By Zita Kho Sui Ju
KUCHING — The Sarawak Catholic Teachers’ Guild live-streamed an online SPM & STPM Examination Mass on YouTube on 13 February 2022 (Friday) at 7.30 pm. Viewed online by 212 persons, the Mass was presided by Fr Stanley Goh Yu Ming, SJ and broadcasted live from St Joseph’s Private School.
Fr Stanley gave a homily on the theme of ‘being open to grow and learn’. He gave two reasons why students should pray together for something personal like studying and preparing for examinations.
Why pray together for something that is personal like studying and preparing for examinations? First, many hands make light work. Next, to give thanks to God and ask for God’s blessings on all of us, a community of faith and a community of learners.
The Gospel reminds us of the things that are important for us, praying for healing like the deaf man in the gospel and not to be deaf to God’s calling. It also reminds us of the need for silence and for God, as well as how they are connected. Silence is important for us to focus as we study, and we all know that in our personal studies, we are called to ask God for what we need, sighing as we make known our desires. Therefore, work hard, pray hard, knowing that God accompanies and aids us in all that we do.
He also highlighted the concept of Ephphatha (be opened), which means to be open and alert to the world, realising the world is beyond our exams and what we learn can have a practical use for our future. We also need a fundamental direction to see how God has blessed us in things big and small and then to go to recognise how we work with God in all things and to be open in the whole process of learning so that exams become something that we can truly learn and benefit from.
Students are also to approach examinations with faith in God as loved children of God who are here because of God’s love and can achieve because of God love. Be open to the love of God, receive all in faith and do all that we can, knowing that God will always be there, with and for us.
