Day 7: Mission in Worship
The 7th day of novena saw the return of a former parish priest, Rev. Fr. Francis Xavier as the main celebrant. He was joined by visiting priest from the Malacca-Johor diocese, Rev. Fr. Adrian Mathews as well as parish priest Rev. Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu and assistant parish priest Rev. Fr. Louis Loi for the Mass, which was celebrated in Tamil.
In his homily, Fr. Francis spoke at length about the call to worship and the fruits gained from it. He started with a tale of two men who went on a fishing trip. One was experienced and brought along a container to store the caught fish, while the other, an amateur, did not do the same. Both caught large fish. The man who went unprepared threw back the fish that he caught into the water. When asked why he did so, the man replied that it was because he did not have a pan large enough to cook the fish.
The Lord sends plenty of ‘big fish’ to us in the form of graces and pain. Is our faith small like the pan that it cannot contain the big fish that He sends? Fr. Francis invited the congregation to look to the Blessed Mother as a model of faith and holiness. As a mere 16-year-old, Mother Mary had her world turned upside down when the angel Gabriel appeared before her with the announcement that she is to bear a child. Despite feeling perplexed and filled with uncertainties, she was able to pronounce her fiat “May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) It is only when one has cultivated an interior life through prayer and worship that one is able to respond with great faith as Mother Mary did, said Fr. Francis. Numerous instances of how Mother Mary always “pondered” and “kept all these things in her heart” can be found all over Scripture that emphasises to us this essential practice that we should emulate.
Fr. Francis then shared about the rightful place of worship and work in our daily life. He recounted the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Martha and Mary. While Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to His every word, Martha busied herself with chores around the house that needed to be done and eventually became irritated with her sister. Jesus answered, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) This story is not about completely dismissing work as unimportant, rather, said Fr. Francis, it is about having the right order and balance when it comes to worship and work. Worship should always come first and when we have taken the time to be in silence, praying to God and meditating on His word, we will be equipped to take on the work ahead of us regardless of how difficult it may be. Father also added that our work can also be made into an act of worship by offering them to God for various persons and needs.
Man was created to know, love, and to serve the Lord. The ultimate destiny for us humans is to go to heaven and the purpose of our life on earth is for us to prepare ourselves to be with God in heaven. This preparation involves worshipping God and responding to the various missions that God calls us to, said Fr. Francis. He added that as stated in the day’s Gospel passage, “…true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth…” (John 4:23-24) we should seek the spirit given by God that reveals truth and enables one to worship God appropriately. (by Kathlin Ambrose)
During Fellowship
