Parking or Hogging? That is the Question!

I believe several parishes have got a big problem which seems not so easy to solve. Some of you may be wondering... what sort of big problem am I talking about? While there are different kinds of problems we face in a parish, one that seems pertinent is the big problem about car parking. Why is car parking considered a big problem? Allow me to elaborate.

We know that not many parishes are blessed with sufficient parking space, and from time to time, we come across certain folks who seem to not know how to park their car properly; or they can't find space to park and so they double park or even triple park; or they simply park their car as if it is their grandfather's road. Some even park their car in front of other vehicles, and remain in their vehicle, possibly waiting for a family member to come, and when they are asked to move their vehicle, they show a sour face, scowling face or monkey face, as if moving their vehicle just a few meters away so that another vehicle could come out is such a difficult or painful thing.

Then when the Mass is over and folks are exhorted to go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord, instead of having the presence of mind, or "cow sense," or even common sense; to remove their vehicle which could be blocking other vehicles, they dilly dally by chit chatting with other folks; or they go about in their involvement in other church activities; or some even walk to the shops nearby for breakfast or lunch, as it is convenient for them to go nearby instead of the "hassle" of driving out and going elsewhere. Sometimes, the vehicle of such folks could be just in front of them, and when irate owners of blocked vehicles begin to blast the horn, such folks carry on doing their thing as if everything was ok, or they pretend to not know or "buat tak tau," or they even give a dirty or disgusted look, as if they are not in the wrong.

When such folks do such things, what happens? Other folks who need to drive off may find their vehicles stuck, blocked by the vehicles of such folks. Then what happens? Instead of going forth to love and serve the Lord, as what the priest exhorts at the end of the Mass, folks end up fighting, arguing, cursing and quarrelling (sometimes even to the extent of using "flowery language") over a simple matter of just removing one's vehicle after Mass and re-parking it elsewhere, so that the vehicle does not obstruct other vehicles.

So the question we need to ask ourselves is this: have some of us become so self-centred and egoistic, not bothered about others, and only wanting convenience and benefits for oneself and perhaps for one's family? What sort of Christian example are we showing when what is supposed to be a simple matter such as parking becomes a sore issue, which causes other faithful to unnecessarily sin due to the selfishness and couldn't care less attitude of certain folks?

Painting Masterpieces Through Song

I sometimes cringe when I hear some musicians play at church. Some of these musicians are known as "music taugeh only" musicians. This means that such musicians are unable to play beyond the music notes and chords. Give them a hymn with no proper music notes or chords, and they will go into "Defcon 4" (in other words, they would seriously panic as they may have little idea how to play the song properly, even though it may be a common or easy to pick up after hearing a few times one). Such musicians are unable to play by ear, or have difficulty in doing so.

Another group of musicians I sometimes come across are those who we could classify as "pakai hantam" or "simply play" types. Their chording and melody line is sometimes "messed up" or just plain "out" (a slang for "not sounding right" or played incorrectly). Some of these musicians really butcher the hymn, even to the extend of rendering it unrecognisable. While we do get some of such musicians who are somehow able to "pakai hantam" and sound decent, we should make every effort to get the music and chording right, so that future musicians would be able to pick up the music and play properly accordingly.

When it comes to playing music in church, there is such a thing as art, some science involved, and finesse. One needs to learn the hymn well, and be ready to improvise and give the hymn extra oomph with a combination of proper melody, supporting expressive tones, and where possible, stylo-milo chording. We could get by with basic chords, but it may not bring out the full expression and beauty of the hymn.

That is why playing church hymns should be treated like one is painting a masterpiece. If we want to encourage our faithful to sing with even more gusto, and if we want to do justice to the hymns, we need to go beyond just playing for the sake of playing, or only depending on the written music or a certain fixated style of playing. The songs and hymns can be enhanced and improvised, if one makes the effort to learn the hymn well, and then make effort to enhance the sound with some flowing notes or "flowerly" playing, together with better chording. May our musicians see themselves more and more as artists, with the intention to glorify God through music.

