gentle breeze,” literally “the sound of silence”. Notice the venue. Mount Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai where Moses and the Israelites who had just escaped slavery in Egypt encountered God in this terrifying theophany of dark clouds, lightning, fire and earthquake. The two figures encountering God in two different ways is meant to be a stark contrast. God would not be confined to any form or expectation of ours. He is indeed the God of surprises, who deliberately reveals Himself to us in the most unexpected ways - sometimes in extraordinary ways but more often than not in the ordinary experiences of life. It is no wonder that both figures, Elijah and Moses would appear again at the scene of the Transfiguration - the manifestation of God not in the wind, nor earthquake, nor fire, nor even a gentle breeze, but in the person of Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son of God.

In the gospel, the scene of our Lord walking on water is another theophany, a visible manifestation of God, and not just a demonstration of Jesus’ miraculous powers. In fact, it is no exaggeration that the theophany experienced by the disciples was far greater than any recorded in the Old Testament, and even such a theophany would be surpassed by the Transfiguration of our Lord whose feast we will celebrate in just a few weeks.

The story uses two powerful signs to show Jesus is God.

Firstly, our Lord’s striding on the waves is an allusion to how God is described anthropomorphically as walking on the stormy sea (Job 9:8). But it also reminds us of how God imposes His creative will on the waters of chaos in Genesis Chapter 1, setting boundaries and bringing order to this destructive and unpredictable force of nature. But the Lord who created the heavens and earth is also the Lord who saves His people during the Exodus. In the first exodus, God walked through the sea, leading His people to safety and freedom. Our Lord in this gospel scene is the divine Saviour who brings the long-anticipated salvation of a new exodus. This chapter looks back on the first exodus as the precedent for a new, future exodus when the Lord would climactically redeem His people. Now, He leads us through the waters of baptism to a new life of grace and the Holy Spirit.

But the second and most important theme is that the story dispels any doubt about our Lord’s identity. To assuage the fear and panic of His disciples, the Lord announces: “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” The original Greek phrase for "It is I" is literally "I AM". This is the holy name of God that He revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). This is at the heart of every revelation from God, it is not just merely the communication of some information but rather an invitation to enter into communion with Him. For how could we possibly come to love someone whom we do not know? That is why the answer to the second question of the penny catechism follows a logical progression from knowledge to union. To the question, “why did God make us?”, comes the answer, “to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him and be with Him in paradise forever.”

How about us today? Wanting to experience manifestations from the divine is understandable. We live in a world filled with noise, always seeking the next breaking news alert or dramatic sign. There is an existential human desire perennially looking for answers. This is why for people of faith, it is natural to want a direct, personal sign from God to prove He is listening. And this desire often draws us to private revelations—prophecies, visions, and apparitions.

It is here that we need to make a distinction between public and private revelation. For us Catholics, public revelation which is contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition ended with the death of the last Apostle. God has already spoken completely and sufficiently, providing us with whatever is necessary for our salvation. Jesus Christ is the ultimate, final Word of the Father. As the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, "In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways... but in these last days, he spoke to us through a son." And because public revelation is complete, no new visionary, message, or private revelation can ever add to, change, or correct the Deposit of Faith left by Christ and the Apostles.

So, what should we make of private revelations, especially those approved by the Church like our Lady’s apparitions and messages in Lourdes and Fatima and elsewhere? Are we to just dismiss these as unnecessary? Although belief in these messages is not necessary for our salvation, they are meant to augment and excite our faith and so motivate us to have a greater determination to follow Christ and His teachings. It is a help which is offered, but which one is not obliged to use. “Private revelations” do not add to or complete God’s definitive revelation in Christ but are meant to help believers live more fully by the Gospel. The criterion for judging the truth of a private revelation, therefore, is precisely its orientation to Christ Himself. If it leads us away from Him, then it certainly does not come from the Holy Spirit, who guides us more deeply into the Gospel, and not away from it. A word of caution - we must get our priorities right. It is not spiritually good to centre one's life around private revelations. They are good when approved, and may be used, but the core is in public revelation.

