We continue to dedicate the month of November to pray for the souls in purgatory, the departed souls and all the forgotten souls who need our prayers, Mass offerings and penance. It is an opportunity to remember the dearly departed so that they are not doomed to eternal punishment.
We have listed most of the names of the departed souls in our “Book of Remembrance” which has been placed at the sanctuary together with the lighted oil lamp and bouquet of flowers. I sincerely hope that all of you still remember my All Souls’ Day homily where I requested that you utter a simple prayer daily for all the departed souls – “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
The beauty of our Catholic Church is that we are reminded to pray for all the departed souls so that they may enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. They are already assured of a place in heaven but our prayers can help lighten their time in purgatory. So let us continue to remain united in prayer as we pray for the departed souls.
Advent is just weeks away and Christmas is only 40 days away. We have come closer to the end the 1st Mission of our Parish on Family. Since last Advent we learned and gained new knowledge and new perspectives on the nature, beauty and gift of our families. It has given opportunity for all parishioners of St Joseph to talk about the challenges and blessings that we have been profoundly raised in the Catholic Family.
From the very start of the forthcoming Advent Season we shall move into our 2nd Mission of our 3 years Vision on “Strengthening Our Faith Community.” Our second mission will be on BEC and Year of Mercy. We shall pray and reflect how we as families in BECs within our neighborhoods can fulfill the need for great mercy towards the least of our brothers and sisters in the Church and communities surrounding our vicinity. We shall set the way of mercy with our words and attitude towards one another through our pastoral care.
On Saturday (14/11), a selected few came together for more than an hour to pray, meditate and brainstorm on our 2nd year mission. We hope to launch this Mission for the Year 2015/2016 on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the BVM (8/12/2015). We pray that in the year to come, all of us will be enriched and inspired with faith, love and mercy so that we will be able to work together and support one another in this life journey.
Dear parishioners, may our forthcoming 2nd Mission bring joy of the presence of God in our BECs and Church community as we welcome one another mercifully and respectfully. Be patient towards all and live in faith and simplicity.