Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The Purple

• Violet or purple is used during Advent and Lent as a sign of penance, sacrifice and preparation.

• Purple vestments may also be used for Masses of Christian Burial or Masses for the Dead.

• Some parishes use a different shade of purple to differentiate the (usually) darker purple used for Lent.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The Green

• Green symbolises hope and life, just as the hint of green on trees in early Spring arouses the hope of new life.

• Green is used during the liturgical season called Ordinary Time.

• This season focuses on the three-year period of our Lord’s public ministry, and the Gospel passages, particularly on Sundays, recount His teachings, miracles, exorcisms, and other deeds during this time.

• All of these teachings and events engender great hope in the mystery of salvation.

• We focus on
• The life He shared with mankind during His time on this earth.
• The life we share now with Him in the community of the Church and through His sacraments.
• and we look forward to sharing everlasting life with Him perfectly in Heaven.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The Red

Red has a dual imagery:

• On one hand, red symbolises the shedding of blood and is therefore used on

• Palm Sunday (when Christ entered Jerusalem to prepare for His death)
• Good Friday, any other commemoration of the Lord’s passion
• The votive Mass of the Precious Blood
• The days marking the martyrdom of the apostles (except St. John)
• and the feasts of other martyrs who offered their lives for the faith.

• On the other hand, red also signifies the burning fire of God’s love. For this reason, red vestments are worn on
• Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and tongues of fire rested on their heads;
• For the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation;
• and for the votive Masses of the Holy Spirit.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The White and The Gold

• White or gold, a colour symbolising rejoicing and purity of soul.

• It is worn during the liturgical seasons of Christmas and Easter.

• White vestments are also used for feasts of our Lord (except those pertaining to His passion), the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints who were not martyrs.

• White vestments are also worn on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and the Feasts of All Saints, St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, the Chair of St. Peter, and the Conversion of St. Paul.

• White may also be used for Masses of Christian Burial and Masses for the Dead to signify the resurrection of our Lord, when He triumphed over sin and death, sorrow and darkness.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - Introduction

The Church’s liturgical norms do prescribe specific vestment colours for various celebrations.

The purpose of utilising different colours for vestments is twofold:

• First, the colours highlight the particular liturgical season and the journey of the faithful through these seasons.
• Second, the colours punctuate the liturgical season by highlighting a particular event or particular mystery of faith.

The following explanation is based on the norms of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM).

To convert or not to convert? That is the question!

Some of us in Malaysia are not aware of the implications of converting from one's religion to Islam. People do so for a variety of reasons, but before one does so, it is necessary for one to be aware of what one is getting oneself into, as the saying goes: Look before you leap. Note that this only applies to Malaysia, since other countries may have different variances or applications.

Thus, I have reproduced an article from the Herald (Catholic Weekly), published by the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur on 14 Aug 2005, for your information, understanding, continuing education, reference and awareness. The article is as follows:


If you convert to Islam, there are important changes in your legal status and what you can or cannot do. Your conversion to Islam will be registered with the Religious Department and the National Registration Department, both of which are computerised, so that access to this information is available throughout the country.

Under Syariah enactments of most of the 13 States of Malaysia:

1. Conversion back to your former religion is either (a) not allowed under the law, or (b) a criminal offence which means you may be fined, whipped, detained or imprisoned under most State Islamic laws.
2. If you are under 18 years of age, you require your parent's permission to convert to Islam.
3. Your identity card will record your conversion to Islam. Therefore, even if you are no longer practising Islam, you may be fined, whipped, detained or imprisoned for violation of Syariah laws, such as praying in church, eating in public during fasting month, khalwat etc.
4. You cannot marry a non-Muslim. If you decide to divorce and attempt to convert out of Islam, you will lose custody of your children because they are Muslims.
5. Upon death, your non-Muslim relatives will lose their rights to any money, property, etc. that you want to leave to them. The corpse of a convert to Islam will be taken away from his or her non-Muslim family for Islamic rites and burial even if you have not been a practising Muslim for many years.
6. In the event that your spouse converts to Islam, you may have no right to either your children or your spouse's property.

We know that certain Christians who convert to Islam for whatever reasons, are not aware of or do not consider seriously the implications of such conversion.

Hence the need to inform you. By this, we are neither against Islam nor freedom of religion, which is guaranteed for all Malaysians in Article 11 of our Constitution which give the right to an individual to freely choose his or her religion.

But to choose correctly, you need to know clearly what you choose and the consequences of your choice.

The above was a letter that appeared in The Herald (The Catholic Weekly) on Aug 14, 2005. It was signed by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, Bishop Antony Selvanayagam and Bishop Paul Tan, SJ. Reprinted with permission.

Do we hear? Or do we listen?

Hear and listen are verbs we use when we refer to our sense of hearing - using our ears. But they have significant differences in meaning.

When we hear, it simply means that sounds come into our ears. Hearing is to physically experience the sense of sound. As long as one's ear and brain are capable of processing sound waves, one can hear. It may not be deliberate. We hear so many different things throughout our lives, throughout each day. When we listen, we try to hear. It involves effort and concentration. We pay attention and try to understand every sound. It is to deliberately apply the ability to hear. One who listens is thinking about what is heard, what it means, how to respond, and whether to continue to listen/pay attention.

In our spiritual life, we sometimes get too distracted. We are bombarded with all sorts of noises. We have so many things to do, so many issues to face, that our focus becomes divided. The Lord may be prompting us, talking to us, inviting us and beckoning us to sit by His side and listen to His words, just as Mary sat by His side while her sister Martha scurried about with so many things to do. Are we too concerned about things, about ourselves, to listen to Him? Have we become so task-oriented, that His voice is drowned out or ignored or inaudible? The Lord is inviting us to listen to His soothing words; words that nourish our soul; words that give us strength; words that help us grow closer to Him. Let us not waste the many opportunities God has given us to enjoy His company and presence.