To get an idea of how one could enhance or do justice to the songs or hymns, here is an example of how "Amazing Grace" could be played. This audio file seems to be fine when played on most browsers. If you are unable to hear the audio file, you could try viewing this blog on a different browser (I believe Google Chrome works great).



Also, here is a music notation of Amazing Grace for you to try out:

A Walkthrough the Mass at a Catholic Peninsular Malaysian Church - Summary

As a summary, to get an idea of the various postures during Mass, here is a table consisting of the various parts of the Mass and the posture to be observed. What happens before and after the Mass have been mentioned in the previous articles already, and so this only focuses during the Mass.

Part of the Mass	Description	Posture
Throughout Introductory Rites	From the start of Mass until the end of the Opening Prayer	Stand
Liturgy of the Word	From the first reading until the beginning of the Gospel Acclamation	Sit
Liturgy of the Word	From the beginning of the Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia) until the end of the Gospel	Stand
Liturgy of the Word	During the homily	Sit
Liturgy of the Word	From the beginning of the Creed to the end of the general intercessions	Stand
Liturgy of the Eucharist	From the preparation of the gifts until the end of "Pray, brothers and sisters"	Sit
Liturgy of the Eucharist	From the beginning of "May the Lord accept this sacrifice..." until the end of the "Holy, Holy, Holy"	Stand
Liturgy of the Eucharist	During the Eucharistic Prayer up till before the Mysterium Fidei (Mystery of Faith)	Kneel
Liturgy of the Eucharist	From after Mysterium Fidei (Mystery of Faith), during the Our Father, until after the Lamb of God	Stand
Liturgy of the Eucharist	From after Lamb of God until the distribution of Holy Communion	Kneel
Liturgy of the Eucharist	When receiving Holy Communion	Stand
Liturgy of the Eucharist	During silence after Holy Communion	Sit or Kneel
Liturgy of the Eucharist	Prayer after Communion	Stand
Concluding Rites	Announcements if any	Sit
Concluding Rites	From after the Announcements the until the end of Mass	Stand

A Walkthrough the Mass at a Catholic Peninsular Malaysian Church - Commissioning

Commissioning
Finally it is time for us to take leave and go home. At Mass, we call this the Concluding Rite. We prepare to go back to that world in which we will live for the coming week. Prior to the Final Blessing by the priest, there may be some announcements concerning the upcoming activities of the parish or other news to be noted.

Most parishes would have a bulletin which you could take home with you. It is strongly suggested that you take a copy of the bulletin, as it would be easier to keep up to date with what is going on in the parish. Also, the bulletin would specify the Mass times for the week, or any changes to the Mass times. This is important, since there have been several instances where people still call up the church to find out the Mass times, when they could have easily found out from the bulletin, or even by checking the internet at the church website.

The priest then again says, “The Lord be with you”, the ritual phrase serves now as a farewell. We bow our heads to receive a blessing. As the priest names the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, we make the Sign of the Cross. The priest then dismisses the assembly: “Go in peace.” And we give our liturgical “yes” by saying, “Thanks be to God.” While we have been dismissed, it is a mark of respect to allow the priest and assisting ministers to leave first.

Epilogue
In some situations, the church may have more than one Mass celebrated quite close to each other, with possibly half an hour or one hour interval. If so, and if you plan to stay on for other church activities, it may be advisable to move your vehicle and park it in another location, so that others who would want to attend Mass would be able to get a place. Some churches have limited parking space within the church compound, and we should be generous in offering the space to others, especially if we are going to be in church for quite a while.

Once we have taken our leave, we are charged to be Eucharist in every other part of our lives – in our family life, in our work life, in our neighborhood life. We are sent to be the Body of Christ, and to live out our Catholic identity, so that through our words and actions, others may know what it means to be Christian.

A Walkthrough the Mass at a Catholic Peninsular Malaysian Church - Meal Sharing

Meal Sharing
When the Liturgy of the Word is done, we move to the table. Just as we prepare and partake a meal in the home of a friend, we 1) set the table, 2) say grace and 3) share the food (we eat and drink). At Mass these ritual actions are called 1) the Preparation of the Gifts, 2) the Eucharistic Prayer, 3) the Communion Rite.

