Reflection: Do you love your Church? (Br Anthony Liew)

All of us know how important it is to have a church building for worshipping and thanksgiving – a sacred place where we meet our Lord. Unfortunately, many of us take our church building for granted. I suppose it is because not many of us have experienced having our Eucharistic celebration done outside the church building or have never had a chance to participate in the process of planning a new church building. Indeed, there are many procedures we have to follow and it can be complicated at times. The situation becomes worse if it is mixed up with the political elements in the country.

Last year, I was attached to a parish for my regency year. I was blessed to be able to get involved with the parish building committee in the process of planning their very own church building. The parishioners of this parish have not had their own church building for many years. They have had their Eucharistic celebrations in a rented hall during the weekends. In fact, they have been hoping to have their own church building for a long long time – a place where they can pray together and above all, a place to call a home to which they belong where they can feel free to mingle around after Mass as one family of Christ!

After having gone through these challenges in planning the church building, I started to appreciate the significance of having our very own church building for our people of God. Indeed, I am waiting for the completion of this church building. I am sure not just me alone, but all the parishioners of that parish have been praying to God for their very own church building. Despite the many challenges they have had to face, they have never given up this hope of owning a house of God – a house that truly belongs to them. I am sure when the church is completed later, we can be like the Psalmist of Psalm 121 who rejoices together with one another when we enter the house of the Lord. In fact, what touches me the most is the statement given by their pastor to his flock. He said, “it is urgent to build the church - a home that belongs to all of us to worship God. Yet, it is even more urgent to build the church – the people of God in which God dwells in us in order for us to make His presence to the world.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jude David on 19th Nov 2010.