Category: A Journey Of Faith

Christians Called To Vote In Malaysia’s 12th General Election

The Bishop of Penang, the Right Reverend Bishop Antony Selvanayagam, issued a message regarding the 2008 General Election in a pastoral letter dated February 17, 2008 through the Diocese of Penang website. In the letter addressed to all Fathers, Religious and Lay Faithfuls of the Roman Catholic Church, he said that voting is the sacred Christian duty of all Catholics. He also outlined five points to guide Catholics in casting their votes wisely.

As Christians, we must send out the message loud and clear that we do not take lightly to the action by certain parties to dictate how we should practice our faith. Lets make our voices heard and ensure that the freedom to practice the religion of our choice is not scuttled in any way.

The Bishop’s letter and the election message from the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) can be viewed from the following links:

Letter from the Right Reverend Bishop Antony Selvanayagam
(MS Word format)

Election message from the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM)
(Adobe PDF format)

Chinese New Year Eve Mass At The Church of OMPH

The Altar at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh
The Altar at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help gaily
decorated with bright and colourful gladiolus flower arrangement.

Father Phillip Lai presenting ang paus to the congregation at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh
Father Phillip Lai presenting Chinese New Year ang paus to the
congregation at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

Wuan and I went to pray the Chinese New Year Eve Mass at the Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help at Jalan La Salle in Ipoh just now. It was presided over by the Reverend Father Phillip Lai and the Reverend Father Joseph Stephen. Surprisingly, the Church was not packed to the brim as I had anticipated. That was my first time praying the Mass on Chinese New Year Eve. When Mass ended, the congregation was presented with ang paus and mandarin oranges to usher in the new year.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my friends and readers of The Digital Awakening Gong Xi Fa Cai. May the new year brings an abundance of prosperity and joy to you and your family.

Mr. Body Snatcher, Please Leave My Body Alone

The very thought of my cold and very dead body being snatched by overzealous people in the name of their religion and being buried under rites foreign to me is unnerving. Dead man tells no tales but should that ever happen to me, you can bet that I will turn over in my grave in protest.

Therefore to prevent my body from being confiscated by body snatchers in the name of their God and religion, I am stating the following for the benefit of my next-of-kin, the courts of law, the religious order of my chosen faith and anyone who may have an interest in the very dead body of mine and my estate.

If I were to suddenly die today, I would like to reiterate now that I have never renounced my current faith in Roman Catholicism. I have never converted to another religion, specifically Islam. I have never practiced what is required of good Muslim men. I will believe in Jesus Christ as my God and Saviour till my very last breath.

All my life, I have eaten pork and will continue to enjoy the one thousand and one ways it can be cooked. I have consumed liquor and would have continued to do so had it not been for my chronic kidney disease. Against the teachings of my chosen faith, I admit that I do gamble occasionally. I cannot help it. That is me practicing being Chinese to the very core.

So, please Mr. Body Snatcher, please leave my corpse alone. I am not of your faith, never will be. If you have records to prove it, I assure you that those are forgeries. Having my body does not guarantee that you have my soul. Let God and God alone be my judge and punish me for my sins. If I have to go to hell according to your beliefs, so be it. Whatever, it is , let my remains rest in peace. My final wish is to be sent off as a Roman Catholic. That is the least you can do for a man who can no longer speak for himself and stand up for his rights. That is called respecting the dead. Faham?