More than a mere concert

The event held by Mong Ha 930, the parish choir, at Santa Rosa School last Saturday afternoon was more than a mere concert.

It was a sharing of personal experiences. Someone used to see religious activities as an obligation imposed on him with threats about failing grades. Later, with the support of Mong Ha 930, however, he gradually managed to maintain regular Mass attendance. A choir member himself now, he praised the merciful Lord for the fervent Catholic he had been converted into.

Another young man told a heart-rending story about his forlorn love. He felt as though he had fallen into an abyss, where he thought his life would end. But through God’s mercy, he managed to pull himself out of it and is now enjoying a happy, contented life.

A young girl could not hold her tears when she slowly related how she had suffered from a disease that left her disabled to the point of being completely dependent on others. Now, healthy and cheerful, she praised God for her victory over her infirmity.

The story of a young lady was disheartening. A car accident took away her father’s life, leaving her mother seriously injured. Being the eldest daughter, she had to deal with all the problems thus triggered, almost unaided. She managed to forgive her father’s friend, the driver who had carelessly caused the accident. God had first shown her mercy by placing helpful people around her in her plight and she thus learned to be tolerant and forgiving.

It was a prayer meeting. Projected on the screen were Bible verses interchanging with the personal sharing and singing items. Each verse was related to the story told and it conveyed a message that inspired us to reflect more on God’s mercy. The verse about Jesus’ crucifixion, for example, was accompanied by a few lines read aloud to help us ponder the need to be generous and merciful. Moved by the stories and inspired by the Bible verses, we prayed inwardly in sympathy with the unfortunate ones and with gratitude for the chance of experiencing the presence of God there and then.

Of course, it was a concert, a very successful one. The messages would not have been so well delivered, far less inspiring, if not for the singing of what could be considered theme songs. In fact, the songs were so well selected that we wondered whether they had been especially composed for the purpose. The grouping of the singers had also been carefully planned to make the singing most effective and appealing. A song that delivered a message of love, for example, was sung by two married couples holding hands and exchanging loving glances. God’s presence, therefore, is shown not only at sad moments but also at heartwarming ones.

And the instrumental accompaniment was also highly impressive. Special credit was to be given to the pianist, who seemed to be playing non-stop, allowing the background music to persist throughout the entire event.

When the audience were invited to join in the singing of the last two songs, clapping hands rhythmically and waving the mobile phones with the light on, the atmosphere became so cheerful that one would imagine oneself at a show of a high popularity rating.

Father Peter, the parish priest of the Mong Ha Church, in his round-up speech, referred to the event as a prayer gathering, highlighting the fact that the choir’s performance succeeded in enhancing the awareness of God’s mercy, stressing that faith in God does not lie so much in the spiritual knowledge we pursue as in our personal encounters with God. Bishop Stephen Lee also reminded us that we can experience God’s mercy through our acts of kindness and thoughtfulness for one another in our everyday lives.

Yes, the Mong Ha choir members have performed a good show, providing us with great enjoyment and entertainment. Most importantly, they have delivered a very meaningful message to serve as guidance in our pursuit of spiritual enhancement.