Rite of Acceptance

Today, I went through the Rite of Acceptance. If I would describe it in a word, it would be... No, if I do that, you'll close my blog. I might as well tweet it. So I'll just go ad nauseum until I'm done.

I first met up with my aunts in the parish canteen. I was glad that they had came to witness this journey with me. If you didn't already know, I have an extended family from my father's side which is Catholic, except for my father himself (that's why I'm not raised Catholic) and an uncle who left the communion of the Church. With my late grandmother, they played a huge part in imparting tenets of Christianity to me and introduced me to the official liturgy of the Church - Holy Mass. On special occasions, such as Easter and Christmas, I would attend Mass with them.

I did attend Mass with my grandma when I was little, but I understood none of the Mandarin (or Cantonese I couldn't tell at 4). When she took me for English Mass, I was equally lost. I even wondered what's with the pew that made her "fall" every time she entered and exited it. (She was just genuflecting, I now know).

Without them, I would've never been familiar with how to conduct myself at Mass and would therefore not have attended that Ash Wednesday Mass at the SJI Chapel which sparked off the change in my life.

So I was glad that they came (Grandma arrived at the Sanctus with the other saints and the angels) because I knew they would be comforted to see that I have finally, in the words of Aunty Jenny, "made up your (my) mind" to follow Christ in the Catholic Church.


I then bumped into a few FLOWers, and I was so happy to see them. This youth community has been with me for the past year... OH MY I'VE BEEN IN FLOW FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW!... and we have been always supporting each other as we journey together. I had learnt a lot from them and they played a great role in my formation. So I am grateful to them and am glad that they had come to witness this special moment with me.

Then, I had to join my RCIA group to prepare for the procession into the church. I found my sponsor, Nathanael, and we got organised outside the main entrance. The church bells rang, and Father Chong, with his company of concelebrants and altar boys, came to welcome us into the church. As the entrance hymn was sung, the altar boys and priests processed in, and we followed in behind.

As I stepped into the church, there was a special feeling to it as compared to the hundreds of times I had before. It was symbolically meaningful because I was invited into the life of the Church. As I clasped my hands and walked towards the tabernacle, grateful to Christ that He had called me to Himself. With a bow I venerated Him, and proceeded to the pew.

Mass proceeded as per usual, and I found the Readings especially relevant to the journey I am making. Fr Sam said, in his homily, that Christianity does not preach suffering. Yet it does not preach health and wealth - at least most Christians don't. It preaches glory and life. Sufferings are inevitable in our lives (long explanation), and these trials help us to grow to be stronger. God does not make us endure these trials, but helps us endure these trials.

He also elaborated on our Father, on how He wants us to inherit His kingdom. I then realised that my relationship with the Father was not as strong as it should be. Maybe this is one thing I'd like to focus on as I continue my journey.

After the homily, we were invited to the sanctuary to receive the Rite of Acceptance. Fr Chong signed my forehead with the cross, and I was reminded of that Ash Wednesday in the SJI chapel, when I received the ashes and felt marked as a child of God. As I now absorb what I went through, I feel truly grateful to Him for revealing Himself to me. I then received crosses on my other senses, and declared my desire to follow Christ.

I finally got a crucifix! I can now hug a proper crucifix with the contours of the corpus and pray the Divine Mercy like I did at Awaken. I still remember the Paschal Triduum camp, when I brought a transparent box file with a printed St Dominic's Cross, and hugged it. It was so sorely lacking in feel. I kissed the feet in honour of the Incarnation, and received the Bible, repeating that gesture of reverence.

To conclude the rite, we were prayed over by the priests and the congregation, and it occurred to me that my community is praying for me... FLOW, my family, the priests. I felt so grateful and assured with their prayers.

Then began the Liturgy of the Eucharist. At the Offertory, I offered myself and the entire RCIA journey to the Lord. It was the last time I would attend this part of the Mass on a Sunday for some time. It's ok, I still can witness the transubstantiation at weekday Masses. For more of my thoughts on the transubstantiation, check out my Eucharistic blog here.

I stayed in the pews during Communion time and kneeling, made spiritual Communion with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and once more expressed my longing to receive Him physically. I just watched the Host come off Father's hands, and gave thanks for the gift of Supreme Sacrament.

After the dismissal, I met up with more FLOWers before going to the parish canteen for the potluck lunch. I didn't bring anything, but I guess my job as the young one is just to eat. Hehe... After that, I went up to the Adoration Room for some thanksgiving, hanged around Matius, Rachel Yee and Elena at the playground, before finally going home.

And now I draw closer yet to the fount! Actually, it's still a long journey: 6 months to go. I really can't wait for Lent. Ironic as it sounds, things will get more bearable during that season because it will be just over a month to the Easter Sacraments. Ah well, I need this time to prepare myself too, so I shouldn't be complaining.

If you're Catholic and wish to read a more enriching blog, you may like to visit http://inhonouroftheeucharist.blogspot.sg. It focuses entirely on the beauty of the Holy Eucharist.