So, the next time you read or hear about some new private revelation whether it is in the form of some vision or apparition or miracle, do not be so quick to forget that you already have the true treasure which is Christ found in Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. Don’t let yourself be distracted and misled to place these extraordinary occurrences above what our Lord now communicates to us in ordinary ways, when we listen to the Word of God, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and participate in the sacraments, especially in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Remember, God is not only to be found in the extraordinary circumstances like the wind, an earthquake, a raging fire or a vision, nor is He only to be found striding across the waters as He once did, but He often manifests Himself most intimately when He sits quietly invisibly in the boat, the Church, by your side, as you weather the storms of life. And in the hull of the boat, the bosom of the Church, you will hear Him speak again: “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.”

So which is it?

Tenth Ordinary Sunday Year C

Albert Einstein once said, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." So which is it?

Both the first reading and the gospel provide us with putative miracle stories involving the resurrection of dead persons. ‘Why putative?’ you may ask. Is it a miracle or isn’t it? Well, at least that seems to be the conclusion of the eye-witnesses, the faith communities that passionately shared and passed on these stories, the Bible authors who meticulously collated the oral traditions and recorded the same for posterity, and the contemporary believer who reads these tales through the lenses of faith. On the other side of the fence, the modern sceptic may come to an entirely different conclusion. He comes with kid-gloves off, equipped with the reliable weapons of modern science and literary hermeneutics, ready to spar with the naively gullible. The sceptic attempts to peel away what he considers layers of filters, myth-making, primitive beliefs and provide the story with a more plausible interpretation that accords with modern sensibilities. Rather than a resurrection of a dead person, he is more likely to read the stories as accounts of the resuscitation of comatose persons. So, which is it?

Was Jesus a healer, a miracle worker, the Son of God or a practitioner of medical science? So which is it? In recent decades, strenuous efforts have been made and are still being made by many biblical scholars to represent that the miracles of Jesus Christ as myths and nothing more. Many, in their zeal have even denied that these miracles ever took place. They often state that they do this so that Jesus as a person can emerge in purity without all the myth surrounding Him. Their goal is the ‘Historical Jesus’, one free of the idealised or ‘idolised’ accretion of faith. While this may be a lofty goal, many have gone too far as we human beings are often wont to do. They have altogether thrown the child out with the bath. They often end up denying the two scriptural beliefs that form the foundation of our Christian faith, the Incarnation, the event of God becoming man, and the Resurrection, Christ rising from the dead. So, which is it? Did it really happened or didn’t it?

I think the real problem is that many people, both believers and non-believers included, are often of the opinion that religion and science are mutually exclusive; that they are incompatible. Unbelievers, atheists and sceptics often think that faith is pre-scientific nonsense and pure superstition or mythology. It is easy for them to make fun of popular religion, whether it is the simple pietism of Roman Catholics, amid the plastic holy water bottles in the shape of the Virgin at Lourdes, the masses who flock to alleged miraculous sites to gain some personal favour, to the poorly-educated happy-clappy Evangelicals and Pentecostals and the naively gullible who spend their live savings investing in holy schemes, fail-safe novenas and miraculous handkerchiefs.  According to the former, the latter have abdicated reason when it comes to faith.  It is interesting to note that both fideism (exclusive reliance on faith alone and the exclusion of reason) and rationalism (the rejection of any knowledge that cannot be supported empirically or proven scientifically) are rejected by the Church and considered erroneous and heretical positions.

For true believers, it’s never an issue of choosing between faith and reason. The question, ‘which is it’, is misplaced. The Catholic Church consistently teaches that faith is not opposed to reason. Rather, faith seeks understanding, ‘fides quarens intellectum.’ Faith is never a sacrifice of the intellect. But it also takes humility, as Einstein reminds us, to recognise that rationality and sciences has its limitations. Is it not possible that there is a faculty of understanding in human-beings which is neither rational, nor irrational, but rather 'supra-rational', beyond the reason, higher than the reason? In other words, although faith does not contradict reason, faith can go beyond the limitations of reason. Blessed John Paul II, in the  introduction to his encyclical letter entitled "Fides et Ratio” (Faith and Reason), explained it beautifully: "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth-in a word, to know himself-so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves."

