Faith Journey

I have a few comments which I am going to try to give my views as an individual. It is strictly based on my limited knowledge but it is not done in haste nor without thoughts.

Comment #1

Lilian, Allah itu Satu, tiada dua atau tiga…hanya Allah yang berhak disembah, bukan Jesus Al-Masih [Isa Al-Masih] atau Mary [Mariam], kata Faizan, kalau Kristian hendak gunakan nama Allah dalam upacara keagamaan, kenapa tidak memeluk Agama Islam? memang tepat pandangan yang Faizan beri,…tapi macam mana dengan Kristian? Ianya satu perubahan yang agak drastik dan mungkin mendatangkan kacau bilau apabila penganut Kristian yang taksub membuat bantahan. Hanya Allah sahaja yang Maha Mengetahui segala sesuatu kejadian itu.

Saudara,
Saya memang setuju Tuhan itu hanya Satu.
Orang Katolik Kristian TIDAK menyembah Mariam. Kami cuma menghormati beliau, seperti mana kita menyanyangi ibu kita.
Tuhan mencipta kita dengan pemikiran bebas (free will). Itu lah punca Adam dan Hawa mengambil buah larangan dan justeru itu, membiarkan api neraka membakar.
Dan mengikut kepercayaan penganut Kristus, Yesus adalah Anak Tunggal yang dilahirkan oleh Maria.

“Hai Yusuf, keturunan Daud! Janganlah takut peristeri Maria. Dia mengandung kerana kuasa Roh Allah. Maria akan melahirkan seorang anak lelaki. Anak itu akan dinamakan Imanuel.” (Matius 1:20-21, Alkitab) (Emmanuel = Jesus)

Saudara,
Ini adalah asas kepercayaan orang Kristian dan ini adalah muktamad untuk kami semua.

Comment # 2

Agama Islam adalah agama yang telah sempurna yang kedatangannya selepas agama yang dibawa oleh Nabi Isa [yang sekarang dikenali dengan nama AGAMA KRISTIAN]. Nabi Isa adalah perantara antara umat manusia dengan Tuhan. Allah memberikan mukjizat yang hebat kepada Nabi Isa seperti mampu bercakap walaupun masih di dalam buaian, menyembuhkan orang buta dan mencipta burung dari tanah. Penggunaan nama Allah bukan baru sahaja digunakan di dalam agama Kristian, bahkan ianya memang digunakan dari awal kedatangan agama Kristian. Kitab yang menjadi rujukan para Mubaligh Kristian juga adalah Al-Quran. Tetapi ianya hanya untuk para Mubaligh Kristian. Bible yang tersebar secara meluas sekarang ini hanyalah kitab yang dipenuhi dengan pendapat ulama Kristian [Father]. Bible sekarang ini tidak boleh diakui kesahihannya lagi kerana ianya telah diubahsuai mengikut kesesuaian hidup pengamal Kristian. Dari situ terbentuk OLD TESTAMENT dan NEW TESTAMENT. Banyak percanggahan pendapat di antara kedua-dua kitab tersebut. Dan yang pasti, HANYA ALLAH YANG BERHAK DISEMBAH, TIADA TUHAN ANAK ATAU TUHAN BAPAK ATAU TUHAN IBU. Mariam mengandungkan Isa adalah dengan kehendak Allah. Nabi Isa [Jesus] yang penganut Kristian percaya telah wafat sebenarnya telah diangkat ke langit oleh Allah. Ini adalah kerana permintaan Nabi Isa sendiri untuk menjadi umat akhir zaman dan suatu hari nanti pasti Nabi Isa akan turun ke bumi semula untuk membetulkan keadaan. Dan ketika itu, semua salib [crucify] dan gereja akan dimusnahkan. Tunggu sahaja kedatangan hari yang dinantikan itu. Isu tentang Kristian di Malaysia hendak menggunakan nama Allah memang tidak sepatutnya timbul kerana ianya memang sudah digunakan. Jadi, carilah kebenaran selagi boleh. Carilah salinan Injil Barnaba’ yang satu masa dahulu telah dihapuskan oleh Paulus. Paulus, seorang yahudi yang telah berjaya memesongkan kitab Injil dan keseluruhan penganut Kristian sekarang ini.

