Kuala Lumpur On the night of this year's Apr. 10 Easter Vigil ceremony, 1006 adult catechumens (all chosen by bishops from the dioceses of Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Taiping, Melata and Johor) will receive the sacraments of baptism, first communion and confirmation.
The candidates were chosen during the "Election Rite" held on the first and second Sunday of Lent.
Among the 607 catechumens chosen from archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur for the first time there are some candidates from the districts of Tampin and Terengganu.
During his Feb. 29 homily at St. John's Cathedral Archbishop Murphy Pakiam stressed how God expects a special bond of friendship from those who are pre-chosen by Him, permitting them to slowly learn how to get to know God and be familiar with what He wants from them. He said that this was also the case for the new catechumens.
The bishop of Penang, Anthony Selvanayagam, explained to the future new Christians that God loves and saves those that search for the truth, despite their race, job or responsibility in life.
During his homily, the bishop of Melata, Paul Tan, however spoke about the temptations of the devil in peoples lives. "God uses temptations," he said, "to help us become strong, faithful and upright Christian adults. The devil doesn't give up easily on people who think and do good things because they feel inspired by God."