Participants engrossed in the group sharing
By Julie Lim
Apr 3 2023
KUALA LUMPUR – During the season of Lent, the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocesan Biblical Apostolate Commission (KLABA) organised two sessions on Pope Benedict VXI’s book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week – From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.
During the first session held on March 4, Fr Eugene Benedict presented on Chapter 1: The Entrance into Jerusalem and the Cleansing of the Temple. This was followed by Fr Michael Chua who provided interesting insights to Chapter 3: The Washing of the Feet and Chapter 5: The Last Supper.
The second session was held on March 18. Fr Nicholas Hoh, OCD gave participants an overview of Chapter 6: Gethsemane; followed by Msgr James Gnanapiragasam who unpacked Chapter 8: Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus.
More than 35 participants from various parishes in the archdiocese attended the sessions held at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre.
Msgr James, the Ecclesiastical Assistant for KLABA, said that the sessions were organised to encourage the faithful to read good Catholic literature.
“As Catholics, it is not enough to read devotional books. We have to read something more serious and something that helps us to reflect. And because of this, we are presenting this book written by Pope Benedict XVI which might pose a challenge to some of us,” he said.
Msgr James said that Pope Benedict did not only use Scripture in his book, but he also used Church documents, Church traditions and teachings of the Church Fathers.
One of the participants, Angeline Lee from the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Brickfields said, “I find that Pope Benedict’s insights has helped me to understand certain Bible passages better and to know their deeper meanings. He does a wonderful job of showing how various passages of the Bible are brought together in parts to form the life of Christ.”
At the end of the sessions, participants were requested to submit their reflections on the readings. These will be uploaded to the KLABA website.
Apart from this session, KLABA has planned other activities for the year which includes sessions on the module of Genesis and Infant Narratives, as well as a study of the Youth Bible. – Herald Malaysia
