Receiving Holy Communion - Some Observations

It is interesting to observe how some folks receive Holy Communion. Every once in a while, I remind the faithful that one should receive Holy Communion in a proper way. Whether one receives Holy Communion on the tongue or by hand, these are some observations for your attention:

Receiving Holy Communion on the hand

1. Some people receive Holy Communion with only one hand. Would you receive a gift with only one hand? Not very polite aye?
2. Some people receive Holy Communion with the fingers of the right hand shaped like the open beak of a baby bird calling out for food. Cheeep cheeep cheeep.
3. Some people receive Holy Communion but their hands are dirty or soiled. Surely one should have ensured that one's hands are clean before coming for Mass.

The proper way is to receive Holy Communion with your left hand on top and your right hand beneath your left hand. Then you pick up the Holy Communion host with your right hand fingers and place the Holy Communion host in your mouth.

Receiving Holy Communion on the tongue

1. Some people receive Holy Communion on the tongue, but they stick their teeth out like Jaws. There have been several instances where the poor padre had his fingers bitten when the person closed his or her mouth and the teeth bit into the padre's fingers. Ow! The agony.
2. Some people receive Holy Communion on the tongue, but their tongue sticks out like a lizard's tongue, so quick and yucky, especially when the tongue touches the padre's fingers. It went shhooop... like a lizard catching a meal.
3. Some people receive Holy Communion on the tongue, but they do not stick out their tongue a little longer or open their mouth a little wider. This sometimes causes the Holy Communion host to accidentally fall from the mouth and into the clothing. There have been instances where the person is a lady, well-endowed and wearing a low cut dress. Guess where the Holy Communion host fell in between? The padre certainly did not want to touch that place and asked the lady to hunt for the Holy Communion host herself. Aiyoyoyo! Mamma mia!

The proper way to receive Holy Communion with the tongue is to open your mouth wider a little, stick out the tongue a little more, so that the padre could place the Holy Communion host towards the center or back of the tongue. That way the Holy Communion host would less likely fall out of the mouth and end up at unmentionable or undesirable places.

Evangelising through Music

Music is a powerful form of evangelising today, especially among our youths. This is because our youths are more receptive and inclined towards listening, singing and remembering songs, and it is through many of these songs, both old and new, that we receive teaching, our minds being exercised along with our hearts. God reaches our hearts through our minds. As Paul said, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Rom 12:2). 

So how do we fully utilise music to evangelise? First of all, we have bible verses which can be memorised through a catchy song. This is often used to teach young children through repetition of the verse until they can sing from memory. By doing so, these children would have learnt much of the bible by the time they are teenagers. Knowing the bible well leads to knowing Jesus better and His command to go out to proclaim the Good News.

For youths, due to their energetic and impressionable ways, perhaps musical plays concerning the life of Christ, the life of a saint, a story based on a passage from the bible, or even a story which reflects a Christian virtue or Christian life situation could be meaningful. This is because such musical plays give our youth an opportunity to express themselves both visually and audibly, while proclaiming a Christian message to the audience. Furthermore, since many of our youth can be influenced by their peers, inviting and encouraging the older youth to participate in such musical plays could encourage the younger ones to tag along and become involved, because they see their friends taking part and would not want to be left out. Some examples I recall are the Witness, which is about the life of Jesus; and The Choice, which is about the life of a Roman Centurion who later became a Christian when he had a conversion experience upon witnessing the passion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 

Youth concerts and rallies, where a lot of Christian music is played and sung, are also another form of evangelising. When our youth bring their non-Christian friends along, the charged atmosphere and powerful songs soon lead our young friends to their feet, singing, clapping, cheering and dancing away. Of course, this would need to be followed up by keeping in touch and using other forms of evangelisation, such as providing reading material and personal testimonies from other youths, so that the Gospel message can be experienced and learnt.

Music workshops for youths and other interested parties could be a great way to evangelisation. People could be invited first to have a jamming session with their Christian friends and hopefully, they may become more interested in Christianity, as the join the fun in playing and singing Christian songs. 

In this age of the internet, using a website is also a powerful means of evangelising; more so if Christian music is promoted on the website. Through such a website, people from all over the world can gain access to such songs, listen to them, and perhaps through the meaningful words and lovely melodies, they too may become interested to know more about the Christian faith. This is made even more effective when some basic Catholic teaching is included in the website, enabling visitors to read something about the Catholic faith while listening to the songs.