The Collection
After the prayers of the faithful, we sit and the collection takes place. In the early days of the church, people would bring whatever gift they had for the good of the community: bread and wine for the Mass, also other gifts too: animals, eggs, produce, cloth, whatever was their best gift to offer and was needed for the good of the people. In fact, to not bring anything for the community, or to bring something that wasn’t your best was considered an insult to the community! Nowadays, most faithful work for a salary, and the monetary gifts we place in the collection represent the gift of our lives and the gift of living out the faith in the world.

Preparation of the Gifts
Then the gifts of bread and wine are prepared for their consecration at the Eucharistic prayer. The prayer said over the bread and the wine (“Blessed are you, O Lord”) is said by the priest, where he gives thanks for the gifts of bread and wine, recalling that these gifts will soon become the Body and Blood of Christ. If there is no music or singing, the people respond “Blessed be God forever” to each of these prayers, joining our thanksgiving to that of the priest.

Before the prayer over the wine, the priest mixes a little bit of water into the wine. This was a very common practice in the early times to dilute a very strong wine that otherwise might be too strong to drink (in other words, to avoid people dropping like flies, drunk or knocked out brown). Today, this gesture has a spiritual significance. The priest says, “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ (wine), who humbled himself to share in our humanity (water).” We pray that just as the water and wine become one, that we also become one with Christ.

Then the priest washes his hands. While this originally served as a practical cleansing (after all, handling stuff like chicken, duck, vegetables, and other offerings would leave behind grime and other nasties such as germs), the priest also prays silently a prayer for spiritual cleanliness, “Lord, wash
away my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin.”

Then the faithful stand and the priest invites us to pray, saying, "Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father." We respond: "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, For the praise and glory of his name, For our good and the good of all his holy Church." After that, the priest prays the Prayer Over the Gifts, and we respond "Amen."

The Eucharistic Prayer

The word Eucharist means Thanksgiving, and the Eucharistic prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving and petition to God. During the Eucharistic prayer, through the action of the Holy Spirit and the words of the priest, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharistic prayer begins with a dialogue between the priest and the people. This dialogue reminds us to lift up our hearts to the Lord and to give thanks to God. The dialogue reminds us that we must be spiritually engaged in the Mass, not just physically present, as we go forward in the Mass. This dialogue leads into the preface of the Eucharistic prayer.

At the conclusion of the preface, we respond to the preface by singing or saying the “Holy, Holy, Holy” acclamation or Sanctus. After the “Holy, Holy, Holy” acclamation, we kneel, unless prevented from doing so because of a physical handicap or lack of space. Only the priest remains standing. Kneeling is a posture of adoration and deep reverence, and is a physical reminder for our minds to be focused on the action taking place at the altar. We have entered the most important part of the Mass: This is not a time for going to the restroom, fumbling with the Missal, or other distractions.

The priest then begin the Eucharistic prayer, of which he has several to choose from. While the words are different in the various Eucharistic Prayers, the underlying structure is the same. Each Eucharistic prayer acknowledges our need to give thanks to God, offers the bread and wine, asks God to send the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and the wine into the very presence of Christ, and intercedes on behalf of the church, the world, the poor, and those who have gone before us.

During the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest gives praise and thanks, and calls upon the Holy Spirit to change our gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. He then recalls the events of the Last Supper - the institution of the Eucharist. When the priest takes the bread and says, “This is my Body,” the bread truly becomes the Body of Jesus Christ. In the same way, the priest takes the wine and says, “This is the cup of my Blood,” and the wine truly becomes the Blood of Jesus Christ. After the consecration of both the bread and wine, the Body and Blood are elevated for the people to see. The servers ring the bells to signal the people that something, or rather, Someone, important is here. Some people were taught to never look up during the Eucharistic Prayer. Nonsense! It is certainly a great time to look and adore the Blessed Sacrament now present in our midst. Others were taught to say silently certain short prayers, like “My Lord and My God” during the elevations. While these aren’t required, they may help you stay focused on Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.

