Feast of St. Patrick

In recent years, the Parish Council organizes feast day celebrations for the priests, deacon and pastoral sister serving in the parish. It is meant to be a family gathering where we show our gratitude for the services they render. Usually, these feast days seldom fall on Sundays. Therefore, only a smaller crowd of dedicated parishers would turn up. Nevertheless, it is also a good occasion for building up relations. Somehow, life in the parish still centres around the religious.

Fr. Patrick Sun is one of the assistant parish priests. This year, the Feast of St. Patrick, March 17, fell within the Holy Week. Therefore, he chose to delay the celebration until today. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is renowned for his visions. His colour is green. Nowadays, with heightened environmental awareness, people associate St. Patrick with environmental protection.

Tonight, showing their fraternity, all the priests and deacon of the parish celebrated mass together. Then, there was a tiny cake-cutting reception. During homily, Fr. Sun shared his thoughts in his childlike trademark. Of the priests I know, some are great administrators, but their spirituality is wanting. Others are wonderful spiritual directors. Fr. Sun belongs to the latter category. We will have to wait until he has the opportunity to demonstrate his administrative skills. He humbly told us that he wishes to be a cell of Jesus, to be able to laugh and feel sorrow with Jesus. With the help of Our Lady, he is sure he can make it. Then he shared with us what he learnt from St. Patrick. Grace and faith are gifts from God, not from our efforts or merits. This is an insight we often overlook. He also believes that with our sinful inclination, we should work towards actions which incur our aversion. Work which we feel too lowly, too uneasy, too embarrassing, too repulsive and unattractive should be our target, our devotion. Of course, this is the occasion in which we will be able to reap the greatest grace from God. I can sense a deep and childlike spirituality resulted from many years of discipline. I thank God for sending this wonderful man among us to take care of our souls.

The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8).
The Holy Spirit is a mystery to us. Though God the Father is invisible, we can see His Creation. The Son of God is tangible. We can see and touch him. The Holy Spirit? Well, what can we say? Perhaps we can discover It in the lives of Its believers, us Christians. We need to know It better.

Dear Holy Spirit, You are not pure energy but a person. You spoke to the apostles in Acts. Come and dwell in us and make us God's instrument of peace where peace is wanting. Amen.