Bishop Sebastian Francis
By Herald Malaysia
June 21 2021
This is the transcript of a video-sharing that Bishop Sebastian Francis gave on the orientation of the Pan Malaysia Pastoral Convention (PMPC) to be held in 2026.
For the first time, all the nine Arch/Dioceses in Malaysia will come together to plan the way forward for the Malaysian Church.
Dear Disciples of Jesus Christ, members of the Clergy, members of the religious communities and dear lay faithful,
I want you to rewind to 2000 years ago. As you know, Pentecost gave birth both to the Church and to Mission.
What do we mean by mission? The proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues. And this proclamation of the Gospel is because of the missionary mandate that Jesus gave to the Apostles, particularly, and through them, to the disciples. Incidentally, today’s daily reading at Mass is already speaking of the first Council of Jerusalem, which took place in the year 48 AD. Peter was there, Paul was there and the Apostles were there.
Important decisions had to be made regarding evangelisation because the Gospel was spreading beyond Jerusalem. So, the key question was — what was the Holy Spirit saying to the Church 2000 years ago at the very first Council of Jerusalem?
Let us fast forward from the Council of Jerusalem to 1965, the end of Vatican Council II. And there too, Pope Paul VI, together with the bishops from all over the world, gathered and asked the very same question. What is that question? What is the Holy Spirit saying to the Church in 1965?
Let’s fast forward again and come to 1976, eleven years after Vatican Council II. The Church of Peninsular Malaysia met right here in Penang, together with the bishops and all the priests in what is famously called the Aggiornamento of 1976. Incidentally, Aggiornamento means ‘renewal’. And asked the same question – what is the Holy Spirit saying to the Church in Semenanjung Malaysia?
Fast forward again. In May 2016, the Penang Diocesan Synod asked the same question – what is the Holy Spirit saying to the Church in the Diocese of Penang. We had our Diocesan Synod and I gave a conclusion with 12 points to focus on the Vision and Mission to the Church in the Diocese of Penang.
That same year, in August, the Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Convention 4 met in Majodi, Johore. This time, Archbishop Julian Leow, Bishop Bernard Paul and I were playing the role of shepherds. We gathered and asked again the same question. The question never changes. What is the Holy Spirit saying to the Church in Semenanjung Malaysia? And we came out with these three, I would call it, sacred words. The Holy Spirit wants a Church in Semenanjung Malaysia that is INCLUSIVE, CREATIVE and BRIDGE-BUILDING. We are still trying to figure that out, to live that out.
The best preparation the Holy Spirit gave to us to prepare for COVID-19 was to tell us point blank – I want a Church in Semenanjung Malaysia that is creative, inclusive and bridge-building. I think these three words have prepared us generally to face the challenges of COVID-19 more than anything else.
So now I want to fast forward to the year 2026. That is my main intention now. To ask all of us to be of one mind, be of one heart, to have one focus. We are going to gather soon – no more as Semenanjung Malaysia. Come the year 2026, we are going to have the Pan Malaysia Pastoral Convention and, this time, we are going to ask the same question – what is the Holy Spirit saying to the Church in Malaysia as a whole – Sarawak, Sabah and Semenanjung? It is no more about from Perlis to Johor Bahru, but from Perlis to Johor Bahru and to Sabah and Sarawak. And we are going to go through a very simple, clear and systematic process to prepare all of us for 2026, in order to answer the question what is the HOLY SPIRIT saying to the Church now, to the whole of Malaysia?
We are inviting you to be inclusive, to include Sabah and Sarawak and to grow and journey with them. We are asking you to find creative ways to build bridges with Sabah and Sarawak. Of course, many of them are right here in our dioceses, but we are talking about building bridges with the Church of Sabah and Sarawak. So, we are going to move together as Nine Dioceses this time.
The organising team has prepared the process and the content of how we are going to move forward. We are going to focus on four areas to find creative means to show our concern for:
1) Our family
2) The Church as a whole
3) Malaysian society – realities
4) Ecology
I just want to finish with an image I have been reflecting on.
a) Whenever I look at a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she is always with her hands folded and she is always at prayer. I want to entrust this whole movement to the Virgin Mary whose hands are always folded in prayer. I want to tell you that, as long as the Blessed Virgin Mary is praying and interceding for us, we will move in the right direction, because her prayers will be answered for us. And may this gesture be the gesture of building bridges. We build bridges even in prayer and in intercession. As one Malaysian Church with three entities, Sabah, Sarawak and Semenanjung.
b) Whenever we look at the Cross, we see Jesus’ hands outstretched. For me, it is a gesture of being inclusive. He is embracing the whole world, the whole nation and the whole Church of Malaysia.
c) When I think of the image of the Holy Spirit, this is how we pray for each one of you. We pray over one another for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing more creative than the Holy Spirit
So, I urge you to be ready:
1) To be creative because the Holy Spirit is creative
2) To include Sabah, Sarawak and Semenanjung and to think as one Malaysian Church. Jesus on the Cross is inclusive. The father when he welcomed the prodigal son, his hands were outstretched too, and embraced his son. So I urge you to be inclusive;
3) To be bridge builders like Mary with praying hands that will intercede for one another.
So let us move confidently because, believe me, the Church is being led primarily by the Holy Spirit.
All of us, bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women (religious brothers and sisters), as well as lay faithful, we are going to move together under the primary leadership of the Holy Spirit and the secondary leadership of your shepherds – the nine bishops of Malaysia. Amen. – Herald Malaysia
