RCIA - a gift from God - Thank you - Danny Tse
General Sharing October 31st, 2008Eric, I was gathering my thoughts last night on our last RCIA session with Eric. I would like to express my thanks to God and to everyone who arranges an occasion like this for RCIA participants. It is not an entitlement that we can get together like this. It is a gift from God.
All of us are on a journey, a journey of life since the day we were born. We have no choice about it . But all of us in the RCIA class have chosen to embark on a journey, a journey afresh, a journey now with direction, a journey that enables us to find our way HOME. It took me a long time, more than 30 years, to come to know Christ. I do not know exactly when I have crossed the line from unbelief to belief. I would always love to read the Bible, having been educated in all of my primary and secondary school years in a Catholic school. Even after I came over to Canada as a foreign student, I would always love to tune in for the TV evangelist program. I was discouraged somewhat with the many scandals that plagued the Evangelist platform in North America. I was always visiting the public libraries, searching books in the “Spiritual and Philosophical” section. Unfortunately, the books that teach Gnostic ideas or even heresies are placed side by side along with the proper teachings of the Catholic church. This is very dangerous and I was doing it all by myself. Obviously I do not go very far on my own and that is until I joined this church, this RCIA program.
As I reflect on the past few months, I realize that I have felt a little bit differently. This is not an emotional thing, one that will pass away quickly. It is more like I am more at ease with God. It is like establishing some kind of connection. God has worked on us by His Spirit to change our hearts. I am sure some of you may feel the way I feel. We are like “spiritual babies”. Like father, like son. We are born to be saints and be Christ-like. Certainly no parents would like to see their child remain as a baby forever, however cute and lovable a baby is. A baby is meant to grow into a child, a child into an adolescent, an adolescent into an adult. In other words, I want to be more mature with my new found faith and I firmly believe the church offers different channels to make our quest easier, our faith stronger. The nurture is in the Bible which I would always try to find time to read.
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
This is my strong feeling that it works the same way as we attend mass, attend the RCIA program together. Especially at this stage, we need guidance and inspiration. Thanks to Patrick, Magdalene , Eric and other facilitators , we are like birds gliding effortlessly because of the wind beneath our wings.
It is really a not-to-be-missed delight with our guest facilitator, Petrus, who shared with us his experiences, who used his talents to help open our hearts to God, drawing us closer. The songs, with simple melodies and lyrics , where we pick up almost instantly, just permeate our minds and touch our souls. The first two songs “Alleluia” and “As the deer” are songs of praise and Thanksgiving. Petrus raised this point - Does God need our praise? Of course not. Rather, the question is - Do we need to praise God? God provides everything for us; everything including ourselves comes from Him. God is not our servant; we are His servants. When we praise God, our focus is on Him, not ourselves. We should give thanks as we count each day as a gift from God. By praising God, we place Him above all things. We are in a way humbling ourselves, but that is in no way to compare to how God the Son humbled Himself to become one of us, Jesus Christ, bearing all our sins and offered Himself up as a ransom. After the second song. Patrick especially commented on the lyrics - You’re my friend and You are my brother, even though You are a King. I could almost see him trying to hold back a teardrop hanging at the corner of his eyes. The last song “Come into my heart” is our petition to give ourselves up, let go of any barriers to ask God to come to us. During the song, Petrus asked us to close our eyes and let the Spirit works its way, while he cued the lyrics for us. Thanks , Petrus, for doing all for these for us.
Another comment from Petrus that I find insightful is the words of wisdom from his mom - Do not build your happiness on something or someone that may fail. God?s love for us is never changing, unconditional, however imperfect we are. God never fails us and never deserts us . “I am who I am” - that is God’s name - signifies “the one who is always present”. He will always be with us if we let Him.
At the end of the session, Patrick mentioned a few other programs in the Church, one of which I attended. This is the Bible study program, held once every month, on the last Friday evening from 7:45 to 10. It especially appeals to me as I have always desired to learn and understand God?s Words in more depth. The Bible is God?s Words and has been revealed to us about God Himself and it is a gift to us. How much we grasp from it is in our hands. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens one another. I have made a few friends there who can help one another along our life’s journey.
