ST MARY’S CCR GROUPS ORGANIZE CHARISMATIC MASS

SANDAKAN, 19^th. November 2010, for the first time, members of  the St Mary’s Cathedral Parish Catholic Charismatic Renewal groups congregated  for  a Charismatic Mass, celebrated  at St. Joseph ‘s Church.. Members of the English Prayer Group, Star of Yahweh Covenant Community (SYCC), Bahasa Malaysia Doa Kelompok and the Chinese Prayer Group  gathered  to celebrtae this special mass. The mass was also attended by the PPC members headed by the Chairman, John Baptis and elders of the various BECs.

Prior to the celebration, there was a half an hour vibrant praise and worship session led by  members of the SYCC choir. The Mass was presided by Fr. Thomas Makajil, rector of the Cathedral.

In his homily, Fr. Thomas stressed that as we worship the Lord in deep prayer, without realising it we  are indirectly being  absorbed into the light of God, just like praying the rosary, a sure ladder to Christ, a sure ladder to God because we reflect in the mysteries of Christ’s salvation. 

He further said that as we gather to praise and worship God, let us open our hearts wide, let the spirit of God enter into our hearts and let the Spirit renew us. He quoted from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians: “Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” and “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God?”

He concluded the mass by thanking all the members of  SYCC, English, BM and Chinese prayer groups, followed by the commisioning and blessing of all  leaders of the CCR  groups. The celebration ended with a fellowship refreshment at the entrance of the church.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church. Worship is characterized by vibrant Masses, as well as prayer meetings featuring prophecy, healing and “speaking in tongues.” This movement is based on the belief that certain charismata (a Greek word for gifts), bestowed by the Holy Spirit, such as the abilities to speak in tongues and to heal (which Christians generally believe existed in the early Church as described in the Bible) should still be practiced today. 

In March 1992, Pope John Paul II stated “At this moment in the Church’s history, the Charismatic Renewal can play a significant role in promoting the much-needed defense of Christian life in societies where secularism and materialism have weakened many people’s ability to respond to the Spirit and to discern God’s loving call. 

Your contribution to the re-evangelization of society will be made in the first place by personal witness to the indwelling Spirit and by showing forth His presence through works of holiness and solidarity.” (Wikipedia)