Holy Week

A colleague from Sandakan knew that I'm a Catholic, but he wasn't aware that I don't go to church. He wanted to go to church in KK in conjunction with the Holy Week, but he's not very familiar with the churches here. He asked me innocently, "Which church do you go to?"

I told him that I'm a non-practising Catholic, and I therefore don't go to church. He gave me that "look", and then both of us laughed about it.

Mia and JJ, and of course not forgetting my mother-in-law, will be attending mass a couple of times this week—the latter would insist to come along, even if she had to be carried on a stretcher, in an ambulance, through a perfect storm. In fact, I think she probably had all the rituals and verses memorized that she could conduct the service herself if the priest is taken ill.

But what about me? Well, perhaps it's been at least 15 years ago since the last time I attended one of those services during the Holy Week. The only thing I can still remember vividly is that famous line, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

I suppose holiness is just not one of my strengths. I'd like to believe that I'm being fair to Mia and JJ in that as the head of my family, I allow them the freedom of religious belief. I mean religious freedom in the true meaning of "religious freedom"—not the kind of "religious freedom" that we have in Malaysia. They are free to embrace any religion they want to, as long as I'm not forced to join them. 

When and if I'm ever gonna have a change of mind, I may join them, or I may embrace a different religion; but only on my own accord. In the mean time, I will try to be a good boy, though I'm fully aware that I'm nowhere near perfect—I'm still working on it! If I'm not destined to enter the Kingdom of Paradise when I die because I did not embrace the right religion, then so be it, I'll try to live with it—I hope the punishment will be swift.

I wish to take this opportunity to wish those of you who're celebrating, a Happy Easter holiday.