Even hand phones and MP3 players so commonly used these days can be deployed as a form of evangelising. How so? By using ring tones in the form of Christian songs, since many hand phones nowadays support complex polyphony features, someone just might get inspired to enquire more about that ring tone and the Christian can then introduce the other person to Jesus. Friends could share the earphone plug of an MP3 player with another friend who may not be a Christian, and this could lead to further enquiries about the Christian song being played, especially if it is a catchy or “cool” tune, and further evangelisation could occur. 

Through singing the story of Jesus, singing what we believe and sharing the Christian music we enjoy, we give people a context for living. As we relive the coming of Christ into the world, our own lives make sense. In worship and song we see ourselves on the continuum of time – we live for the here and now, with an eye for the future.

我们是否应该保持各方面的卫生和洁净？

保持家庭或是居所的卫生和整洁是我们通常每天都要处理的生活习惯. 保持清洁就是要清除垃圾. 堆积在家里或是周围环境的垃圾 , 将会吸引很多危害人类健康的昆虫,爬虫, 或是老鼠之类的动物. 它们将在垃圾堆里寻找所需的食物,因此,它们也会互相残杀, 更会带来一些有害人类的疾病.相信大家都在媒体中看到有关的动物造成可怕的疾病.而且难以应对。

同样的我们也应该照顾身体的清洁和卫生。为了保健，多数人都会吃有营养的食物或是维他命丸。有些人每天都会做体操和运动；甚至常常都去医院做身体检验，以防万一。当然，每天洗澡后还擦香油或喷香精，使到我们的身体干净而且没有异味。我们更不希望见到旁人捻着鼻子而瞪着我们；因为身体流汗而发出阵阵的狐臭味，实在使人很难堪。假如几天或是一两个星期没有洗澡，身体所发出的臭味和汗酸味更是使人作呕而退避三舍。

大家也许都有注意到：无论是保持住所的整洁或是身体的健康都只是暂时性的。过了一段时期，房屋将会残旧不堪而需要装修或是重建。身体的情况也是一样，最终都免不了要面对死亡。也许大家没有注意到那永远不死不灭的是我们的灵魂。纵然你有清洁又美丽的房屋，你有清洁，健康和骄人的身材，但是，你的灵魂是否一尘不染？

每当我们犯了大罪或小罪，我们的灵魂已经被污染了。要是没有把灵魂上的污渍除去，我们的灵魂永远不干净。相信大家不会留下衣物上的污渍吧！为何你们不立刻除去灵魂上的污渍呢？难道你的灵魂不比衣物更重要吗？要是你以为还有很多时间可以清理灵魂上的污点，那么，你是否了解灵魂上的污点是越久越难清除的？再来说，死神会任何时候向你招手，到时你如何是好呢？

要除去灵魂上的污渍，我们就要去办告解或是和好圣事。当我们办和好圣事时，是耶稣基督赦我们的罪，同时也把灵魂上的污渍除去。很多时候，教友可以很方便地向神父告解，可是，一些教友仍然顽冥不灵和缺乏信心。更有一些教友觉得每年在降临期和四旬期办一两次告解就足够了。难道在漫长一年岁月里，教友可以控制自己而少犯罪，甚至完全没有犯错吗？或者是因为自己懒惰，又有诸多藉口去避免告解？请大家别忘记，天主在你不知不觉和毫无准备时可以召你回去，向祂报告有关你一生的所作所为。因此，希望教友们时时警惕自己，更不希望自己的灵魂将来得不到永生的赏报。

Are We Really Keeping Clean?

Maintaining cleanliness in our homes or living quarters is something we do regularly to ensure good hygiene and overall tidiness. Maintaining cleanliness includes taking out the garbage, lest the house itself ends up becoming a rubbish dump, which would then attract unwanted creatures like cockroaches, rats, mice and other creepy crawlies which either thrive on the rubbish or feed on the pests and vermin that thrive on the rubbish, which would then pose a danger to humans. We have read horrible accounts of diseases and other deadly forms brought by such unwanted creatures.

Likewise, most of us would make much effort in keeping our bodies clean and healthy. We would eat well, take vitamins and other supplements, go for regular exercise and go for regular medical checkups. Most of us would also bathe regularly and put on nice smelling perfume, so that we feel clean and pleasant smelling as much as possible. We would not want our body odour to get the attention of others around us, as we would feel quite embarrassed if people start holding their noses and looking at us with disgust. Could you just imagine what would happen if we did not take a bath for a few days, or even for a week? Surely people would avoid us as the stench, stink and smell emitting from our body would to quite unbearable and nauseating.