In closing, I would like to borrow Patrick’s introductory remark in the Pilgrim Song, which I have the honour to read it out to the audience.
“Spark greater participation in parish activities so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Because we are all pilgrims on a journey of faith.”
God bless and thanks again.
Danny Tse
3 Responses to “RCIA - a gift from God - Thank you - Danny Tse”
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October 31st, 2008 at 4:58 am
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…” (Ephesians 1:13)
As Christians and believers in this world, we are companions of the cross traversing in a pagan land. While most of the time, the people we meet on this earthly journey are pagans, we always recognize our fellow companions when we see one. For the seal of the Holy Spirit is recognizable and unmistakable.
The seal of the Holy Spirit is unquestionably in you, Danny, and I praise the Lord for His marvelous work. I can’t wait for the Holy Spirit to solidify His “work-in-progress” in you through the sacrament of confirmation, so that it’s “fully completed, sealed, and “delivered”! (The good thing is, He will quickly move on to begin a new project in you as soon as the first one is over!)
Yes, the work of the Holy Spirit is unmistakable. Some years ago, when the same work of the Holy Spirit was “completed, sealed, and delivered” in me, I couldn’t wait to visit Sister Ancilla Huang, who “kick-started” my conversion by calling me a “Cafeteria Catholic”. I couldn’t wait to pour out my conversion experiences that had my heart filled up so bad it was about to burst! Sister Huang immediately recognized her fellow companion of the cross and exclaimed, “Edmond, the Holy Spirit has touched your heart!”
Thank you, Danny, for laying bare your thoughts. The RCIA ministry, while meaningful and religious, is like another inroad into the pagan land. As catechists, we go down this path and, sadly, many of the people we encounter are pagans and remain pagans even after baptism. For those who turn into a companion of the cross because of the work of the Holy Spirit, we welcome them into our midst with open arms. For not only has our goal of evangelization been accomplished in them, we have also received a shot in our arms through them. They allow us to continue to make inroads into the pagan land in spite of near exhaustion sometimes.
Patrick, your kind of RCIA is the kind of RCIA that Pope Paul VI had in mind when he promulgated the “new RCIA model” for the universal Church. RCIA is not about “good attendance”; it’s about helping people to encounter Christ. My compliment to you and your fellow catechists for a job well-done!
Since Danny doesn’t mind sharing his conversion experience, I also take the liberty of sharing this email with some of my fellow companions of the cross on FSW, the BSP, and my RCIA group.
In the Lord,
Edmond
October 31st, 2008 at 4:59 am
I don’t think I have met Danny and I certainly not the type that has the urge to write and share my feelings. However, there are so many similarities in his sharing that I cannot resist dropping a few lines.
* Singing praises to the Lord is indeed 2x the prayer - it’s so beautiful. It’s like a lover who cannot help himself but to express his love through the songs which intensify the relationship and in this case, bring us closer to our God.
* Each time I hear or sing “As the Deer”, my heart and soul is touched by this beautiful song ( which is by the way a psalm too) - how we long for the Love of God like the deer panteth for the water. How true is the line “You alone are my heart’s desire” - makes me put aside all my worldly worries and desires nothing but to worship the Lord. It almost cleanses my soul whenever I am troubled ( afterall we are human) and this song never fails to bring me back to what matters.
* Talking about pilgrim song - this is one of my favorite songs that I sang every morning while getting ready for school. I haven’t heard it ever since I graduated from my high school and each time I flip the “Chun Yan” at CMCC, I can’t help lamenting at this forgotten song that was never sung here in Canada …. until last week’s Singathon, we had the pleasant surprise of having this song sung by the RCIA group and now by Danny’s sharing. Thx for bringing back the memories.
We are indeed very blessed at CMCC as we have the RCIA group, the Bible Study Program, the on-line Family Spiritual Window and the Chrismatic prayer group …. all of them encircled us wth a group of holy friends to accompany us on our journey of faith, through sharing of the Word and lots of glory and praises. Praise the Lord indeed.
In Christ,
Agnes Au
October 31st, 2008 at 5:09 am