October: Month Of The Rosary

Stella Maris Church, Tg. Aru has declared that the whole month of October is the month of the Rosary. Rosary prayers will be held on Weekdays i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5.30pm, except on Wednesdays when the Rosary recitation starts earlier at 5.00pm as the Divine Mercy Prayers starts at 5.30pm – all preceding the Mass at 6.00pm.

A Plenary Indulgence may be granted by those reciting five decades of the Rosary in church, as a family at home, or in general whenever several persons have gathered together for a good purpose, and in other circumstances a Partial Indulgence (Enchiridion of Indulgences, 1999 edition, concession 17).

This was announced by Rev. Fr. Fundes who celebrated last Sunday Mass (27^th Sept) at Stella Maris Church. As the subject matter was a lengthy topic to explain, Rev. Fr. Fundes challenged the congregation to check it out from the internet the religious meaning of Plenary Indulgence and its purpose.

For ease of my readers, I reproduce hereunder the “A Primer on Indulgences”:

The punishment already inflicted by the majority on such a one is enough; you should now relent and support him so that he may not be crushed by too great a weight of sorrow. 2 Cor. 2:6-7

Indulgences rank among the most poorly understood blessings of the Catholic Church. An indulgence is not permission from the Church to indulge in sin. It is not being indulgent with sinners. It is not the pardon of sin nor the remission of guilt. Now according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):

An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. [CCC 1471]

A few points will be emphasized

First an indulgence is not the forgiveness of sins but only applies to the effects of past, forgiven sins. An indulgence is not a Sacrament but must rely on the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) - the Sacrament through which sins are forgiven by God. Forgiveness of sin and remission of punishment are different.

Secondly sin can have two consequences: eternal (everlasting) punishment and temporal (temporary) punishment. Very serious sin, i.e. mortal sin (1 John 5:16), "kills" our friendship with God and deprives us of eternal life. This loss is eternal punishment. It is not punishment from a vengeful God but the consequence of rejecting God - the Source of life. Not all sin is mortal (1 John 5:17), but all sin, even venial sin (less serious sin), needs correction. This correction is temporal punishment. It is demanded by God to correct the bad effects of our sin, e.g. restoring stolen goods. Spiritually it is the cleansing of our soul from earthly attachments due to our sin.

READ MORE HERE

“1Malaysia Concept” in Conservanist Perspective.

“1Malaysia Concept” by Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan, 24 - Conservationist

The following article was emailed to me by my old buddy, Idrus al-Haj who, just like me, has also retired from the Government Service, and was written by his niece Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan.

This article is very pertinent under the present social, economical and political landscapes of Malaysia when 1Malaysia concept is being propagated in a subtle manner to ‘achieve total unity amongst Malaysians’. I hope I am correct.

I share with Sharyn’s views, especially when she says, “I think the main reason why we still can’t achieve total unity is because of this 'Malay rights' concept. I'd rather 'Malay rights' be replaced by human rights. So unless we get rid of this Bumiputra status, or reform our views and policies on rights, we will never achieve unity.”

I reproduce hereunder the article which her great uncle Idrus al-Haj gave me the green light to publish:-

“Both my parents are Malay. My mum's heritage includes Chinese, Thai and Arab, while my dad is Minangkabau. Due to my skin colour, I am often mistaken for a Chinese. I'm happy that I don’t have the typical Malay look but I do get annoyed when people call me Ah Moi or ask me straight up "Are you Chinese or Malay?" Like, why does it matter? Before I used to answer "Malay" but now I'm trying to consciously answer Malaysian instead. There's this incident from primary school that I remember till today. Someone told me that I will be called last during Judgement Day because I don’t have a Muslim name. Of course, I was scared then but now that I'm older, I realise that a name is just a name. It doesn’t define you as a good or bad person and there is definitely no such thing as a Muslim name. You can be named Rashid or ALI and still be a Christian. I’ve heard of the 1Malaysia concept, but I think we don’t need to be told to be united. We've come such a long way that it should already be embedded in our hearts and minds that we are united. Unfortunately, you can still see racial discrimination and polarisation. There is still this ethno-centric view that the Malays are the dominant group and their rights must be protected, and non Malays are forever the outsiders. For the concept to succeed, I think the government should stop with the race politics. It's tiring, really. We grew up with application forms asking us to tick our race. We should stop painting a negative image of the other races, stop thinking about 'us' and 'them' and focus on 'we', 'our' and 'Malaysians'. No one should be made uncomfortable in their own home. A dear Chinese friend of mine said to me once, "I don’t feel patriotic because I am not made to feel like Malaysia is my home, and I don’t feel an affinity to China because I have never lived there. I know some baby Nyonya friends who can trace their lineage back hundreds of years. I'm a fourth generation Malaysian. If I am Bumiputra, why can’t they be, too? Clearly I have issues with the term. I think the main reason why we still can’t achieve total unity is because of this 'Malay rights' concept. I'd rather 'Malay rights' be replaced by human rights. So unless we get rid of this Bumiputra status, or reform our views and policies on rights, we will never achieve unity. For my Merdeka wish, I'd like for Malaysians to have more voice, to be respected and heard. I wish that the government would uphold the true essence of parliamentary democracy. I wish for the people to no longer fear and discriminate against each other, to see that we are one and the same.

