
Malacca Johore Diocese News Update #224
Local takes: Fatal accidents are never ending. Party strife and in-fighting continues. Broken promises claim doctors. More and more frauds and abuses are uncovered in government agencies. Illegal temples, 'gerai's' and extensions are under scrutiny. Factory workers struggle to make ends meet in Kulim, the heart of Silicon Malaysia. The Malay Muslim NGOs are calling for the 'May24Rally', claiming race and religion are under threat.
Interesting statements in our midst:
'The Spirit Is Here' Times: With two weeks under his belt as Pope, Leo XIV has already shown himself to be a mild yet focused bridge-builder, with a soft spot for the underdog and a passion for the poor. At his inaugural Mass, in the homily, he signalled his priorities:
A Thought For The Week: Three Bricklayers Three people were laying bricks. A passerby asked them what they were doing. The first one replied, 'Don't you see I am mixing the cement?' The second one said, 'Don't you see I am laying bricks?' The third one said, 'I am building a beautiful monument.' Here were three people doing the same thing who had totally different perspectives on what they were doing. They had three very different attitudes about their work. And would their attitude affect their performance? The answer is clearly yes. Lesson from the bricklayers: Excellence comes when the performer takes pride in doing his best. Every job is a selfportrait of the person who does it, regardless of what the job is, whether washing cars, sweeping the floor or painting a house. 'The quality of the work and the quality of the worker are inseparable.'
Something's Happening Near You:
Safeguarding of Minors Workshop
2. Two Pillars, One Mission: a stayin camp exclusively for single men and women, aged 18 and above. At the Church of St Philip, Segamat, from June 27 - 29. Contact: Kevin 017-7574490 or Clarence 017-7433817
3. Online programme on Ageing with grace - Living life to the fullest (John 10:10) with gerontologist Dr Cecilia Chan, counsellor-caregiver Justin Victor and psychiatrist Dr Fabian Dass, on July 13, 8.00pm-10.00pm.
QnQ! Q asks? 'WHAT IF' points us to another side of reality?
'Trials we go through and the blessings we receive are the same thing. Those trials are lessons you can learn from, and those learnings are blessings.' - Tyler Perry
'God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.' -Rumi
The Holy Spirit @work: I would say it simply: No one can give that which he doesn't personally possess, which means we cannot transmit the Holy Spirit in an effective way, rendering the Spirit perceptible, if we ourselves aren't close to the Spirit. Pope Benedict XVI
Bishop Bernard Paul

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Malay Mail
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Pope Leo makes surprise appearance as 120,000 youth gather in Rome for Vatican jubilee
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Herald Malaysia
3 days ago
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Pope's August prayer intention: For mutual coexistence
Pope Leo XIV releases his prayer intention for August, 2025, inviting us to pray 'that societies avoid internal conflicts due to ethnic, political, religious or ideological reasons' and encouraging us to 'seek paths of dialogue' and 'respond to conflict with gestures of fraternity.' Jul 30, 2025 By Christopher Wells'Let us pray that societies where coexistence seems more difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious, or ideological reasons,' Pope Leo says in his prayer intention for August, 2025. In the prayer that follows, Pope Leo recalls that we stand in Jesus' presence, in need of His peace. 'We live in times of fear and division,' the Pope says. 'Sometimes we act as if we were alone, building walls that separate us from one another, forgetting that we are brothers and sisters.' He calls on Jesus to send the Holy Spirit 'to rekindle within us the desire to understand one another, to listen, to live together with respect and compassion.' The Holy Father goes on to ask the Lord for 'the courage to seek paths of dialogue, to respond to conflict with gestures of fraternity, to open our hearts to others without fear of difference.' 'Make us builders of bridges, able to overcome borders and ideologies, able to see others through the eyes of the heart, recognizing in every person an inviolable dignity,' Pope Leo prays, before concluding, 'Help us to create spaces where hope can flourish, where diversity is not a threat but a richness that makes us more human.' Promoting peaceful coexistence In the press release accompanying this month's prayer intention, Father Cristóbal Fones, S.J.—the International Director of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, which publishes the Holy Father's prayer intention each month—explains that 'all of us can promote peaceful co'existence. This, he said, entails, 'the necessity of working on oneself first of all; to rid one's heart of pride, and the expectations and negative words that hurt and kill. As Pope Leo XIV teaches us, peace is built in the heart and from the heart.' Secondly, it is necessary to set aside prejudices and to acknowledge the fear of those who are 'different'. 'We need to respectfully approach others to listen since they always something unique to contribute,' Father Fones continues. 'Through dialogue, it is possible to seek what unites us and open up ways to work together for the common good.' Lastly, Father Fones reminds us that 'Pope Leo XIV also points out that government leaders need to work toward building harmonious and peaceful societies. This can be done by: investing in the family; safeguarding the dignity of every person, especially the weakest and most defenseless; exercising justice; seeking to remedy inequalities; defending the truth, which is the basis on which authentic relationships can be built.' Finally, within the context of the Holy Year 2025, The Pope Video acquires special relevance since through it we know the prayer intentions the Pope holds in his heart. To properly receive the graces of the Jubilee indulgence, it is necessary to pray for the Pope's intentions. This month, The Pope Video is possible thanks to the help of Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom). It is produced thanks to the generous contributions of many people. You can donate by following this link.