The Only One Who Ever Wanted Me Was You!

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Life is not about the number of breaths you take but the number of things that take your breath away. We should live our everyday to the fullest. Till now, I am still trying to be the person who help more, reject less, praise more, criticise less, comfort more, upset less, cheer more, jeer less, love more, hate less........... And maybe I can succeed one day with the strength given to me by God, the Almighty and also the encouragement and love showered upon me by my loved ones.

Sunday, April 29, 2007 | 6:21 AM

My Speech in Church

My RCIA facilitator asked me to share my experience in this one year journey during mass this morning. Here is my speech:

"Good morning Father and good morning to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I stepped into a church for the first time in my life about 5 years ago. That time, the parish was celebrating mass and I was just observing. A weird feeling came over me as I heard the congregation reciting prayers in one voice. I thought that I was in an army camp where there were specific ways of answering and saying things. To be frank with you, I felt that it was silly to follow the responses in the Sunday missal. I found it ridiculous to control people’s responses to certain prayers as I perceived that faith should be more spontaneous than that.

Fortunately, the Holy Spirit had been guiding me as I attended mass more and more frequently. My girlfriend and her family’s display of faith in their daily lives prompted me to ask questions about the catholic religion. Even though, every year when the announcement was made to invite enquirers to attend RCIA, I was reluctant as I felt unprepared and found it even disturbing to think about it. While going through life and experiencing love, pain, joy and sorrow, I slowly realized that I was starting to open up to God. The readings and gospels were of great help to me in developing my faith. I started to pray to God and Lord Jesus and every time when I did that, I felt immense peace.

So came last year, when RCIA was inviting enquirers, I signed up for it. It was a clear and almost spontaneous choice. I felt prepared at last. During the enquiry phase, we learnt about the teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church. Father Ho and Father Gerard helped us understand concepts like the holy trinity, the sacraments and many more. The facilitators also took turn to teach us about the faith and religious practices. The weekly sharing sessions allowed sponsors and Catholics to share their experiences with God and that really helped me to believe even more. The priests, facilitators, sponsors, Catholics and even my godparents are wonderful helping hands of God. It is through them that I see the possibility of being close to and loved by Jesus.

After the rite of acceptance when the enquirers accepted God to be their guiding light, the mood of the course changed. It was not so much of lessons anymore but faith development. It became a stage of transformation. Each and every Sunday, after our breaking of the word, all of us were transformed because we were touched by the words in the gospel. We started to embrace the homily put forth by the priests as we captured meaningful words that guided us in our life for the rest of the week. From then on, every mass is a kind of replenishment, nourishment and a re-building of faith as we understand more and more the meaning behind each action and word. Of course, there were times of fatigue and lethargy but the sponsors were all very supportive and encouraging. In my opinion, I think they are the best examples of good Catholics.

On a more personal level, I felt that I experienced a kind of growth and transformation in me and that certainly made a difference in my life. I noticed that I am becoming more patient, more understanding and more loving. By the way I incorporate my religious belief into my daily life, I am slowly influencing others when I prayed before meals and when I expressed my care and concern to those around me. My brothers and sisters, it is believed that the highlight is not during any of the other moment in mass but when leaving the building. That is when we go out to be the church.

So, by being church in your daily life, you can help others see and feel the wonder of believing in God and let them know that the door of RCIA is always open to anyone. Invite them so that they can experience the transformation that will give them peace and joy. We, as Catholics, are also encouraged to participate and I can guarantee you that your faith will definitely be strengthened.

Thank you and God bless everyone."