I wish that Malaysia would truly live up to the tourism spin of Malaysia truly Asia. Malaysians to lead - whatever their ethnic back ground. Only ONE NATIONALITY - MALAYSIAN. No Malays, No Chinese, No Indians - ONLY MALAYSIANS. Choose whatever religion one is comfortable with.”

Christian Hoteliers Charged After Arguing with Muslim Guest

“One rule for Muslims, another rule for Christians? Do you think this lady was arrested? I doubt it somehow. I imagine she was allowed to protest 'peacefully'. While I doubt very much that I would be so bold as to insult the founder of Islam to a Muslim's face, I do not understand why the State is intervening into private arguments or discussions of a religious nature.” - The Bones

Courtesy of The Times

A pair of Christian hoteliers in Lancashire who argued with a Muslim guest at the breakfast table have been charged with a religiously-aggravated offence.

Dutch-born Ben Vogelenzang said that Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was a warlord, while his wife Sharon, 54, described the hijab as a form of bondage, it is claimed.

The incident happened in March when the unnamed guest, who was staying at the hotel while being treated at a nearby hospital, came down to breakfast wearing a hijab, a traditional Muslim headdress covering the hair. The couple had never seen her wear the religious clothing before and a discussion ensued. The guest complained to police and the couple were charged under the 1986 Public Order Act - with using “threatening, abusive or insulting words which were religiously aggravated".

They will stand trial at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on December 8.

We feel their treatment has been heavy-handed and it is not in the public interest to go ahead with this prosecution.”

People see the police standing by when Muslims demonstrate holding some pretty bloodthirsty placards, but at the same time come down hard on two Christians having a debate over breakfast at a hotel.”

The Bones says ...

"The next time I go out for a pint with one of my atheist friends and he starts saying things like, "I like what Jesus said, but I think he was just a good teacher, you know. He was only human. I reckon he probably got it on with Mary Magdalen," then obviously I'll do the decent thing and call the cops."

Selamat Hari Raya

Linundus wishes all his readers Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Dan Batin.

PICTURES FROM LONDON ....THIS IS BEYOND SCARY

The above picture makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Can you imagine having a Christian demonstration against Islam in downtown Baghdad or anywhere in the Middle East !

View the pictures below and decide how you really feel about the future of the Western World.

These pictures are of Muslims marching through the STREETS OF LONDON during their recent 'Religion of Peace Demonstration.'

Why would anyone think that we should be at war with such nice, peaceful Muslims?!

All Christians need to know. You need to forward this one to everyone! These pictures tell it all!

Muslims have stated that England will be the first country they take over!

These pictures are not shown on American TV or in American Newspapers , but were forwarded by a Canadian who thought all Christians ought to know!

Contributed by Pious Pius

Does Malaysia Exist Legally?

As Malaysia celebrates its 46th anniversary on September 16th 2009, one wonders whether there is any true meaning in the formation of Malaysia. According to the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 in Part II Section 4 (1) "The Federation shall be known, in Malay and English, by the name Malaysia".

In Section 2 of the same part in the agreement, Malaysia is defined as below: The States of the Federation shall be- a) the States of Malaya, namely, Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Trengganu; and b) the Borneo States, namely, Sabah and Sarawak; and c) the State of Singapore. From the above it can be concluded that Malaya is only a component within the Federation of Malaysia. Why then is Malaya's independence celebrated as the National Day for Malaysia? And secondly, why does the Federal Constitution not define Malaysia Day? This is despite it being mentioned several times in the constitution, for example in Article 19 (4). If we look at Article 160, the Federation is defined as the one established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957! Does this mean, the legality of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia can be questioned?

Continue to read here.

Linundus says ...

The Malaysia Agreement in 1963 should have been reviewed when Singapore was 'sacked' from the Federation of Malaysia.

Why was the Malaysia Agreement 1963 not reviewed since Singapore was no longer in the Malaysia Federation?

