The Home Run

"Hello, saints of Miri!"

That was how Father Gino Henriques greeted 700 of us who attended the Women's Conference at Mega Hotel, Miri, from 18 to 21 March 2011. The conference was organised by the Women's Core Team of our diocese (Miri) and it drew particpants from KK, KL, Kuching, Sibu, Labuan, Marudi, Limbang, Long San and Bintulu. It was for us not only a time for renewal, but also a time for fellowship.

700 women praising and worshipping God, 700 voices praying in tongues....so Fr Gino said he was "blessed among women"..he he..

Last year the theme of Fr Gino's teaching was "Set Free". God gives Fr Gino the gift of healing spiritual and physical illnesses. Last year he exhorted us to seek spiritual healing first, in line with what Jesus teaches in Mathew 6:33 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness. And all of these things will be given unto you". Fr Gino told us that each one of us is unique and precious to God, and God loves each of us like the tenderest of mother (Isaiah 49). He told us that each of us is beautiful, that beauty is not in the face, shapely body or long legs, but in the heart and personality. Fr Gino was good in affirming us, so many were healed of low self-esteem, negative emotions, and many were able to forgive themselves and those who hurt them. During the healing service, many were healed of their physical infirmities - of cancer, athritis, back pain, heart problems. The most dramatic was a lady who could not walk well due to a bad back pain. She was healed, the pain went away and she could walk straight after the healing service. She cried joyfully and gave thanks to the Lord for healing her through Fr Gino. Indeed, many were set free, spiritually and physically.

Anak menyadi aku, Kumang, mega bulih penyuman maya nya suba. Kumang pemalu, iya ngasaika diri baruh, ngasaika urang enda paham iya. Kendua menyadi aku Jacinta ta kebil-kebil mata lebuh Kumang enggau Maie ngenang ajar Fr Gino ke madahka apai indai ukai semina enda tau nyamah tang enda tau kasar jaku enggau anak, laban tubuh kitai "temple of the holy spirit", "the sanctuary of God". Dini meh kendua menyadi enda kala kasar jaku, lebuh maya ke enda liat ati.

Tua dadi kala nyipat Maie & Sudan ketegal seduai ke be internet besari-sari maya seduai Pom 2 & 1 kelia, ketegal kami duai laki bini nangi ke seduai meda website ke enda menyana, enggai ke ngamahka runding, enggai ke sida nyu ka nunda. Kami duai menyadi minta ampun, aku lalu nyaut Maie & Kumang, madahka semua utai ti digaga kami sigi kena ngasal (discipline) sida, ngambika sida mereti, lalu kami ngereja nya ari pengerindu, penyayau ke sida. Ukai bisi sekula ti endur kami belatih dulu nyadi apai indai ke manah, pia mega ukai bisi chara ti udah ditetapka kena mutarka tiap iti penanggul, pia ku aku nyaut. Itah baka urang ke besekula kitai ke nyadi apai indai, mula belajar A, B, C, dah nya macha, nulis, dah nya ngarang jerita, dah nya problem solving. Ma betul ma salah meh utai digaga kitai. Nyu udah tuai agi, nyu mayuh agi ga peneleba, nyu nemu agi ga kitai ngiring bala anak.

Maie & Sudan ka amat ngenang maya seduai agi Primary 1 - 2 suba, seduai enda diberi duit kena meli bekal di kantin sekula, laban enda ngasuh sida bebelika pemakai ari kantin, tang mai bekal ari rumah. Seduai nusi diri ngining kerupuk ke dipakai bala pangan, nya alai kadang-kadang trade in sida, seduai makai kerupuk urang, urang makai bekal seduai. Ta lesay-lesay tudah diri ma seduai ngenang nya, nyu besalah asai laban ke enda meratika anak ke inginka makai pemakai luar maya nya. Ku penemu aku, aku ngasuh sida mai bekal ngambi ulih nyaga pengerai, laban ulih ngintu pemeresi pemakai ti disedia di rumah. Ni la aku nemu seduai iya ngining kerupuk urang, sida enda ga madahka aku maya nya, nyu diatu baru ka amat ngenang nya ba mua aku. Lagi-lagi tudah aku berasai besalah. Enti seduai bisi macha blog tu anak, badu seduai mendera emosi aku udah tu. Move on meh kitai, ngenang utai ke diatu. Kemaya meh kami duai dadi enda nge au ka utai ku kita enti nya patut ba runding kami. Kelebih agi Raden Adjeng Sudan kami nya, ta enda tau nyebut, sigi di au ka dadi magang. Enda agi aku tu dibelika apai iya utai enti dibandingka sida tiga menyadi.