After the consecration, the priest invites us to proclaim “the Mystery of Faith.” Here, we proclaim the Memorial Acclamation: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, / and profess your Resurrection / until you come again.” Note that there are other texts for the Memorial Acclamation from the Roman Missal which could also be used. The priest continues with the Eucharistic Prayer, and at the end, raises the consecrated bread and wine and offers a toast, a doxology, a prayer of glory to God in the name of Christ: “Through him, and with him, and in him, / O God, almighty Father, / in the unity of the Holy Spirit, / all glory and honor is yours, / for ever and ever.” Our “Amen” to this prayer acclaims our assent and participation in the entire Eucharistic Prayer. This "Amen" is also known as the "Great Amen" and should be sung or said with gusto and excitement.

The Communion Rite
We stand and prepare to eat and drink at the Lord’s Table with those words taught us by Jesus: “Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Communion (the word means “union with”) is the sign and source of our reconciliation and union with God and with one another; so we make a gesture of union and forgiveness with those around us and offer them a sign of peace.

We then kneel, as the priest then shows us the Body of Christ and invites us to come to the table: “Behold the Lamb of God....Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” After the priest has partaken of the body and blood of Christ, the members of the assembly stand and approach the altar in procession. We approach the minister who gives us the Eucharistic bread with the words “The Body of Christ,” and we respond, “Amen.” Receiving the Body of Christ is a powerful time for us. We sing a communion song, raising our voices in joy and thanksgiving for this gift that we are receiving in the Lord. We also take time for silence, to listen to Jesus and what he wants for us.

After communion, the priest will consolidate any remaining Hosts and place them in the tabernacle. The Hosts are placed in the tabernacle for bringing communion to the sick, and for times of private adoration of the Blessed Sacrament whenever the church is open. The ciboria that contained the Hosts and the chalice containing the Precious Blood are then purified by the priest. Purifying the ciboria and chalice ensures that every particle and drop of the Body and Blood of Christ is reverently consumed before these vessels are washed. After the vessels are purified, there is a period of silence to reflect and give thanks for Christ’s gift of His Body and Blood. Then everyone stands while the priest prays the Prayer after Communion. This prayer is not a concluding prayer for the Mass! Instead, it is a prayer on our behalf that the communion we have received bring us spiritual strength and growth in holiness. At the end of the prayer, we all respond, “Amen.”

A Walkthrough the Mass at a Catholic Peninsular Malaysian Church - Storytelling

Storytelling
When we gather at a friend’s home for a meal, we usually begin with conversation, telling our stories or catching up with news. At Mass, after the rites of gathering, we sit down for the Liturgy of the Word, and listen as readings from the Word of God are proclaimed. These reading are stories of God’s people, told so we would remember and appreciate our history of salvation.

2 Readings and a Psalm
On Sundays there are two readings and a psalm from the Bible. Throughout the readings and the psalm, we sit as active listeners to God's Word, while we enter into a dialogue, a conversation, with God.

The first reading is usually from the old testament of the Hebrew Scriptures. In this reading you get a “sneak preview” of the Gospel because the reading is chosen to match the “theme” of the Gospel.

Then we will sing or recite a psalm, a song from God’s own inspired hymnal, the Book of Psalms of the Hebrew Bible. The Psalms have been called the “Church’s first prayerbook.” These are words that Jesus himself used in prayer. As we sing the psalm, we are responding to God’s greatness using the very Word of God.

The second reading is usually from one of the letters of Paul or another apostolic writing. These are instructional letters written to the earliest Christian communities, offering spiritual advice on how to live as a disciple. In these letters are advice and counsel that help us, too, to live out our faith.

Gospel
In preparation for the Gospel, we stand and sing Allelulia, which is a Hebrew word, meaning “Praise God.” We stand out of respect, prepared to hear the very words and life of Jesus. The priest will again greet us with “The Lord be with you.” He then introduces the Gospel reading while marking a small cross on his forehead, lips and heart with his thumb while praying silently that God cleans his mind and his heart so that his lips may worthily proclaim the Gospel, and the congregation performs this ritual action along with the priest. The Gospel reading concludes with the ritual formula “The Gospel of the Lord” and we respond, “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ,” again proclaiming our faith in the presence of Christ in the word. Then we sit for the homily.

