Series: Holy Week begins with palms
March 24, 2021
Lady Hochoy Home – 60 years of service
March 24, 2021

Shrine to St Joseph blessed, male MIQU parishioners challenged

“If You want to, You can heal me.” These were the words echoed through His Grace’s homily, when he celebrated Mass and blessed a shrine dedicated to St Joseph to launch the national 33-day prayer challenge and consecration at the parish of Mary Immaculate Queen of the Universe, Bourg Mulatresse, Saturday, February 13.

Parishioners were asked to look for the deeper meaning behind these words spoken by the leper in the weekend’s gospel (Mk 1:40–45).

Archbishop Jason Gordon asked, “What is really being said?” His Grace heard deep faith. This leper saw the divine in Jesus Christ and knew that the only way he would not be healed, was if Jesus chose not to. How many of us approach the Eucharist, approach Jesus, with that same deep faith, expecting and knowing that Jesus can heal us?

If we only truly believed, and approached the Eucharist with that same faith, that same expectation as the leper, the miraculous will occur, and we will leave the Mass with a profound experience every time.

His Grace also called on the congregation to identify the untouchables, like the leper in our society and community, either real because of some disease, or those we have placed on the fringes because of our own judgement.

The Archbishop asked us to search our hearts and find areas that we may be suffering from spiritual leprosy, this only known to us and God, and ask Jesus to be healed. We were reminded that no one is untouchable to God, we are all a part of Christ’s body here on earth, and as such, we should exhibit this in our behaviour and thoughts towards each other. Our salvation depends on it.

Archbishop Gordon, upon blessing the shrine erected in the parish, urged the men to raise the bar of manhood, and that the only way to do this was to look to saintly men as role models. He asserted there is  none better than St Joseph.

He urged that we all need to develop the virtues of St Joseph, to lift up our society and  country, now more than ever. St Joseph was obedient, following God’s instructions through the messages brought by angels.

He was faithful, trusting the Word of God and not leaving a pregnant Mary. He was courageous and protective, moving his pregnant wife from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and then, leading his holy family’s flight to Egypt.

St Joseph was humble, staying out of the limelight, allowing his foster Son, to fulfil God’s plan. He was prayerful, to be in communication with God, to receive the guidance that he needed to protect his family.

He was wise, listening and trusting God, despite what was going on around him. These are just a few of the virtues that we can adopt, to develop our relationship with Jesus Christ, and to restore our identity in Him, under the patronage of His foster father, St Joseph. Have you taken up the challenge?

St Joseph, pray for us and for all who invoke thy aid.

—Mimi Chu Leung, parishioner