This question was thrown to Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi, Emeritus Professor of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA at the Seminar organized by MAJAPS and SLA on 18th July 2009 in Kota Kinabalu.

According to the Emeritus Professor, there was a 'review' on the change of the Malaysia Constitution 1963 when Singapore was no longer a component within the Federation of Malaysia to the effect that "all relevant items and clauses affecting Singapore do not apply".

Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Shad Saleem Fauqi can be reached at shadsaleem@yahoo.co.uk

Light a Candle ... on the Internet?

How's this for a high tech church?:

A Catholic church is allowing worshippers to light candles in memory of their loved ones over the internet as it seeks to reach out to a broader community.

READ HERE and HERE

You can’t be naked at home

Yes, you can be fined for changing your clothes in your apartment

A COURT FOUND a taxi driver guilty of being naked in his own home, I heard from a reader in Singapore.

Chua Hok Hin, aged 56, was in his kitchen when his neighbours saw him in an unclothed state through his kitchen window. He was taken to court and fined S$2,600.

READ MORE HERE

Real Life Miracle Healing /Visit to Heaven

David and Mabel Chang

David’s miracle healing when he was warded at the Changi General Hospital (CGH) and was later transferred at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) where he was in coma for three days from Monday 16^th to Wednesday 18^th June 2008.

Caroline Phua interviewed both David Chang and his wife Mabel after his miraculous recovery from liver problems – a near death experience!

Pastoral (caution) note: David and Mabel Chang are faithful deaf members of the Deaf Faith Fellowship, a ministry of World Revival Prayer Fellowship. Experiences like what David had are not equal in authority to the Bible, and like prophecies, are not to be despised, but to be discerned. Take (only) what is good.

With the courtesy of World Revival Prayer Fellowship, the article is reproduced hereunder:-

Mabel, Sunday 15^th June 2008

My husband, David & I went for breakfast before our church service. David began feeling unwell so we decided that he should go home to rest while I went on to church. That day, I had a bad headache so I went home for a nap after church. David was not in and messaged that he was in Changi General Hospital (CGH). At 7pm, David returned from the hospital. However, he still felt very uncomfortable so we hurried back to the hospital where the doctor decided to ward David for further observation.

Mabel, Monday 16^th June 2008

I went to CGH the next morning to find David shaking in a fit. He said he could not see and then suddenly he lost consciousness. The doctors attending to him decided to transfer David to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) where they had more experience in dealing with liver problems similar to that which they had diagnosed David to suffer from.

David, Monday 16^th June 2008

I was at CGH when I must have passed out. One moment I was in hospital, the next, everything around me became a blur. Then I suddenly became detached from my body. A bright, big doorway was before me and I walked through. On the other side of the entrance, an angel met and led me to be judged by God. He explained about the Book of Life, saying that those who backslide and denied Him would be condemned to the Hell. Those who accepted Jesus as their Saviour, are faithful, and fear God, reading the Bible and worshiping Him will go to Heaven. Their names are found in the Book of Life and will be accepted and welcomed by God himself, into Heaven. Then I met Jesus! I could not see His face as it was dazzlingly and shining but I knew it was Him.

Mabel, Monday 16^th June 2008

David was at SGH’s ICU (Intensive Care Unit). He was in a coma and in a critical condition. Many tubes were plugged into him. The breathing support machine sucked air into his body and in the background, the heart-monitoring machine beeped, ticking the time he had left on earth. Doctors explained that his liver had failed and toxin had spread to all of his body. They told us to prepare for the worse. David, according to the doctor, was brain-dead. My whole family, mother-in-law and relatives all were weeping. Many people prayed earnestly for David.

David, Nil date

Heaven is amazingly beautiful. It is bright and shining, singing and worship music filled the atmosphere. Angels are everywhere. So are many happy people who had accepted Jesus. There is no need to have any food and there is no sickness. Our spirits feed on the word of God. The words “Holy, holy, holy” seemed to resound in my head. The angel beside me told me that Hell is drastically different. It is a heavy, dark and burdened place. None can see through the blinding darkness of hell.

Mabel, Tuesday 17^th June 2008

David was in a coma and did not wake up. His condition did not improve but became increasingly worse.

David, Nil date

I met four people/groups of people face to face in Heaven. I could see their faces only:

1) Bro. Lai – a deaf brother from Deaf Faith Fellowship

2) Former Senior Pastor P. Johnny from World Revival Prayer Fellowship

3) My father and sister

4) My relatives.