Homily
Some people think that the words "Homily" and "Sermon" mean the same. Actually, no. A "Sermon" is usually a long discourse concerning a topic or a series of topic, usually of the preacher's liking, or as requested by the faithful for a given period. A "Homily", on the other hand, takes that word of God we have just heard, and brings it to our life situation today. Just as a large piece of bread is broken to feed individual persons, the word of God must be broken open so it can be received and digested by the faithful.

Creed and Universal Prayer
We stand and together recite the creed. The creed is a statement of our faith in the word we have heard proclaimed in the Scripture and the homily, and a profession of the faith that leads us to give our lives for one another as Christ gave his life for us.

The Liturgy of the Word comes to an end with the intercessions. Here, we present before God our needs and the needs of the Church, usually following a similar pattern: prayers for the Church, those in authority, for the sick and the poor, finally for those in our community. A minister will announce the petitions, and we are usually given an opportunity to pray for the intentions in our heart, making some common response aloud like, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

A Walkthrough the Mass at a Catholic Peninsular Malaysian Church - Gathering

Introduction
When friends gather for a meal, they sit and talk: Eventually they move to the table, say grace, pass the food and eat and drink, and finally take their leave and go home. When it comes to the Mass, we will see a similar pattern: we will see ritual acts of 1) gathering, 2) storytelling, 3) meal sharing and 4) commissioning.

Gathering
At Mass, we gather together into one body, ready to listen and to break bread together. At the entrance of the church we would usually encounter the Hospitality ministers at the door to greet you as you arrive for Sunday Mass: We all like to be greeted and welcomed when we gather for a celebration. When friends come for a meal or a party, we greet them at the door and welcome them into our home.

One of the first things Catholics do when they come to church is to dip their right hand in holy water, which is found in the holy water font or stoup usually near the entrance of the church, and make the sign of the cross. This ritual is a reminder of our baptism, where we were baptised with water and signed with the cross. Then when we come to the pew, we genuflect to honour the altar and the presence of Christ in the tabernacle before entering the pew. This practise became a custom of the church taken from medieval times where people would go down on one knee (to genuflect) before a king or person of rank as a mark of respect and honour.

In some parishes, the parist priests may offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the Mass begins, usually 15 minutes before and in some cases, 15 minutes after. It is strongly suggested that the faithful go for confession before the Mass, should he or she discover that he or she has committed sins, especially serious ones.

The Mass Begins
When the Mass begins everyone stands up. Standing is the traditional posture of Christians at prayer, expressing our attentiveness, and to show reverence and respect to Jesus, who is present in the person of the priest (or in persona Christi). This is the same reason why we stand in the presence of dignitaries and important people. Who, after all, is more important than our God and King?. We stand throughout the entire Gathering Rite. Often we begin by singing together, to unite our thoughts and voices in common word, rhythm and melody.

Veneration of the Altar
As the priest approaches the Altar he bends forward in reverence and kisses it. This ritual goes back to the earliest followers of Jesus who were persecuted or even killed for their faith The early Christians would gather, often in the underground catacombs, to pray and share their Eucharistic meal, and the “table” they used was the coffin of one who was martyred. The gesture of kissing the burial site was one of reverence for those who gave their life for the faith. Some of our altars today contain relics of a saint, maintaining that tradition. Another reason that the priest reverences the Altar with a kiss is because, for us, the Altar – a table of sacrifice – reminds us of Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice, offering his very self to the Father.

Introductory Rites
The priest then asks us to begin with the sign of the cross, again reminding us of Baptism. When each one of us was baptised, we were signed with the cross of Jesus Christ, where the Church claimed us for Christ. When we begin with the sign of Christ’s cross, we are reminded of who we are and to whom we belong.

Then the priest will greet us, saying, “The Lord be with you” or some other perscribed greeting. It is both a wish (may the Lord be with you) and a statement of faith (as you assemble for worship, the Lord is with you). It is an ancient biblical greeting: Boaz returned from Bethlehem (Ruth 2:4) and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” The ritual response to this or a similar greeting is always the formula, “And with your spirit,” by which we return the good wishes and the statement of faith.

