28 April 2024 | 5th Sunday of Easter (Year B)

by Fr Fabian Dicom

Doors serve as passages into buildings, allowing us to enter and exit. They facilitate movement, enabling us to move from outside to inside, from one space to another. Similarly, people we encounter can act like doors in our lives. They create opportunities, encouraging us to move from one space, one phase to another. These are persons who open new horizons, new perspectives, new opportunities for us, guiding us towards them. We can all recall people who have played such a pivotal role in our lives, for whom we are grateful. And I can thank a few people who have done that for me in my life. And I am most grateful to them.

They may have opened doors for us at crucial moments, leading us into new and enriching experiences. Parents. Parents certainly open up all kinds of doors for their children. Many of us will have no difficulty recognising that they would not be or rather we would not be where we are in life today if it were not for the sacrifices made for us by our parents.

Today we acknowledge a group of parents, along with some parishioners of this parish and our beloved Fr Joachim, the parish priest, who have opened doors for our brothers and sisters on the autism spectrum. Now, their dedication and love create pathways to inclusion and understanding. And I also commend all of you here, present here, for your openness as well.

But it is not always been like this in the life of the church, the body of Christ. This openness, this inclusion, has been a struggle and a challenge. 

Jean Vanier was a Canadian Catholic philosopher and theologian. In 1964, he founded Lark, an international federation of communities spread over 37 countries for people with development disabilities and those who assist them. And in 1971, he co-founded Faith & Light with Marie Helene Mathieu. Now Faith & Light is a cross-denominational Christian charitable association. The purpose of this association is to assist those with special intellectual needs and their friends and family by fostering friendship, prayer, celebration and sharing. And there are approximately 1,612 communities organised in about 81 countries.

We had them for a while here in this Diocese as well. Because about 20 years ago, Jean Vanier was invited by Brother Anthony Rogers who was then the Head of the National Office for Human Development to introduce Faith & Light to us here in Malaysia and Singapore. Now I was invited to participate in that program. And I want to relate an experience, not about the whole structure of Faith & Light but it was something else.

It was about a 2 or 3 day program in Kuala Lumpur. This 20 years ago and I can still remember it like as if it was yesterday. I have forgotten about the contents of the program but I remember the experience the last day when we were broken up into groups for sharing. And there was this young mother from Singapore in my group. And she was sharing about her experience.

She had a son with autism and she took him to church. The first time she took him, and of course he was there and the people began to be agitated. And it went on week after week. The space around her grew bigger. People just moved away from her as far as possible. And she related this and tears streamed out of her eyes and we were also so heartbroken to hear such an experience of this young mother. And when I recall that, I still feel that pain. The space just go bigger and bigger.

Another experience of, and this is very recent, of a grandmother with her grandson who has autism in our church in Malaysia. And she was eventually told by the parishioners and the parish priest not to bring the child to church.

Here at CHS, we are blessed. Here we are blessed because we have a powerful testament to opening doors and embracing inclusivity in our community. And we are enriched by what this small group of people share with us. Ethan and Julian did the reading. We have the Inspiration Choir, we have Joshua there and many others.

However, my dear brothers and sisters, let us not stop here. Let us evolve into complete integration where everyone can truly be part of the pulse or the heart beat of the parish, of this community. All this, this Mass, should not be tokennism or a passing novelty but a sincere step towards a more inclusive community. And that requires a change in our mindset. A change in our practice. A change in our so-called SOPs. 

We have to move from rigidity to flexibility. We have to move from rules and regulations to love and empowerment. And we have to start with us leaders, really. If we don’t change, nothing will change. Let this not be rhetoric. Rhetoric that we hear from our political leaders constantly about inclusion. Rhetoric that we hear from other leaders as well, religious leaders as well. Words, words words.

It is crucial for all of us not only about persons with autism but for everyone who are marginalised that we learn about their conditions, we learn about the challenges our brothers and sisters face and we understand more, we become more flexible, less rigid and truly enjoy our life together as a worshipping and serving community.

The theme for the World Autism Day this year is Empowering Autistic Voices which aims at providing more support and power to individuals with these conditions in order to ensure that they lead a meaningful life and even pursue successful careers.
#awareness #acceptance # appreciation
Moving from surviving to thriving. That is the theme.

From surviving to thriving.

We turn to the Word of God.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we see how Barnabas welcomed Saul into the community of believers despite the doubts and fears because they were very afraid of Saul, the persecutor. But Barnabas opened the door. He saw the potential in Saul and he embraced him as a brother in Christ. This act of inclusivity transformed Paul’s life and he went on to become one of the greatest apostles of all time. Saint Paul. Just like Barnabas, we too are called to see the potential in every person, to welcome them into our community with open arms.

Perhaps today is a call for us, especially those in ministry, to step aside and move away from the closed door. Don’t stand guard at the door. It is a call also to the young people to open your ministry to people who are there, persons with autism.

In the first letter of John, the letter tells us how to do this. We are challenged to love not only in words but in deeds. Love is not merely a sentiment. It is an action. It is about reaching out to one another, understanding each other’s needs and supporting each other on the journey of faith. Our love for one another, especially for those who are marginalised, those we are misunderstood, is the true mark of discipleship. 

Our brothers and sisters, persons with autism, teach us this lesson in a profound way. They don’t walk on eggshells around us. They don’t. They say it as it is. Their authenticity and sincerity in expressing their emotions remind us of the importance of genuine love and acceptance.

But the ultimate door opener, the ultimate door opener is Jesus Christ. He himself declared in the scriptures: I am the door. He didn’t simply open the door for others. He was the door. He was the door to God, the door to God’s life, the door to God’s love and truth. As the door, He calls on all of us to pass through Him so that we might find God.

And in this morning’s Gospel reading, Jesus uses another image of himself, the vine. If as the door Jesus calls on us to pass through Him towards God, as the vine, He calls on us to remain in Him so that we might draw God’s life from Him, the Divine Life. And that is what He means when he says: Whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty. And through our union with Jesus, my dear brothers and sisters, our lives bear God’s fruit, the fruit of God’s life (what Paul calls the Fruit of the Holy Spirit);
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Our remaining in the Lord as branches of the vine opens us to that quality of life that God desires for us. A life which is a reflection of God’s own life. If looking back we find ourselves giving thanks to all those people who opened the doors for us, we have to be all the more grateful to the One who as the door, and as the vine, opens us up to God and to the life of God.

Remaining united to Christ as branches connected to the vine requires (and this is for us), requires an on-going commitment in our relationship with Him. Not superficial but deep commitment. Just as branches draw sustenance from the vine, we remain connected to Christ through prayer, through scripture, through sacraments, through relationships with others, through this community, through reaching out to the marginalised.

As we continue to abide in Christ, our lives bear the fruit of His Spirit and we, you and I, become channels of His grace and love to the world around us. Constantly opening the doors for others, that all be included and bloom as beautiful and beloved children of God.

May our celebration today be a testament to the beautiful diversity of God’s creation and the boundless love of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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