Saudara
Sekali lagi saudara membangkitkan ‘Tuhan Ibu’. Dan sekali lagi, saya ingin memperbetulkan bahawa orang Katolik Kristian hanya menyembah Tuhan yang Satu, walaupun kami menyembahNya dalam bentuk Holy Trinity. Saya tidak menafikan bahawa di dunia ini, memang ada macam-macam pengajaran yang terpesong. Walau bagaimanapun, itu merupakan kehendakan pengikut-pengikut mereka dan bukan untuk kami perbetulkan kerana seperti yang kami fahami, Tuhan memberikan kita kehendak yang bebas dan adalah terpulang kepada kehendak Tuhan samada ajaran itu menggalakan pengikut-pengikut itu berbuat pahala atau sebaliknya.

Bible sekarang ini tidak boleh diakui kesahihannya lagi kerana ianya telah diubahsuai mengikut kesesuaian hidup pengamal Kristian.

Izinkan saya beri petikan dari Revelation atau Wahyu. Ini adalah perenggan terakhir.

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book : If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19)

Jadi, bagi kami penganut Kristian, apa yang tertulis di dalam Kitab Suci kami adalah firman dari Tuhan. Memang ada sedikit perbezaan tetapi, apa yang penting adalah kepercayaan kami mengikut Nicene Creed. Intepretasi Kitab Injil bukan sekadar membaca ayat-ayat yang ada di dalam tetapi mengikut pemikiran kita (wisdom and discernment) yang dikurnia Tuhan.

Kebetulan pagi ini saya telah diberikan peringatan dari surat Yakobus (Letter of St. James):

Lidah itu jahat dan tidak dapat dikuasai, serta penuh dengan racun yang mematikan. Kita menggunakan lidah untuk mengucapkan syukur kepada Tuhan dan Bapa kita, tetapi juga untuk mengutuk sesama manusia, yand sudah diciptakan menurut rupa Allah.

Jadi saya berharap segala penjelasan saya kepada saudara telah diberikan dengan penuh rasa hormat terhadap kepercayaan saudara mengikut agama Islam. Saya juga sangat berharap, saudara dapat menghormati pendapat saya. Walaupun, kita tidak bersetuju, tetapi biarlah kita bersyukur kita dapat hidup dengan aman.

Samada The Herald akan memenangi kes mahkamah untuk terus mencetak majalah The Herald dengan terma ‘Allah’ adalah terpulang kepada keputusan hakim. Tetapi yang tidak berubah, penganut Kristian terus mempercayaai kepada Tuhan, Yesus dan Roh Kudus.

Selama ini, memang terma Allah digunakan di dalam Alkitab Bahasa Melayu dan sebab ia tidak begitu menonjol mata adalah kerana orang Kristian lebih mengutamakan kedamaain dan kami memang tidak mengguna terma Allah dengan luas. The Herald adalah untuk orang Katolik sahaja. Isu Allah ini timbul apabila ahli politik-ahli politik memperalatkan isu ini untuk niat-niat yang tertentu.

Thanks for commenting and though what you have mentioned are not entirely agreeable to me, I do not feel there is anything to be concern because we can live peacefully, like God intended. Please know that I will always refer to my priest (paderi) if I really do not know how to respond. Whatever is written above is purely based on my own understanding of my Catholic faith and I hope I have not cause any ill feelings to you or anyone who reads this.

Peace be with you.

NOTE : Before I proceed, let me put another reminder that this is a personal blog of a Catholic convert and my views are strictly my own. I may be right sometimes, or I could be wrong at times. But whatever I expressed here are based purely on my views, my discernment and deep reflections.

Some turns of events prompted me to seek out God’s Word in a language that I am familiar with. I can only write and read English and Bahsa Malaysia. So, I have the desire to discover the Good News in Bahasa Melayu.

A lot of people have asked me why The Herald goes to court over the term ‘Allah’. No matter how I insisted that it is an issue between The Herald and the court in Malaysia, people still wanted to know and asked me.

The past few days, I have stumbled upon several jottings which I deem to be rather challenging, to put it mildly. Being so familiar with the cyberworld, I cannot turn away from issues like these. I do not wish to see my faith being torn apart, quoted wrongly, fed to the misguided and used to incite hate amongst our countrymen.

So, I had some serious thinking. How can I understand why The Herald goes to court when I do not even know how the term Allah is used in the Bible? What good am I if I am in dark like the majority? I cannot even open my mouth to reply because I am totally clueless.

Not wanting to be the blur and blind follower of Christ, I asked for a copy of the Alkitab which is the Bible in Bahasa Melayu. The Alkitab has been around for a long time and it is used by the Christians from East Malaysians who do not read English. It is also used by the migrants from Indonesia who are Christians. Actually, it can be used by anyone who wants to know Christ because God’s Word is not restricted to English.

I discovered that it is so much easier to understand the creation in Bahasa Melayu. Genesis is Kejadian in Bahasa Melayu. The explanation, without the flowery language and flowy, wordy-words immediately tells me what I want to know.