After that, we proceed to the penitential rite, where we recognise our sinfulness and our need for the mercy and forgiveness of God. Then we give praise to God in the Gloria which follows. This ancient hymn comes from the song of the angels at the birth of Jesus. At the close of this first part of the Mass the priest will ask us to join our minds in prayer, and after a few moments of silence he will collect our intentions into one prayer to which we all respond “Amen,” a Hebrew word for “So be it.”

A Walkthrough the Mass at a Catholic Peninsular Malaysian Church - Preliminaries

Foreword
When you arrive at a Catholic church for Mass, what do you do? Some people may be familiar with the gestures, postures, protocol and other observances in a Catholic church, but there may be some who may have not step into a Catholic church before; or they may have not been in one often enough to know the gestures, postures, protocol and other observances; or they may be visiting from another country and there may be some observances which are peculiar to the other country, or they may have not known, noticed or observed in their home parish or in churches in their country.

So this guideline is to help familiarise ourselves with the gestures, postures, protocol and other observances common to the Dioceses of Malaysia, especially Peninsular Malaysia, as indicated in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal, when one is at the grounds and inside a Catholic church. Note that Singapore and Brunei would share many of these common gestures, postures, protocol and other observances, since these countries come under one Bishop Conference, that is the Bishops Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Preliminaries
Prior to coming to church, it is presupposed that you would have dressed your Sunday best. When we attend an important function in the presence of royalty or some VIP (Very Important Person), we would surely dress our best. Likewise, we should dress our best for Mass, since we are going to be in the presence of the King of kings. Besides that, it is hoped that you would have left your premises early, so that you have ample time to arrive at church early, find parking space, and get to the church. Moreover, it is advisable that you would have read the readings of the Sunday beforehand, preferably from the Sunday Missal, so that you would have some idea of the theme and significance of the particular Sunday Mass.

Also, you would observe the one hour fast before Communion. Why do we observe this one hour fast before Communion? The purpose of the fast is to prepare ourselves to receive the Eucharist by focusing our thoughts and attention on our need for God, our desire for communion with him and the importance and sacredness of what we do. People who are sick, advanced in years, or who have medical problems that make fasting difficult, have no obligation to observe it.

The fast can be looked at several ways. It makes me think about what I need to do in order to receive Communion, so my preparation begins even before I come to church. It reminds me of my need for the bread of life and cup of salvation to satisfy a spiritual hunger and thirst. It requires of me a small degree of self-discipline, directing my actions and my body to a higher good.

Attitude and Etiquette in Church

When you go for an official function in the presence of the king, sultan or some royalty, or if you are attending a function in the presence of a VIP (Very Important Person), quite likely you would observe a certain dress code, certain protocol, and certain customs. Surely you would want to carry yourself well and make a good impression, and not appear to be unkempt or in Malay: "kurang ajar" (brash, brazen, discourteous, or disrespectful) or "biadab" (barbaric, uncivilized, uncouth).

It is interesting how much effort we make to look good and put on a good appearance in front of such royalty or VIP, but how do we behave and act when we come to church? Do we prepare ourselves well before, during and after Mass, and observe the dress code, protocol and customs at church? Hopefully, many of us would be doing so, but once in a while, we come across people who are either ignorant of where they are, or just could not be bothered or could not care less. What do some of these folks do?

