Mission updates!

Yesterday at 9.30am our missionaries boarded the plane to Sabah and have arrived safely. One of the flights was delayed but they made it to Tuaran St John's parish in the afternoon. They proceeded to Kiulu area and are currently residing in an area called Malangan. They were greeted by a pot bless prepared by the locals to welcome them at the St Martin's parish. In return, they sang songs and gave testimonies. There was also a Q&A session about East Malaysians who left their faith upon hoping over to Kuala Lumpur.

...more updates coming soon so stay tuned!

MISSION TRIP!!

We are going on MISSIONS! Yes, you read it correctly. There are 8 Lifeliners from St. Francis Xavier’s Church and St Thomas More Church, who will be going to Sabah for missions from 29th June till 5th July. We also have a fellow missionary from France who will be joining us.

Who are we?

• Alex Chan
• Anne Yong
• Jennifer Lau
• Martin Koh
• Lei Sunn, Cheong
• Stacie Ng
• Crisabel Tiu
• Ee Lynn, Yap
• Buu-Vi
  

Why do we go on missions?
Matthew 28:19-20 – Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you….
We are all commissioned to preach to Good News of Christ, and going on missions is just 1 way of doing what God is commanding us J (note: we also have to carry this out in our daily lives too) There is a time and season for missions, and now is the time!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 – This is good and pleasing to God our saviour, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. “This is the Father’s will”
As we share the knowledge of the truth, and to help deepen their knowledge by our testimony, our faith in turn will increase.

What are we doing there?
We’ll be sharing our personal testimonies on how God is real in our lives, giving the people we meet the encouragement to continue to follow Christ and live a lifestyle that is pleasing to HIM through talks & sharings.
We want to also connect with the youths from Sabah who are coming to KL to work or to study, so that they know that there is a Catholic community in KL whom they can connect with.

Where are we going?
We will be meeting with a group of youths from St. John’s Tuaran parish on Monday, and will be journeying with them into Kiulu area for the next 4 days to live with the local folks and to share with them. On Friday, we’ll be travelling back to Kota Kinabalu and will be meeting with the KK Lifeliners and sharing there.

How can you be involved?
PRAY FOR US. Yes.. please pray for us. Going into the mission field, does not merely involve the people who are travelling there, but those who are from the church. Your prayers are important to us. Please pray for our safety, unity, openness to receive and to give of ourselves to the communities whom we will be meeting.
Your prayers are important to us!

THANK YOU all for being part of the BODY of Christ, for your support and prayers.

See you when we get back! God bless!

In Christ Love:
Missionary team

FORGIVENESS : The Lost Son

Today was a great day. It started off great and ended awesome. The Praise and Worship was great. The songs today were crafted so beautifully with the flow. And I think our souls transcended together in worship. Testimonies (Justin D'Souza and Yuli) were also heartfelt as they share with us how God has touched them in their life.

Before Stacie took her place at the "pulpit", we prayed over her. She looked perplexed so I'm guessing she was well prepared. I was drawn to whatever she wanted to say; so much so I had to take notes of the symbolism she was pointing out. She was so full of vigor and spirit that was just contagious. Most of us went back at learning something new. I know I did. Swesomeness.

Although a handful turned up, nevertheless I think it was a blessing in disguise so we took this opportunity to drive all the way to Murni (SS2). Dinner/supper was awesome! They had a drink called, "I Love You". Super hilarious when he was serving the drinks after that. As usual we chatted til the wee hours. Definitely an awesome night to remember. :D

Great Things Come in Small Packages

This is a cool rosary-on-the-go. It acts like a key chain so you can pray as you drive evil spirits away. It definitely comes in handy. We recommend it. Plus, it's red signifying martyrdom. Since our St Thomas More's Feast Day has just passed by round the corner, let's commemorate him by buying one and pray! Besides, all the profits will be going to the building fund. If this does not suit your liking, head on over to The Creative Catholic Centre to customize!

Here are some of the other items that are also for sale. For the normal rosaries, you can either affix the crucifix yourself or even request for a sacred relic (level 3) to be made together. Voila! A super duper weapon against the prince of darkness. It comes in many packages and colors.
So get your customized rosary today!

*Note : It makes a very nice gift.

Catholic Church needs Holy Priests: Pope Benedict

VATICAN CITY (Zenit.org).- The greatest suffering of the Church is the sin of its priests, Benedict XVI said as he inaugurated the Year for Priests.

The Pope presided today at a celebration of vespers on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Basilica of St. Peter's, during which he launched a yearlong celebration of the priesthood. The theme for the priestly year is "Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests."

The year, convoked by the Pontiff, coincides with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney, known as the Curé d'Ars. Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars brought the relics of the French saint to Rome for the inauguration Mass.