Brother Lai told me more about Heaven. He said Heaven is a beautiful place. In the back, I could see a cross. Those who accept Jesus would be at Heaven. Hell is terribly different from Heaven. It is a place of suffering where backsliders and those who deny Jesus who are judged, are sent. Brother Lai explained that God would clean our unclean and sinful hearts, leaving cleansed hearts in us if we confess. It is simple to confess our sins to God as He forgives us easily and readily.

Brother Lai asked for a favour from me. Could I tell Caroline Phua-Wong that he is happy in Heaven? He said that Caroline used to visit, care for and clean him for a very long time when he was sick in a nursing home.

I realized amazingly that we talked without using sign language! In Heaven, we do not need the sign language for we could all talk like normal people. Brother Lai looked younger and very different from when he was alive.

Former Senior Pastor P. Johnny looked wonderful. He was happy and very much younger in Heaven. His face was filled with glory and shone. I was again aware that I could talk to him normally.

Mabel, Wednesday 18^th June 2008

David was still in a coma. Doctors approached us about possibility of removing him from the breathing support machine. There was no improvement in his condition and he was beyond the doctors’ abilities to save. It would be useless for David to have a liver transplant, as there was absolutely no hope for recovery. Doctors explained as kindly as possible the expensive cost of keeping David alive on the breathing support machine. It would be a pointless financial burden for us. About 5pm that day, doctors again suggested that the family consider removal of the life support systems from David. I stopped them. I wanted my children and relatives to have a chance to be with David while he was still alive even though he was in a coma.

David, Nil date

I met my father, sister and relatives who were Christians – they looked younger and happy too. They encouraged me to walk the straight path of Jesus, be faithful to God and not to backslide. God spoke to me. He said we look old on earth but we will look young when we are in Heaven! He even showed me how young my wife, Mabel, would look when she is in Heaven one day. I was astonished.

Mabel, Wednesday 18^th June 2008

Our children, relatives, friends and pastors came to pray for David. The decision to remove the life support systems from David twisted like a strangling cord round my heart. I cried continuously, frightened to make the life and death decision for David. My daughter, Christine, Senior Pastor Kenny Chee and Pastor Barnabas Phua discussed funeral arrangements for David by both her church and WRPF in preparation for his passing on. Kenny, Barnabas and a few members of WRPF gathered inside David’s ICU room to pray for the trust to let God to take over the situation. Tubes from David’s mouth were smeared with blood – he had lost a lot of blood. It was time for me to make the final decision on the removal of all life support systems from him. My daughter, Christine, and son, Jeremy, agreed to let their father go and I consented. At around 11pm, doctors removed the oxygen mask. They expected David to pass on within 48 hours. My children and I stayed by his side praying and crying for him all night.

David, Nil date

While I was in Heaven, I could see my body in the hospital bed. My wife, son, daughter, mother, siblings and relatives, my daughter’s church pastor and her church friends, WRPF church Pastors Kenny Chee, Barnabas Phua and church friends were all praying for me. Jesus told me to go back to my family and take care of my liver. He asked me to control my hot temper and anger. He said the Bible is the truth. I must read it to keep close to Him. He gave me a last reminder about the Book of Life before sending me back. I said goodbye to Him and the angel led me to a small door. I walked to open it. The next thing I knew, I had woken up. I am still alive.

Mabel, Thursday 19^th June 2008

When the morning came, three doctors checked on David and found his eyes opened! His breathing was completely normal. The doctors were extremely puzzled and asked me how David woke up alive and well. This was something they never expected. Christine and I immediately told them that our God healed him. It was unbelievable to the doctors. A complete check was made on David and they pronounced him well. He was transferred to ICA for more observation. Drips and the feeding tube were again attached to him. David could recognize all of us; his family, relatives and friends. When many came and saw him, thanksgiving and praises to God overflowed. I am very grateful to God for bringing David back to us safely.

David, Thursday 19^th June 2008

I am thankful to God for those 3 days of coma and the unbelievable and enriching experience of Heaven.

Mabel, Friday 20^th June to Saturday 5^th July 2008

Daily, David showed physical improvement. Doctors monitored his liver and high blood pressure condition. He was finally discharged on 5^th July 2008, after 2½ weeks in hospital. When David shared his experience of heaven with us, we were amazed. Caroline Phua-Wong was shaken to hear Brother Lai’s words for her. Her visits to him had been done in utmost secrecy and no one could have known about it. We give glory and praise to our real and Almighty God. We would like to thank all their prayers for him and all of us. Hallelujah!

(Interviewed and written by Caroline Phua, edited by Aileen Wee)

Contributed by Dennis Lee.