If you noticed, keeping our homes and living quarters clean and tidy, as well as keeping our bodies healthy and clean are only temporary matters. One day, our homes and living quarters will become obsolete, and we may need to have it renovated extensively, or even torn down to be rebuilt as new. Our bodies too do not last forever, it doesn't matter whether it is sooner or later, we will die one day. This leaves us with something which perhaps many of us have been neglecting or have not been giving enough attention: our soul. Our soul will not die, but will live on and face God some day. If we consider for a moment: our homes and living quarters may be clean; our bodies may be clean; but is our soul clean?

Each time we sin, it doesn't matter whether we committed a small sin or a serious sin, our soul is being stained and soiled. As long as we do not clean our soul, the stain remains. When a stain is found on your shirt or dress, would you let it be? Surely we would get rid of the stain as quickly as possible, since the stain would eventually ruin the shirt or dress if we do not do anything about it. But it seems strange that there are people who do not seem to bother about removing the stain on their soul as quickly as possible. Such people go on living, thinking they have got plenty of time to get the stain on their soul removed, but what they fail to realise is that the longer they leave the stain there, the harder it is for them to get it removed. Not only that, they may be caught off-guard and may not have the opportunity to get the stain on their soul removed since death could come unexpectedly. What would happen then?

To clean our souls, we need to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. At the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it is Jesus who is forgiving your sins and cleaning our souls. It seems strange that, though we have easy access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation by just going to a priest, some of us seem to be slacking or procrastinating. Some of us seem to be content with going for the Sacrament of Reconciliation only once or twice a year, especially during the seasons of Advent and Lent. Does that mean we have managed to control ourselves to the point where we sin very little, or even managed not to sin at all? Or are we just being lazy and making all sorts of excuses not to go regularly? Remember that the Lord could call us at any time to give an account of our lives. May we not be caught unprepared, and through our own neglect, cause us to lose our eternal reward.

寻找和索取领洗证书

由于教会法 （877#1）的规定，为了确保教友的一切重要个人资料包括领洗证书，不会遗失，教会还是把各种个人资料记录在册子或书本中。至于用电脑保存教友个人资料，有可能容易遗失，而且不是每个堂区有电脑人才，经费和适合材器来处理该事项。

既然，以前所有堂区都用大册子或记录簿来书写教友各种资料，那么，要找一个教友的资料，并不是那么容易了。有些堂区，教友众多，又经过几十年或上百年的历史，那就更困难了。

假如你要找领洗证书，你要有足够的个人资料，让神父或堂区办事处书记知道，才可尽快地找出你的记录。最好是你能够提供旧的领洗证书。让书记更快办妥事情。然而，由于各种原因，大多数教友都没有保存领洗证书的习惯。因此，以下有一系列的建议，希望教友能善用和作参考：

1. 完整姓名（根据国民身份证的登记或是报生纸的资料）。
2. 出生日期（根据报生纸上的资料）
3. 出生地点（包括医院或是诊疗所名字）。
4. 父母姓名（完整姓名）
5. 领洗日期（假如不能记得，提供大约的日期）。
6. 领洗地点（教堂或是小堂名字，地方名等）。
7. 领洗时的圣名（完整圣名而不是别名，更不是简称）.
8. 领洗时代父母的名字。

请大家切记：如果要更快或是顺利得到领洗记录证书，教友们一定要充分合作，提供完整的个人资料。

有关降临期和四旬期忏悔礼中的点点滴滴

在降临期和四旬期忏悔礼中，有些事情不断地发生。因此，我们有必要注意下列一些课题：

1. 提早到场。 假如你通常比较喜欢向那从远方来的神父办告解而你又迟到，那么你可能会见不到他。提早到场也可以给教友们更多的时间去准备办个妥善的告解。
2. 如果有小孩的教友们要办告解，拜托你吩咐先生或太太暂时守住他们。不然，他们可能会骚扰他人祈祷或办告解。
3. 当你告解时，请你直接说出罪过。不需要说出犯罪的始末或是来龙去脉。
4. 告解是直接向神父说出你的罪过而不是告他人的罪行。有些教友却向神父投诉有关太太，先生或孩子们的事情。神父没有兴趣听你们发牢骚。
5. 告解之前好好准备和反省。如此，你才能发觉所犯下的罪过，尤其是严重的过失。
6. 准备告解时，切记要保持冷静。尤其是在告解之前，正在进行中或是之后，都不应被一些事情来分散你的集中力。
7. 应当要谦虚礼让，尤其是泊车或是等待告解时。因你的恶劣行为而导致他人犯罪是不应该的。举例来说，到教堂时把车子泊好在泊车格里，以免妨碍其他车主的需要。有些车主随意泊过位，而阻碍他人的需要，因此，也造成他人大发牢骚。
8. 请记得告解的程序。反之，神父会引导你办个妥善的告解。最好教友能够知道告解时应该说什么和做什么。这样不但可以顺利告解而且也不妨碍其他教友的时间。
9. 告解时切记要控制情绪。我们知道有些教友因罪过而感到伤心或很羞愧而哭泣。但是，告解室不是一个心理辅导中心。如果教友遇到这种问题时，最好找辅导师的帮忙。
10. 告解后，用一时间祈祷。过后请你离开。尤其是教堂里的泊车位很有限时。让其教友也可方便停车而办告解。