While it is important to see the gospel stories in a historically critical manner in order to get to the original intention of the biblical authors, going so far as to deny that the miracles of Jesus were real is missing the point altogether. His miracles were an essential part of His ministry. Quite aside from the obvious human angle of the relief of suffering that the miracles achieved, they were also a most important way of arousing the faith of his people. Miracles are challenges to faith. The people were meant to go beyond the miracles, beyond the spectacular and crowd pleasing firework displays, and come into contact with the saving Word of God which would change their lives. The people were aroused from their spiritual lethargy and inspired to follow the Word Incarnate, and finally to reap the ultimate gift which Jesus had intended to give them and all of us, eternal life.

Jesus’ miracles are not so much displays of power as they are signs of the presence of God’s Kingdom in the person of Jesus. Their significance in Jesus’ life and ministry is captured nicely in his own words: “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the Kingdom of God has come to you” (Lk 11:20). This saying provides the key to a proper understanding of Jesus’ miracles. During his lifetime there was little doubt about Jesus’ ability to heal and perform other types of miracles. Even his opponents acknowledged his power to do such actions. Their question concerned the origin or source of Jesus’ powers. Did his power come from God or from Satan? In response, Jesus tried to show the absurdity of their question, because his miracles were clearly signs of God’s victory over Satan and the defeat of the powers of evil. The miracles proclaim the arrival of the kingdom of God, and the era of Christ (Lk 11 : 20; Mt 11: 4-5). They were meant to give us a fore-taste of Paradise. The Catechism of the Catholic Church was quick to warn that Jesus’ primary mission was not to “abolish all evils here below, but to free men from the gravest slavery, sin, which thwarts them in their vocation as God’s sons and causes all forms of human bondage. (CCC 549)

For many, miracles have become an end in themselves. They have become obsessed in looking for sensational signs and wonders. They too miss the point. These people fail to recognise that miracles are not intended to “satisfy people’s curiosity or desire for magic” (CCC 549). They fail to recognise that this preoccupation detracts from the ultimate purpose of miracles. Miracles reveal the mystery of Christ who stands behind these signs and symbols. Miracles act as signposts and neon lights pointing to the greatest miracle of all – the salvation of humanity through the Incarnation of the one who is the life and resurrection of all believers. While the Incarnation is the root miracle of salvation, the Resurrection is the definitive and ultimate sign. If there should be any miracle that should attract our attention and earn our adulation, it should be these central mysteries of faith. Therefore, any Catholic who gives their primary attention to alleged private revelations and putative miracles at the expense of ignoring the central mysteries faith contained in Sacred Scripture, the teaching of the Church, sacramental life, prayer and fidelity to Church authority is off course.

Miracles will always have as their primary purpose the glorification of God and the calling of people to salvation. The signs worked by Jesus attest to His divine authority and invite belief in Him (cf. Catechism, no. 548). They show us that the one who cured blindness, leprosy and paralysis is the same one who provides us shelter and haven from the roaring winds and raging seas. They reveal that the one who changed water into wine, is the new Wine of the Eternal Covenant, the never drying fountain and source of living water.   The ultimate aim of the miracles of Jesus is to give us the wonderful experience of Heavenly Bliss in God's Kingdom. After His Ascension and Pentecost, Christ's disciples worked miracles in the name of Christ, thus giving the people signs of His divinity and proofs that He is who they said He is. In the same way later saints worked miracles to testify to a higher authority and that people are called to His kingdom. But miracles aren’t the main point! It is what those miracles point to and lead us to that is fundamentally important – the salvation of souls; this is the primary mission of the Church. The Church’s mission, all its prayers, rites and activities, are directed and devoted to the salvation of souls: calling people to turn from the Way of Death and to embrace the Way of Life.

Two Window Panels from SDMC Relocated to Klang

114, Jalan Tengku Kelana 
Klang, Selangor, Malaysia 
Tel 03-33713043, Fax 03-33737823

20^th November 2012

Relocation of the Two Window Panels from Sime Darby Medical Centre

We are pleased to confirm that the two window panels located on Sime Darby Medical Centre, where images have formed, were respectfully and successfully taken down by professional movers and safely delivered to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang.

