NEW AND RISEN LIFE!
I became a Godparent last evening at Easter Vigil! To have personally witnessed how God, over the past nine months, invited my Goddaughter and her fellow RCIA companions* to come and see and walk with Him, has been an amazing journey for me!
My dear Goddaughter, for the past nine months, I bore witness to the transformative power of God’s love on you and your fellow Truth seekers, giving you all the grace to faithfully attend the sessions conducted every Wednesday and Sunday. I bore witness to the dedication and love of Father Adrian, Deacon Clement and the organizing team. I bore witness to the selfless generosity of your sponsors who journeyed with you every step of the way. I am reminded that it was God who initiated the call, but it was entirely up to each of us to respond. We are the instruments through which God works His miracles and manifests His power. God was in that space with us as we gathered to learn and pray. We basked in His love and we grew in peace and joy. I am so grateful for this opportunity to have joined you on this RCIA journey!
Like Peter baptising Cornelius and his household in the first reading, I too witnessed at Easter Vigil, the baptising of not just individuals, but also five families which included nine children. Altogether, fifty-three souls have chosen to believe in Jesus the Christ and have their sins forgiven through His name this Easter. Thanks be to God!
Congratulations, my dear Goddaughter! I am so excited for you! I have so many things to share with you. What would be my first words to you as a newly-minted Catholic? Read and live the wisdom of St. Paul in the second reading. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God!
Your faith journey has just begun, my dear Goddaughter. It is a journey that we will take together and with the parish community. Like Mary of Magdala in the Gospel reading, we don’t know many things because it is very early and still dark. We pray and wait for the Light of Christ to reveal more to us. Like St. Peter, we may fail to understand the teaching of Scripture, but as we journey further with Christ, we will grow in our understanding and our faith as the Light will shine not only on our path but also in our hearts and minds!
Thank you, dear parishioners of Holy Family, for praying for our RCIA group this year. Please continue to pray for my Goddaughter and our neophytes as they begin their faith journey as Catholics. Are you inspired to be God’s witness to those seeking the Way, and the Truth, and the Life? (Jn 4:16) Is God calling you to join Him in the next RCIA journey? Come and see!
Happy Easter, everyone!
*This Easter, we celebrated the baptism of forty-four adults and nine children, the confirmation of two adults and welcomed six adults into the Catholic Church.
Article by Patricia Teh, HFC Blog Contributor