1. Some dress in a revealing or improper manner. Wearing a singlet and shorts may seem fine when one is going to a market, but at church? Also, one padre once commented: "I have seen situations where the mother is dressed sexier than the daughter!" Sometimes, the cloth material could be inappropriate, especially when a person is standing near the light, since in some cases, the light could cause the clothing to become quite transparent, creating a revelation.
2. It's a noisy world, as opposed to maintaining sacred silence. Already in our day to day living, we are bombarded with lots of noise all around us. Do we need to make even more noise with our talking in church and around the church grounds, while others are trying to pray and have some peace and quiet? Also, some seem to be addicted to their handphones and occasionally check for messages and updates, or trying to score in a new level in a mobile game, adding to the noise.
3. Reading newspaper and church publications during Mass. As if one could not even afford an hour with the Lord and need to catch up with the latest news.
4. Feeding young children during Mass. If we insist in feeding our children during Mass, then what sort of message are we giving them, that it is fine to eat and drink anywhere and any time one pleases? Are they that famished or dying of thirst that they must have something to eat and drink?
5. Littering at the pews and church grounds. Occasionally, I come across a used tissue paper, sweet wrapping or some item at the pews or church grounds. Are some so uncivilised that the church grounds have become a rubbish dump? Would you indiscriminately throw rubbish anywhere and everywhere in your home?
6. Arriving late for Mass and leaving early before Mass is concluded. If one could make much effort to arrive early for an official function, why not do the same for Mass? Also, would one leave early before the official function is over? Surely one would not want to offend the royalty or VIP by just getting up and leaving as one pleases. If so, why do some do so and disrespect the presence of our Lord?
7. Chopeing or reserving seats in church. When you see a handbag, piece of tissue paper, or some item on the pew bench, quite likely some "clever" person or persons have reserved the pew for themselves or their family and friends. Sometimes, the pew is taken up by only a few people, but they prevent others from sitting at the other remaining space. The church pew does not belong to them, but they behave as if it does.
8. Reluctance to participate at Mass. From the sanctuary, one could observe those among the faithful who are participating at Mass, and those who just stand there like a tree, not doing anything, not responding to the prayers or singing, just sitting and standing like robots. I have seen people looking so sour-faced, fed-up, monkey-faced or even zombie-like, as if coming for Mass is such a chore, or so excruciatingly painful.
9. Not treating Catechism classes seriously. In certain parishes I have been to, I have noticed some parents being very impatient and wanting their children to come out of catechism classes as quickly as possible. It is as if some other activity such as tuition, shopping or a trip to some place is more important than learning about one's faith. Some parents have even fought with the catechism teacher for not allowing their child to leave. Would one leave as one pleases in an official function?
10. Parking indiscrimately. I recall in some parishes where certain individuals parked their cars as if the road belongs to them. Not only that, there were occasions where they parked near the gate and blocked everyone else, or even parked in front of the priest's car, making it impossible for people to leave, and also making it impossible for the priest to drive out, especially when answering an emergency call. One wonders where such persons learnt their driving from, or it is simple a lack of common sense, or don't care or "tidak apa" attitude.

Such antics, attitudes and behaviour among some of our faithful happen from time to time. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: are some of us guilty in committing some of these? Do we reach out to such persons and try to help them in changing their ways or attitudes? Or do we just wash our hands and look the other way, only to allow such attitudes and behaviour to become rampant? As a Christian community, we cannot only expect the priest and church leaders to address such attitudes. Each and every one of need to do our part in enabling our church to be transformed into a place where all are welcomed, loved and cared for.

Guidelines to Become Effective Musicians at Church

Over the years, I have observed different kinds of church musicians who have served in different Mass times or different other liturgical celebrations for different language groups. For some musicians, the musical notation of the west is used. Other musicians use only words and chords. For musicians who play for the Mass in Mandarin, quite likely the 简谱, 簡譜, jiǎnpǔ or "simplified notation" is used.

Regardless of which music notation system one uses, there are a few observations that could help make a difference between a spirit-filled worship in song, and a dull, boring or ho-hum effort. Here are some of the observations for your evaluation:

1. Talent

To be a musician, you need talent. You could attempt to play a guitar or keyboard or even the organ without much talent, but the outcome would be quite different from those who have got the talent in playing such instruments. There is a difference between playing mechanically, and playing using one's talent. This is why we need to encourage our many young and not so young faithful who have an ear for music, to come forward and offer their talent for the glory of God. Finding such persons should not be that difficult, but the challenge is to encourage them to play, and play with joy.

2. Attitude

Can you imagine coming across a musician who plays but has a foul or bad attitude? From time to time, we may come across certain musicians who play because they have a "what's in it for me" attitude, and some even have a "don't tell me how to play" attitude. However, we should remember that one is called to be a musician not for one's personal gratification, or to boost one's ego, or to show off, but to glorify God through music.

3. Commitment

As a musician, one needs to be committed in playing at the appointed time. One could have talent and good attitude, but sometimes life is such that one is unable to commit oneself. Ideally, we should have musicians who are able to commit themselves to play according to a schedule. This is because when you keep changing musicians due to someone being unable to play for some reason (even though the reason may be valid or good), the choir and the congregation may become confused and the singing may become disrupted or disjointed, since each musician would have a different style or way of playing.