The Year for Priests will conclude with an International Convention in Rome, to be held June 9-11, 2010.

The celebration began with the Holy Father venerating in silence the relics of St. John Mary Vianney.

"The Church needs holy priests," the Pope said in his homily. "[It needs] ministers to help the faithful experience the merciful love of the Lord and to be convinced witnesses."

For this, he invited the faithful to pray "that the Lord inflame the heart of each priest" with the love of Jesus.

"How can one forget that nothing makes the Church -- the Body of Christ -- suffer more than the sins of its pastors, above all those that are 'wolves in sheep's clothing,' whether because they lead [the faithful] away with their private doctrine, or because they bind [the faithful] down with the ties of sin and death," he asked.

"The call to conversion and to take recourse to Divine Mercy also applies to us, dear priests," Benedict XVI said to the numerous priests and bishops present. "We should also appeal, humbly and incessantly, to the heart of Jesus so that he preserves us from the terrible risk of damaging those whom we should save."

For this, the Pope affirmed, "Our mission is indispensible for the Church and for the world, which demands complete fidelity to Christ and an incessant union with him; that is to say, it demands that we constantly seek the holiness of St. John Mary Vianney."

*for those of you who cannot afford The Herald, you can read all the articles right here too. I didn't know His Grace, Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam launched the website on 26th May 2009! Hurrah!! So when is the Church of St Thomas More going online?

Angel Security

Fancy that huh?

Pixies are out!

Heya peeps!

As promised, here are the pictures for our YOU GOT TALENT 2009! WOot!!

YOU GOT TALENT 2009! - Cultural Night Album

The Explosion of Love

I'm sure all of you know, there's a 8-week(i think so) program at SFX that runs the Christopher West videos that talk about the Theology of the Body. It's an incredible program to attend but I understand time constraints and exams so Stacie has kindly provided the notes for the first session so do thank her when you see her!

Session 1 : An Education in being human
The Foundation of LIFE and Culture
"Theology of the body" [TOB] is the working title John Paul 2 gave to 129 talks he delivered during his lifetime. It concerns the call of the male and the female to become "one flesh". If it is true, as some say, that the TOB is all about sex, then, what is sex? To ask questions about the meaning of sex (the meaning of our creation as male and female) is to ask questions about the very meaning of human existence. The TOB takes us on an exhilarating Trinitarian journey that leads us ever-upward from the body to

1. the union of man and woman to
2. the union of Christ and the Church and from there into
3. the eternal union of Father, Son and Holy Spirit or what chris west calls (the eXpLoSioN of love)

John Paul 2 uses the spousal union as a "lens through which to view the whole of existence, the whole of reality and of God's plan for humanity (you and I).

1a. What we learn essential...for the understanding of man in general: for the... self understanding of his being in the world (aka existence) [TOB 102:5]
1b. Therefore, this Theology of the Body is the basis of the most appropriate method of man's... self education. (to educate ourselves about the meaning of existence) [TOB 59:3]


What makes the Human Body "Theological"?
In Christian catechesis, people are used to an emphasis on the spiritual realm. Yet many people are unfamiliar with the emphasis on the body. TOB is a clarion call for Christians not to be more "spiritual" but to be more incarnational; to put flesh on the spiritual life. We are NOT spirits trapped in a body. We are body-persons; incarnate spirits.

Our bodies are a kind of sacrament. It has made what is invisible, visible. We cannot see God. As pure spirit, God is totally beyond our vision. Yet Christians believe that the invisible God has made himself visible. How?
God's mystery revealed in human flesh. For in Christ, "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9)

Take home thought.
The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. God created the human body to be a sign of the mystery hidden within the Trinity from all eternity.

*there's actually a lot more notes but I have not included them here if not it'll be wayyyy too long so if you're really interested, please email stmlifeline@gmail.com for the entire notes for Session 1 or just poke Stacie for it. =D

Transformation

There are plenty photos to compile so in the meantime, here's something light to digest.

YOU GOT TALENT 2009!

Twas definitely a night to remember. The ambiance, the food, the acts, the judges, the prizes, the music contributed to the overall night event. Everybody made an extra effort that night, and I am gracious and humbled at the passion and dedication put into the event. Deepest gratitude to all the committee members for the sweat and tears and sleepless. Rest assured your reward is in heaven. :p

And of course we would always like to hear any feedback that would help us to coordinate events to serve you better. So drop us a mail anytime at stmlifeline@gmail.com or comment here as you wish.

Those who have taken photographs and video that night, please if possible burn me a copy that Lifeline will have a copy to keep and perhaps compile into a DVD so that all may have access ya? In any case, just contact Suzanne!

Here's a picture to remember always,