I started with Kejadian because it is the basic. Every Christians know the ‘Let there be light and there is light’. So, how does it sounds in Bahasa Melayu?

“Hendaklah ada cahaya, lalu cahaya pun ada. Allah berpuas hati melihat hal itu.”

Let me share two posts online which prompted me to take this step of knowing Christianity in Bahasa Melayu :

Pemuda Umno website:

Bayangkan sejak kita lahir kita diajar menyebut dan mengenali Allah Taala dengan lebih dekat, tiba-tiba ada pula agama lain mahu menggunakan nama yang sama dengan Agama Islam.

Walaupun mereka mengatakan pihak Kristian di arab menggunakan nama Allah, tetapi itu di Arab dan bukannya di Malaysia. Tak ke janggal namanya. Tidak ke pihak gereja katolik tahu yang Agama Islam adalah agama rasmi Malaysia sepertimana yang termaktub dalam perlembagaan.

Tidak ke tuntutan mereka mengguris perasaan umat Islam di Malaysia. Mengapa sekarang mereka membuat tuntutan itu?

Mengapa umat Islam Malaysia berdiam diri apabila Islam dihina sedemikian rupa dengan mempermain-mainkan nama Tuhan yang maha esa.

To which I wish to reply in very short explanation for the time being:

Saudara-saudara semua,

Gereja Katolik bukan baru membuat tuntutan seperti yang tertera di laman web Pemuda UMNO. Saya harap saudara semua membuat kajian dengan lebih teliti dahulu kerana sebagaimana yang saya difahamkan, gereja Katolik telah menggunakan nama Allah semenjak tahun 1800-an. Tujuannya, bukan untuk mengguris perasaan sesiapa atau mempermainkan Tuhan yang maha kuasa tetapi ia memang telah digunakan sejak abad yang lalu.

And then, there is the former MB’s blog posting regarding the use of the term Allah which I find to be frivolous too.

I hope when I have more awareness on how the term Allah is used in the Christian Bible, I will be able to share them with those who wish to know. Meanwhile, I hope my Muslim friends will have patience and understanding that we do not refer to Jesus Christ as Allah. We call Jesus, Yesus and Christ as Kristus. In fact, there are Tuhan, Allah, TUHAN (in capital letters) dan TUHAN Allah which are used in different situations.

So, I pray that when I am more aware, I will learn to be more tolerant and patient.

I got a copy of The Herald yesterday and there was this letter to the editor which suggested ‘turning the other cheek’ towards some issues our church is dealing with. This person went as far as to suggest using Eli. *roll eyes*

This is the thing that irks me sometimes. So many people always use this ‘turning the other cheek’ without giving deeper thought to it. They often see Jesus as the turning the other cheek guy or the guy who taught us to give all if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

I see the above action or suggestions from Jesus more as a show of defiance rather than submission. As a mother, I know my kids love to annoy me if let’s say I punish them with something minor and they purposely ’self torture’ with something harsher just to get back on me.

Back to the original issue I was talking about, a lot of people have asked why we Catholics make an issue out of the matter. Why we didn’t just turn the other cheek and find another substitute? I am very sure the Archbishop have given deep thoughts over this issue and it is now or never that Catholics take a stand on the matter. It may appear as just a name but it involves a much bigger issue. There are many unwritten, unmentionable things that slowly creep into our rights and our territory. For example, I just read that the Orang Asli is demanding the local authorities to act on their grouses. I think there are many other cases but they usually adopt the turn the other cheek until now. Now, we have spoken and we want our voices to be heard.

Orang Asli in legal fight over church
May 16, 08 11:01am
A group of indigenous Orang Asli Christians has demanded the local authorities restore water and electricity so they can use their church which was wrongfully torn down, their lawyer said.

It is not just about a name. It is not just about our faith. It is about being the light of the world and the light has to shine.

All my siblings and siblings in-laws are not Christians and they know very little about Christianity. In fact, many of them have been very much confused with what Christianity is. Therefore, being in a family such as this, it is very hard for a lone Christian convert like me to minister because I know any signal, no matter how subtle are not welcome. And I do understand and never want to impose it on them.

Today, it is the first time, I put my Christian faith above everything. I went to church, more to give myself some confidence rather than anything. I know God is with me, anywhere, any time. But before I do something like this, I know I need some affirmation. Let’s say it is like going there to charge my batteries.

Surprisingly, the short evening mass turned out very comforting and it reminds me of my reasons why I choose the faith. The hymn, Yes, I Thank You, Lord has always touched a chord in me, no matter under what circumstances. It is one of the most painful hymn because it says so much about my life.