Father Gino obliged my request for a shoot with him. Fr Gino is a Redemptorist priest, based in Singapore. He is gifted by God with the gift of healing.

This year Fr Gino's theme is 'The Home Run - We Are Made For Heaven". Each of us is called to be a saint. To be a saint is to be holy 'You shall be holy to me, for I, the Lord, am holy, I who have set you apart from the other nations to be my own" (Leviticus 20:26). To be holy, we must "love the Lord God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mathew 22:37) and love our neighbour as we love ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Mathew 22:39). These, as you know, are the two commandments of our Christian faith. Fr Gino gave us a tip on how to love someone who is difficult to love - look at his good qualities and pray for his bad attitude. Ka pritis aku, nguji rinduka urang ke ka amat ngemaruhka pengarap kitai Kristin.

Fr Gino mega ngajar bekeni ku kitai ulih kering ngelaban penguji. Penguji datai ulih pengingin kitai - kitai mayuh utai di ingin, nya alai enti kitai enda nemu nagang pengingin enggau manah, kitai sigi labuh ngagai penguji. Nya kita indu, enda umbas sepasang dua pasang kasut, meli mayuh-mayuh, nyu enda alah kena, ku Fr Gino. Kena sumpit aku wai, ngenang diri ke suah meli kasut. Dah tu aku nguji nagang diri, aku besampi awakka Roh Kudus nulung aku, laban aku lemi.

Desire must be guided by the mind, inner spirit and the Holy Spirit, pia ku Fr Gino. "Walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Reti "Flesh" nya ukai semina pengingin tubuh, tang nyengkaum semua pengingin ti enda ditagang kitai. Ba Galatians 5:17, "works of the flesh " dirintaika bakatu: ngereja utai kamah, utai ti jai, nyembah engkeramba, bemanang, bemunsuh, belaya, kepapas, ringat, beripih, bedengki, mabuk, ngintu pengerami kelalu iga enggau kamah (orgies). "Anang nitihka adat dunya, tang awakka Allah Taala ngubah runding enggau ati kita enggau chukup" pia ku Romans 12:2. Ayat Romans 12:1 madahka bekeni kitai ulih enda nitihka peneka dunya, ia nya nyerahka diri empu nyadi piring ti idup ngagai Allah Taala. Kitai nyadi piring ma kitai ngasaika pemerinsa (suffering) ngelaban pengingin, lalu kitai nyuaka pemerinsa nya ngagai Allah Taala. Pemerinsa mayuh bagi, bisi mental, physical, psychological enggau redemptive suffering.

Ngambika pejalai kitai nuju menua amai mujur, Fr Gino meri survival kit bakatu : selalu besembiang, selalu macha Bup Kudus, nerima sakramen Ekarist, Reconciliation, rinduka pangan baka kitai rinduka diri empu enggau meritaka injil. Ba senentang pengawa ti meritaka injil, tiap iku kitai Kristin dikanggauka Jesus megai pengawa meritaka injil (Mathew 28:19-20). Siti chara ti pengabis manah kena kitai meritaka injil, ti ulih dikereja semua kitai nya besaksika Jesus nengah pengidup kitai besari-sari. Ma kitai besemak enggau Allah Taala, Roh kudus ti diau ba kitai deka ngadaka buah, ia nya pengerindu, pengaga, pemaik, pengeliat ati, penelap, pemadas, penaluk, pemaruh ati enggau runding ti ulih nagang tubuh diri (Galatians 5:22).Kitai besaksika Jesus nengah pengerindu, pengaga, pemaik, pengeliat ati, penelap, pemadas, penaluk, pemaruh ati enggau runding ti ulih nagang tubuh diri.

My sister, Jacinta, with my cousin Philomena (in white cardy) and an old friend Alice, from Batu Niah. Tetegu ati aku ninga utai disebut Philomena. Iya nusi bala kami serumah bukai enggai dibai iya, laban nangika enda nemu utai ti ku urang, ketegal ke kurang ba jaku omputih. Aku enda beduli wai, ku Philomena, yes ku urang yes ga ku aku, urang sembiang dalam jaku urang putih, aku sembiang dalam ati ga, pia ku iya. Itu dia! Philomena mega tukay neo, tiap bulan iya nyual bepuluh-puluh tan buah sawit.

With a Franciscan sister, Sister Maria. She was based in Bintulu once, now she is in Marudi.