Christian living is all about moderation in life

Was in Malacca over the weekend with some parishinoners. I did not even know what was in for me and followed blindly with them in God, leaving my experience to God as He never fails me to soak me in surprises. I was high in the Spirit (pun) in terms of the Holy Spirit and the spirit from the beer with my drinking kakis. I really enjoyed my quiet time with God through the mass and Stations of the Cross though I could not really concentrate well during the Stations of the Cross with a mass going on in the background. Nevertheless, I felt joy at a deeper level with the community as I tend to keep to myself most of the time. What I appreciated from the whole journey was the time spent with the people in God.

One beautiful thing about this pilgrimage was I got to see parishioners from different parts of Malaysia and Singapore to come together for the Sunday mass and veneration of the Cross. It was very hot and crowded and yet it did not stop the people from going for the event. The mass was outdoor where most of us would be standing under the sun without the luxury of an air-conditioned parish. I was blessed in a way that I managed to sit down in the shade. I was quite impressed by the celebrant for the mass as he preached with such zeal and his homily was down to earth which also revealed his humility for confessing his own flaws and faults from his past and what it meant to be carrying one's cross. Well, I did dwell into the deeper meaning of the Cross. When I went for the veneration for the Cross, I was cleared from all the clutters in me and all I did to the Cross was to touch the centre of the Cross and said, 'I love you, Jesus. Thank you.' I know that no matter how great I have done or how many deeds I have done or how great I think I may be, they are nothing when compared to Jesus who had died for all of us as an unblemished sheep. If I want to complain, I think he is far more qualified to complain. I am just responding to God's love by practising my faith through my deeds and words to others. I am nothing without him. Even each breath that I have is God's breath to me as a gift. So, I am receiving God's gift every second that I breathe as it comes from Him. Isn't it romantic?

I thank the organizers for such generiosity to organize such trip. The food was delicious penerakan food most of the time (I think it is much heavier for me to carry my cross with the extra weight from the food). I also enjoyed my drinking sessions with my kakis who never left me out though I was the only woman and the youngest among them and yet they did not talk down to me and treated me as their equals. Of course, all of us had our drinking limits as we still knew that our main objective there was for the Lord. We enjoyed and yet we enjoyed without destruction or troubles. That brings to my mind about the beauty of striking a balance in life as led by the Holy Spirit. Self control allows a person to enjoy and yet not go overboard to cause destruction and hurts to others. We love God and others enough not to cause troubles or hurt others. Imagine if we were to drink without self control, I think we would be disturbing others and they had to take care of us or some might turn violent after drinking. Self control when exercised apporpriately would stop us from carrying things to the extremes. And yet, God never says we should not enjoy at all. We are not called to be puritans. We can still enjoy ourselves. Love is gentle. Love never coerces. It is all about moderation. Even in terms of healthy living, it is all about striking a balance in our diet and exercising. Anything carried to both extremes will always cause chaos and hurts. For instance, not exercising will cause a lot of health problems leading to stroke, heart dieseases, etc. Exercising too much will cause tear or injuries to some parts of the body such as the knees, ankles, etc.

It goes the same to relationships. When I only follow the laws, just like the Pharisees, I will judge and follow the rules rigidly, resulting in no mercy or compassion to the others when special exceptions have to be made at times. I become harsh on people. I may impose my own principles on the others. There is no room for compassion and love. Rules become above Love. On the other hand, when we don't have rules or laws at all, we will go out of control and there is no benchmark as to how much we have gone off the tangent or even order at all. I may become greedy and wanting more and more without limits. I will even hurt others and kill just to get what I want without limits. Therefore, it is essential to set my focus on God. God is Love. Love is just like a gentle stream of river where people will find soothing and at peace. God will help me to know where to find the centre so that I will be God-centered but not self centered. Then, this God-centre will direct all the love to the right channels to the right people at the right amount at the right time. All will be controlled by God through the Holy Spirit. I am just an instrument for God's love to flow through me and it will never go wrong.

I will always remember what Fr Paul Goh told us during one of his RCIA sessions, 'Christian living is all about moderation in life.'

With Love,
Elena