Then, I went to do what I am supposed to do. One of my nephew embraced Christ recently. He is getting married next month. Two days ago, the doctors have given the family the bleak prospect of his very ailing grandpa not being able to pull through.

So, I told my nephew to bring his wife-to-be back for a visit and also a tea ceremony. He is back today and after some persuasion, his father is fine with the idea. As I said earlier, the whole family is not in Christ.

I am going to help them do the tea ceremony but first, I wanted to say a little prayer for the grandpa. I had said it at other times when I visited him but usually, it is done so discreetly, no one notices. I do not want people to feel their faith being ‘invaded’.

So, I prepared this little prayer because I know I am going to be loss for words when I am in that big ward, with so many ill people and the relatives looking on.

I wrote down this in a tiny piece of paper and I am going to keep it because this is my first ever Christian prayer in my family of non-believers. I asked my nephew and his wife-to-be to pray with me.

Heavenly Father

We call on you today to send Your Holy Spirit to bless us here.

Today, we pray for your mercy to give strength to the family and all the people here to face their trials as they care for their loved ones who are sick.

We also pray that you will bless KW and J who are getting married next month.

Please shower your blessings to J as she offers this cup of tea to her grandfather-in-law.

If it is Your will, Lord, please heal grandpa here and give him health and the joy to witness the wedding next month.

In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.

Oh wow, is that tough or what? Here I am, with a family who probably have never seen how Christian prays. And I have to watch my words because I want it to sound very positive. I believed I have done well. Thank you, Lord Jesus. May this be just the beginning of my journey to share Your love.

I copied this from my church’s bulletin exactly a year ago. However, my site ran into some problems and many of the files were corrupted. The original post is over here but it is messed up with a lot of funny fonts. So, let me paste this again as a reminder to myself.

The Beatitudes is Jesus’s teachings. It consists of eight short sentences that put contrasts to things that we face. I.e. take the bad situation we are in and trust that the bad things will bring rewards one day, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ. (the eight beatitudes of St. Matthew (5:3-12) and the four beatitudes of St. Luke (6:20-23).

In fact, before I know Christianity, the Beatitudes captured me. I bought a beautiful bookmark I found from MPH with the Beatitudes and said to myself, hey, this sounds good and makes sense. One of the verse is : Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

I was mourning for the death of my son and when I hear what Jesus said and see the promises in there, it make me want to learn more about Christianity. And indeed I have been comforted.

(the devil in The Passion of Christ is depicted with this guy who hovers around, he is behind your back, watch out LOL )

But….today, I am talking about the Devil’s Beatitudes. It is just something taken from a Catholic Magazine, INSPIRITUS. It is kind of funny, yet very true. So, are you subscribing to Jesus’s Beatitudes or the Devil’s? I think we are all guilty of struggling with both. Take a look at #11 and you will go….oh, oh, that’s me…

THE DEVIL’S BEATITUDES (author unknown but taken from Catholic Magazine INSPIRITUS)

1. Blessed are those Christians who are TOO TIRED” TOO BUSY ” TOO DISTRACTED to spend time with their fellow Christians in Church for they are my best candidates to backslide..

2. Blessed are those Christians who WAIT TO BE ASKED AND EXPECTS TO BE THANKED for I can use them to slow things down.

3. Blessed are those Christians who are CRITICAL of church authorities; with a bit of luck” ” they may STOP GOING TO CHURCH and get others to quit they are my missionaries.

4. Blessed are those Christians who are CONSISTENT CHURCH-HOPPERS they help me decrease God’s committed labour force and are candidates for those waiting to be served rather than to serve.

5. Blessed are those Christians who are VERY RELIGIOUS but GET ON EVERYONE nerves they are my most effective stumbling blocks.

6. Blessed are those Christians who are TROUBLEMAKERS they are my best wrecking crew. GOSSIP AND SLANDER are my favourite toys.

7. Blessed are those Christians who have NO TIME TO PRAY they are the easiest prey for me in fact no effort at all.

8. Blessed are those Christians who are COMPLAINERS they are my best discouragers. They do the work of doubting God and making His gifts look ugly.

9. Blessed are those Christians who practice HYPOCRISY they prove that God is still not their master and it is only a matter of time before I can edge my way in fully.

10. Blessed are those Christians who DO NOT READ THEIR BIBLES. I no longer need to think about what methods to use to deceive them because now I can use any method and they will be so weak that any method will work!

11. Blessed are YOU when YOU read this and THINK IT IS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE and NOT YOURSELF I’ve got YOU! With people like YOU increasing I can retire from my job soon.