4. Accessibility of Music Material
For a musician to play well and play properly, he or she needs to have access to the music notes. Some musicians may be able to get by with just the words and chords, but the danger with only words and chords is that one musician may be familiar with the hymn, but another musician or a newer one may not know the hymn. This poses a problem if the senior or veteran musician is no longer around, or has moved elsewhere due to work, studies or for some other reason. How are the newer folks going to be able to play the hymn correctly if there are no music notes available? Not only that, without the music notes, people may be singing the hymn incorrectly compared to the original.
This is why it is crucial to have the proper music notes at hand (whether in the western form of musical notation or using the jiǎnpǔ or "simplified notation"). Preferably the music notes should be from the original composer, not from one of those folks who have heard the music played and then come up with their own interpretation of the hymn. Sometimes we come across people who have changed the music notation quite a bit, possibly due to an error in listening to the original music. However, there may be times a musician may need to make do with whatever music notation he or she can get, and hopefully gain access to the original or more accurate music notation, if and when it is available.

5. Study the Music Material
As a musician, one should have a close look at the music material before beginning to try it out. Things that should be looked at include key signature, time signature, unsual notation patterns and other things which may affect the way the music piece is to be played.
Also, one should look at the lyrics and see how the words and music harmonise. This could be helpful if the musician is not familiar with the hymn, or is helping to teach the hymn to the choir or the congregation. Remember that as a musician, you may be one of the few who can read music, so you really need to know the music well before teaching others.

6. Check the Instruments
Musical instruments are strange beasts. They should normally behave well, but from time to time, we get musical instruments throwing tantrums or malfunctioning. To ensure that the musical instruments are in good working order, it is the musician who should check the musical instruments from time to time, especially a few days before choir practice and a few days before the Mass. In case a problem is detected, at least there would be some time for the musical instruments to be examined by an expert and necessary repairs could be carried out. If an acoustic piano is being used, then it would be necessary for it to be tuned at regular intervals, to ensure proper tone.

7. Arrange the Music in Proper Order
It may be advisable for a clear holder file to be used to arrange the music in proper order according to the flow of the Mass, so that the music could be played with little distraction. Instead of lugging one book after another to play the hymns or even different parts of the Mass, one file containing all the hymns and Mass parts could be compiled so that all the musician needs to do is to turn the page as the Mass progresses. It can be distracting if the hymns and Mass parts are all over the place, or in disarray, or messed up, so getting the hymns and Mass parts in proper sequence would help lots.

8. Practice, Practice, Practice
To play the hymns and Mass parts well, one needs to practice. Even if one is already familiar with the hymns and Mass parts, one still needs to practice, since as we know, practice makes perfect. Practice not only enables the musician to become adept with the hymn or Mass part, it also enables the choir and the congregation to become adept as well. I remember an article saying: "When you have not practised for a few days, you would begin to notice the slack in playing; When you have not practised for a few weeks, the audience would begin to notice the slack in playing. Don't be sloppy, practise and practise well, so that your playing would be wonderful and beautiful.

9. Evaluate
As musicians, we often like to hear good things about our playing. We like to hear good compliments. But sometimes, it may be necessary to get some feedback and evaluation of our playing, so that we would know which areas we could improve on. By having evaluation about our playing, we would identify habits and playing styles that could be improved on, or if the playing style is not so suitable for church, then such habits and playing styles could be rectified.

10. Remember to Pray
In all things, prayer is important. Prayer reminds us that ultimately, God is in control and we need His constant help to be effective musicians. Prayer helps us stay committed and focused in our playing. Prayer helps us to learn to be more patient, prudent, persistent and persevere in our words and conduct. Through prayer, we learn to be more dependent on God's providence, while offering our best in playing for the Lord.

Naturally, this is not an exhaustive list. There may be many other factors to consider. May we offer our best to God in our efforts as musicians, and as St. Augustine reminds us: "He who sings well prays twice." May we guide our faithful to singing well, and give God the glory.