every sunday, if Fr OC celebrates mass, right after all the usual petitions have been raised up and it is near the end of the prayer of the faithful, he will speak of 'guarding Malaysia from subtle religious persecution'.
they are very strong words he uses, and i used to wonder if it was a bit of an exaggeration. but the reality is that there is such a thing, so subtle and so insidious we have almost become accustomed to it. and therein lies the danger.
i can still recall when CSSUM was about to have its AGM, the HEP official almost blank-facedly accused us of 'christianising' other students and hinted that such complaints were the reason why it was not given permission to have its activities. i would like to clarify that it is not part of CSSUM's mission to 'christianise' other students, let alone Muslims. it is however, our mission to come to know, love and serve God as fellow Catholics under one Church.
there is a stage beyond mere tolerance, it is acceptance and acknowledgement of others and their beliefs and culture. i have never stopped hoping and praying for such a day to come. it may take some time, and may not be in my lifetime even, but it will come. i know it.
Glory to God on High, and Peace to His People on Earth!
2 comments:
Yep, tolerance =\= acceptance. I accept my friends. I tolerate the idiot next door who insists on playing the tuba at 9 pm every night without fail. :)
When is tolerance going to metamorphose into acceptance? In our lifetime, I hope.
the only way to achieve this is through prayer, faith and a willingness to be more open in our thoughts and perceptions.
but where there is life, there is always hope.
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