MESSAGE FOR JUNE 2023
from Archbishop Simon Poh
Spirit of God in the clear running water
Blowing to greatness the trees on the hill
Spirit of God in the finger of morning
Fill the earth, bring it to birth
And blow where you will
(Traditional Hymn)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Congratulations to our Today’s Catholic for its continuous publication since 1988. We thank the Lord for the vision then Archbishops Peter Chung and John Ha had and especially to Brothers Albinus and Columba for their direct contributions to Today’s Catholic. Their monthly articles have been compiled into two Books with wonderful stories for Christian living.
Because of the requests from many of our readers for hard copies of Today’s Catholic publication, we are relaunching the print copies with this month’s June 2023 issue. Happy 35th Anniversary to Today’s Catholic.
In June of this year, we celebrate Pentecost and Gawai.
• Pentecost celebrates the gift of the life-giving Spirit of God.
• Gawai celebrates the harvest of the land, the fruits of the earth from our labour of love.
Appropriately, let us give glory and thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus, “the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). This life-giving Spirit of God was already present when the world was created. As recorded in the very first lines of our bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-3)
On Pentecost, this Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to his apostles gives birth to the Church and renews the whole of creation. Like the apostles, we too are sent forth to proclaim the Good News of hope and mercy to all peoples, including the whole of creation.
It is good that in Sarawak and Sabah, we have Kaamatan and Gawai which are harvest festivals that celebrate the fruits of the earth that sustain our life. While we progress in food production with modern farming methods, we are all reminded of the responsibility of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’.
We need to be responsible to care for Mother Earth, be mindful of our actions that include sustainable production and consumption, ethical investments, divestment from fossil fuels and any activity harmful to the planet and the people, supporting circular economies, and prioritising labour and protecting the dignity of workers. In the face of climate change, governments, Christians and all peoples are asked to act NOW!
Gawai brings us back to be in touch with nature that we need to protect. On a personal level, let us practice the 7Rs daily to overcome the ‘use and throw’ mentality, reduce waste and live a sustainable lifestyle.
• Rethink your choices
• Refuse single use
• Reduce consumption
• Reuse everything
• Repair before you replace
• Refurbish / Re-purpose old stuff
• Recycle – only as last option
Blessed Gawai and may you be filled with the Holy Spirit of Pentecost.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
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