The two panels will be displayed in the Chapel located behind the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes pending further instructions from the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.

We would like to request the cooperation and assistance of the public who wish to view the above panels to respectfully observe good behaviour and maintain an atmosphere of prayerful silence as the panels have now been relocated to a chapel.

The Chapel and the window panels will be open for public viewing from 21^st, NOVEMBER 2012. The hours for public viewing:

MONDAY- SUNDAY:  7.00 am – 10.00 pm

We have issued a Catechesis (Teaching) on the Church’s position on Apparitions to assist the Catholic faithful to have the correct understanding in these matters.

We thank the management of Sime Darby Medical Centre and Rev Fr Simon Labrooy and the parish of St Thomas More, Subang Jaya, for facilitating the move of the panels to our premises.

Yours faithfully,

Rev Fr Michael Chua

Parish Priest

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang

Catechesis on Apparitions

What is the Official position of the Catholic Church on apparitions?

The Catholic Church makes a distinction between public and private revelation.  In the case of public revelation, the Church definitely teaches that the entire deposit of faith (all that is necessary for salvation) is to be found in the twin pillars of revelation, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, which comes from the same source, the Word of God, Jesus Christ. There can be no further revelation that can add to or alter the above.

Any other ‘revelation’ if determined authentic is to be regarded as private.  According to St Thomas Aquinas, God continues to reveal Himself to individuals "not indeed for the declaration of any new doctrine of faith, but for the direction of human acts" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II q174 a6 reply 3). Private revelation cannot improve upon, correct or entirely supplant Public Revelation. Apparitions are to be regarded under the category of private rather than public revelation.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.

67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognised by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

How do we determine whether an apparition is authentic?

On February 25, 1978, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued "Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations."

According to the norms, investigation can be done by the following

1.       The diocesan bishop on his own initiative or at the request of the faithful.

2.       The national conference of bishops.

3.       The Apostolic See (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith).

The process will involve 3 steps

1.       Initially, to judge the facts according to positive (moral certainty, qualities of the subject, conformity with doctrines, healthy devotion) and negative criteria (glaring error as to facts, doctrinal error, pursuit of monetary gain, gravely immoral acts, psychological disorders) .

2.       Then, if this examination appears favourable, to allow certain public demonstrations of devotion, while continuing to investigate the facts with extreme prudence (which is equivalent to the formula: “for the moment, nothing is opposed to it”).

3.       Finally, after a certain time, and in the light of experience, (starting from a particular study of the spiritual fruits generated by the new devotion), to give a judgment on the authenticity of the supernatural character, if the case requires this.

What is the status of the alleged image of the Blessed Virgin Mary which has appeared on a glass panel of the Sime Darby Medical Centre (formerly Subang Jaya Medical Centre)?

The appearance does not have official approval from the local ordinary, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, or from the Apostolic See.

The Archbishop has instructed that the glass panel be respectfully placed in a place conducive for prayer in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang, pending further investigation to determine its authenticity.

This is not to be interpreted as a tacit approval or recommendation by the church authorities that the image is worthy of private or public veneration.

What is the responsibility of the faithful?

The first responsibility of the faithful is to remain firmly established in the faith, in the sacraments and in communion with the Pope and bishops. Any Catholic who gives their primary attention to alleged private revelation at the expense of Sacred Scripture, the teaching of the Church (especially the Catechism), sacramental practice, prayer and fidelity to Church authority is off course.

The second responsibility is to have regard, in the first place, for those private revelations and apparitions approved by the Church (e.g. Lourdes, Fatima). Within a balanced practice of the faith the edifying content of approved private revelations can be a motive for deeper piety and fidelity to the Gospel.

Finally, there are many other private revelations that have not received Church approval. The Second Vatican Council urges us to discern the Spirit in the case of such extraordinary graces [Lumen gentium 12], which means being neither gullible or incredulous, but subjecting them to all relevant theological and human tests of credibility. (Adapted from an online article by Colin B. Donovan, STL)