Page 1

In His Fold

St. Margaret Mary’s Church

Volume 12 Nov 2015

A busy and memorable day for our stall managers!

Fr. Kwan’s showing his support for the fund raising at the pre-sale at our hall a week before the event

Our 6-stall lineup at the Bazzar

The Hong Kong side Caritas Bazaar took place on 1st November this year at the VIctoria Park

Procession of the Holy Eucharist in celebration of the Feast of Christ the King on the 22nd November, at Christ the King Chapel

Tea hosted at the Convent after the service.

Thank you St. Paul’s Sisters!

Fr. Chau praying with the congregation

A blessed day with a blessed weather

Page 2

Come and See

Page 3

Lina Lee

H ave you ever felt puzzled about not knowing how to pray? Have you felt your prayer being formulaic and archaic

At the Rome Conference entitled `Meditation in the Monastic Tradition’ this summer, one of the distinguished

speakers, Rev Dr. Sarah Bachelard instilled in us some freshness on the understanding of prayer as many of us `do not know how to pray’. My heart could not help but being set on fire’ anew by her keenness, honesty and openness to the Spirit in her journey of meditation ignited by the Spirit.

Dr. Bachelard described that in silent prayer, we are being reintegrated and restored in the transforming union with God. We should endeavor to surrender ourselves entirely to God, as described in the Letter to the Hebrews, “everything had to be handed to the Lord”. John Main, the founder of the World Community for Christian Mediation, perceived such a process of yielding up ourselves as “self-forgetfulness” , or more radically and overwhelmingly, “as a holocaust” reminding us as for the Jewish understanding, the meaning of sacrifice is a total giving of oneself, not holding back anything at all to oneself.

Presence is another keyword in our prayer. Total presence to the invisible God involves not simply gathering oneself through external gestures – what is more important is the interiority of spirit. Fr Laurence Freeman, Director of WCCM, further expounded that our passions, worries, desires need to be transfigured’, otherwise such thoughts during our prayer might divide and alienate us. It’s not surprising that even monks may find their minds distracted by worldly attachments in the course of their prayer.

Our awe and respect for the Lord would certainly enable us to show up ourselves completely in prayer’. The speaker made references of Rowan Williams who advocated powerfully the use of the `Word ‘(the mantra in Christian meditation) in order to leave other words’ (our other thoughts) behind. This self-emptying, humble and vulnerable process echo what Jesus said, `Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mathew 16:23-24). Dying in oneself brings rebirth in the Lord.

How do we achieve this spirit of self-denial? We should be aware that simplicity and humility are

the two serene markers of child-likeness most essential in prayer. Dr. Bachelard made it very

clear to us that simplicity means “wholly oneself, uncomplicated, clarified, pure in heart” while humility is “to be on the ground, poor in spirit, no pretense, in touch with reality’. In other words, we should be fully open to the Divine as children of God.

Ironically, the surrender of oneself cannot be achieved by our own will power. However, if we are “dispossessed” enough to embark on the disciplined prayer of meditation, this would be an effective means to help us encounter the Divine in

silence, simplicity and humility.

Dr. Bachelard cited the author of the “Cloud of Unknowing’‘ ‘s exhilarating remarks

that in pursuit of pure prayer, we need to be stirred up with the desire of the love of God’. John

Main‘s words in this aspect are most complementary: “The greatest thing we can ever do, is to offer our own consciousness to God in order to be fully conscious”. Obedience to God is not about negativity or passive submission. She concluded beautifully that “while being naked in the sight of God, our true selves will be returned to us as life-generating gifts. Contemplation helps us to learn to see other things and other people for what they are in themselves as God sees in them”.

One Faith One BodyOn Not Knowing How to Pray: A Theology of Prayer

About the speakerDr. Sarah Bachelard is an Anglican priest and theologian, and a member of WCCM. Sarah is the founding director of Benedictus Contemplative Church, an ecumenical worshipping community based in Canberra, Australia. Sarah is a retreat leader, a conference speaker and the author of “Experiencing a Time of Crisis” and “Resurrection and Moral Imagination”.You can watch all talks from Meditation in the Monastic Tradition Conference, Rome, 2015 online at http://tiny.cc/sanselmo.

Join our journey of Christian meditation at Rm 203 at SMC every Thursday at 8 p.m. together or choose your own schedule with other groups (wccm.hk) and learn more about this Pearl of Great Price through www.wccm.org. May we strive on this journey of total self-surrender and self-growing union with God! Deo Gratias!

Page 4

Wo r d s f r o m G o s p e l r e a d i n g s i n No v e m b e r 2 0 1 5

Article Contributions Welcome

The newsletter is in many ways a ‘family letter’, facilitating the communication and shar-ing of ideas between different groups in our parish. Therefore you will be most welcome to share with us your spiritual life and insights, parish activities and pilgrimage experience, etc.

Text should be close to a full-A4 page length or half of it, with high resolution photos for print qual-ity where relevant. We also welcome a simpler photo journal format with titles for the photos and

may be a few lines to describe an event you have participated; it would be great to see different members of our family. Please send your contributions by email if possible; in case of handwritten manuscripts, please give it to the counter staff at the amenities building next to St. Margaret’s Church. Originals will not be returned so please make copies if necessary.

In the course of his teaching Jesus said: “Beware of the scribes: They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very sever condemnation.”Trigésimo segundo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario San Marco 12:38-44

Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time Mark 12:38-44

Como parte de su enseñanza Jesús decía:—Tengan cuidado de los maestros de la ley - se apoderan de los bienes de las viudas y a la vez hacen largas plegarias para impresionar a los demás. Éstos recibirán peor castigo.

Trigésimo tercero Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario San Marco 13:24-32

Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time Mark 13:24-32

Thirty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Solemnity of Christ the King) John 18:33-37

Trigésimo cuarto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (La Solemnidad de Cristo Rey) San Juan 18:33-37

Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time Matthew 5:1-12

First Sunday of Avent Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Trigésimo primero Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario San Mateo 5:1-12

Primer Domingo de Adviento San Lucas 21:25-28, 34-36

Comenzó a enseñarles diciendo: «Dichosos serán ustedes cuando por mi causa la gente los insulte, los persiga y levante contra ustedes toda clase de calumnias. Alégrense y llénense de júbilo, porque les espera una gran recompensa en el cielo.»

Jesús dijo: «Tengan cuidado, no sea que se les endurezca el corazón por el vicio, la embriaguez y las preocupaciones de esta vida. De otra manera, aquel día caerá de improviso sobre ustedes.»

Jesus said, “For the son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

«Porque ni aun el Hijo del hombre vino para que le sirvan, sino para servir y para dar su vida en rescate por muchos. »

«Eres tú quien dice que soy rey. Yo para esto nací, y para esto vine al mundo: para dar testimonio de la verdad. Todo el que está de parte de la verdad escucha mi voz.»

Jesus began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against your (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven”

Then Jesus said to them: “Beware that you hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.”

By post: St. Margaret’s Church (Newsletter) 2A Broadwood Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.

Tel: 25762801 Fax: 25769764 Email: smc@catholic.org.hk