Day 8: Mission to Evangelise
The 8th day novena Mass was presided over by Rev. Msgr. Aloysius Tan who was accompanied by visiting priest from the Archdiocese of Singapore, Rev. Fr. Samuel Lim, as well as parish priest Rev. Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu and assistant parish priest Rev. Fr. Louis Loi. The celebrations of the day were conducted in Mandarin.
In his homily, Msgr. Aloysius emphasised on the mission to evangelize that has been given to each baptised person. He started off with a story: A man suffering from a heart ailment was in need of a heart replacement. He went to a wise man who determined that the person in the crowd on whom a feather fell would be the person to give the man his heart. A large crowd was gathered, and a feather was released to be carried by the wind. However, as the feather drew near to one person after another, they kept blowing it away so that it wouldn’t fall on them.
Msgr. Aloysius said that just like the people in the story blew away the feather, many of us distance ourselves from the duty of evangelizing. However, we must be aware that the mission to evangelize has been given to us as a responsibility and obligation by virtue of our baptism. It is not a choice, he stressed. How many of us take this task seriously and go by our daily lives keeping this in mind?
While the mission of evangelizing will most certainly be fraught with obstacles and challenges, we can be equally certain that God will provide us with the necessary strength and power to overcome them. Msgr. Aloysius added that evangelizing isn’t only accomplished with words but also through actions. We must be witnesses to Christ in everything that we do and at all times, that those who see us will observe a difference. With further interaction, they will understand that the source and inspiration for the difference is the grace of God within us. In due time, this will bring more and more people to know God.
The Blessed Virgin Mary was one who fully understood and lived the mission to evangelize. As soon as she was aware that she was carrying the Lord in her womb, she went on the journey to visit Elizabeth, to bring Christ to her cousin. Mother Mary was not the least concerned about the difficulties she was to endure during the long and arduous journey, instead she was focused on her mission to lead every person to the Lord. Msgr. Aloysius concluded his sermon by inviting the congregation to always seek the intercession of Mary, so that she will make us disciples and missionaries like herself.
During Fellowship