虽然还有其它各种各样的事项我没有注意到的；不过，拜托教友们多多注意上述的一切，好使降临期和四旬期间的忏悔礼，能够更顺利地进行；也使教友们能在灵修方面更进一层。

到底是圣堂还是多元用途的大厅？

什么是圣堂？ 很多人会以为神父在开玩笑，提出那么简单的问题。到底你们对圣堂的了解有多深？是否有真正地把圣堂当着主的家庭？或者有些教友早已把圣堂当着是超级市场，购物广场，电影戏院，公众娱乐场或是其它的公共场所？是否我们之中有些人早已把圣堂看成世俗的建筑物, 并非一个神圣的地方？

从过去的经验来说，的确有些教友把圣堂当着公共场所，没有尊重它为清静圣洁的地方。为了一些不知情者，还是让我多唠叨几句。

1. 不妨在每次弥撒结束后，你细心地观察圣堂座位之间，你可以发现到一些遗留下的纸巾或是糖果包皮等等。很明显的，这些教友们不会把自己的家庭当着是垃圾堆，但是为何不注意圣堂场所的清洁呢？
2. 当神父站在祭台上做弥撒时，他能够一目了然地看到圣堂的每一个角落。曾经好几次见到年轻情侣， 为了要更了解对方，竟然躲到楼上后座去方便。其实，类似的勾当应该发生在一个更恰当的场所而不是在圣堂里。
3. 有位修院的神学教授曾经批评说：有些圣堂的女教友参加弥撒时，穿着方面太过暴露性，她们好像是在参加时装表演。（尤其是进行婚礼弥撒时 ，新娘的礼服更是惹人遐思，想入非非呢！这种情况在普通主日弥撒中也不少见。）由于情况逼人，神父们只好避开视线，或视若无睹。有位神父说：当他派送圣体时，由于女教友穿着太惹火，神父手中的圣体竟然掉入女士的丰满胸脯里，而神父却不敢伸手取回圣体，只好叫她自行解决，以免产生不愉快的事情。
4. 圣堂是教友祈祷或静默反省的地方。可是有些教友却在大谈阔论，没有顾及他人的感受，有时，他们声量更是骚扰别人 。
5. 还有一些参与弥撒者在教堂内阅读报纸，或是发送短讯给朋友；有些母亲正在喂奶（一些孩子已经是长大了，不再是婴儿。）为什么不等到弥撒过后，才传短讯或是喂食呢？假如你们懂得尊重国家元首，苏丹或是其他高官显要，为何你们在圣堂里的行为那么不检点呢？到底教会的律法和尊严去了那里？
6. 当我们在生理上有需要时，当然要到厕所方便。 而不是让小孩在教堂前面的沟渠旁或是教堂周围解决。难道你们可以随意把世界的任何角落当成厕所吗？
7. 圣堂范围里的停车场空间通常是很有限的。有些教友却不顾他人的需要，只顾自己的方便，而随意泊车。当弥撒结束后，有些车主因为进退两难，而情绪高涨；也不记得大家都是主内兄弟姐妹。不愉快的事情就发生了。其实，弥撒最后时，神父都会吩咐教友们：“去吧! 为爱主和为祂服务”。一旦教友离开圣堂并在外时，一切教诲都化为乌有。哀哉！哀哉！

当然还有很多其它列子可以证明教友不尊敬圣堂。不过，我相信以上的看点，已经足够让我们来默想和反复思考。问题是到底我们有没有以身作则，崇敬和善用教堂圣所，去鼓励其它教友？或者是完全不闻不问？难道我们不是主内的兄弟姐妹吗？主耶稣不希望祈祷的圣所变成贼窝。因此，我希望教友们同心合力，建立一个有纪律，有崇敬，有好品德的信仰团体，恭恭敬敬地在圣堂作祈祷和朝拜耶稣圣体。