Julian shares with us his experience at the Hearts On Fire Rally, held on 03 Feb at CJC.

When I first heard about the Hearts on Fire rally, I knew immediately that I wanted to go for it. Here presented in front of me, was a perfect opportunity to give back to praise God. I remember vaguely, from one of the many sermons, that to be a good Catholic, this was one of the requirements.

Despite my eagerness to attend the rally, I began to harbor some doubts. Firstly, due to my unfamiliarity of Singapore, stemming from my prolonged absences, I was clueless about the Catholic Junior College’s locality. Secondly, I realized that I might have to go there alone, as I did not know anyone else who expressed interest in attending the event. Thirdly, I was supposed to meet a friend that night, who was leaving the country soon. However, I realized that these were all minor excuses. I thought to myself that these should not be valid excuses.

In fact, I was tested. Perhaps God, who works in wonderful and mysterious ways decided to help me make the decision. The first time, I felt a lethargic feeling overcoming me. At that point of time, I felt like lying back and sleeping the rest of the day away. I dozed off for a good 15 minutes before jerking back up in a half-decisional state of mind.

As I was pondering my attendance, I was tested for the second time. I received a text message on my phone – my friend asked if I wanted to go out that night. She was usually busy and was suddenly free to go out, along with another mutual friend.

I hesitated. I was tempted. But I relented.

I was tested a third time. As I was about to leave the house, my friend messaged me on msn. Again, she asked me if I wanted to go out that night. This was the last hurdle, and I knew I could not succumb to temptation.



This was an important event – this was an appointment with God! How could I possibly let God take a back seat? Often, I’ve been guilty of attending masses at various times just to suit my plans, but not this time. So my mind was made up and I committed my attendance.

God works in wonderful ways and it was He who made it possible for me to attend the event. I had the car at my disposal; Darren’s directions were very clear (thanks), traffic was smooth flowing; the signs were clear to see; and I had a parking lot very near the entrance.

It seemed an uncanny coincidence that the people that made it so reassuring for me were from Holy Family as well. The person who I had emailed a day before (as I wanted details as I was afraid to go alone) was from Holy Family. Then at the event itself, I bumped into an usher who looked very familiar. We spoke for a while and realized that we were from the same parish. Again, God had wanted me to feel more at home. Perhaps it was His way of saying, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

As I walked towards the main auditorium, the inevitability of uncertainty and ostracized feeling started to envelope me. Then as if to break that feeling immediately, this person popped out of no where and just greeted me. The simple “Hi, I’m Andre” and wave from a distance would usually make me squint had that been in public, but it was so reassuring. I did not know him, yet he greeted me like he knew me. I smiled and carried on with renewed hope.

I wandered around the outside of the auditorium as the mass there had not ended. I looked on as everyone communed in their own groups happily enthusing about the event. I stood to the side and felt out of place. However, having gone so far, it was a waste sulking in the corner. So after wandering around, I befriended someone who had too come to the rally alone. It seemed like God was trying to tell me the phrase we’ve heard all to often – God helps those who help themselves. I met two more Genesians in Priscilla and Duane, with the latter joining us inside.



The event started off with an address by Arch-Bishop Nicholas Chia who left us with something to keep in our minds – MCM – Mystery, Communion, and Mission. Then we started with some praise and worship, which really energized me. The emcee for the night did a great job rallying the whole lot of us and the musicians were inspiring. I would say it was so inspiring that you could lose yourself in the music, and just think about nothing but praising God.

Following that, there was some sharing by two speakers. The first was a girl who was saved by God when she was experiencing a very bad break up. The second was a man who had a brush with death as a survivor of the August 2007 J W Marriott bombing in Jakarta. I admired the courage of the speakers as they related to us their pain and how they slowly overcame these impediments through God. I am not the sort that would cry let alone shed a tear in movies but their accounts moved me. I felt connected to them despite being 50 meters away in the audience. In a way, I could relate to them very well for it was not too long ago that I too had a period where I just felt like giving up and felt so alone. It was during this dark period that I too had turned to God.

Then it was only befitting that Father Pereira came on stage as the next speaker for he made us feel proud to be Catholic. He instilled the fire in us. He set our hearts on fire. The little flames in each of us when combined produces a great wall of fire, burning brightly in the night as we praised God. It is people like Father Pereira that makes you wanted to stand up and shout alleluia at the top of your voice.



The adoration was next and this was definitely a significant moment for me. I was suffering as I knelt down due to my back and knee problems, but I offered the pain as a sacrifice to God. I prayed on through the pain, and the most wonderful thing happened as the monstrance came around. The priest stopped almost directly in front of me, holding the monstrance aloft and it shone ever so brightly. At that moment, I felt a chill down my spine and at the same time, a warm sensation. It seemed like the pain from my back and knees subsided. It was the perfect platform for the next and one of the most important segments of the night – healing.

A barrage of thoughts were bombarding my mind during the short journey from my seat to the bottom where the healing was being performed. I reflected on my life – my sins, my good deeds, my family, my friends. I wanted God to heal me and alleviate me of any burden that have befallen upon me.

The person in front of me was slain as she went down. At that moment, my heart was pounding. I hope to be slain just as she was. My heart was racing. This, I thought, has to be the most powerful of the many sets of healers as I had two priests praying over me. The first thing I asked was for them to pray for my recently deceased friend’s soul as she was more in need, before asking them to pray for my own needs.

While they prayed over me, I felt like I was far away. I could hear their prayers but it seemed like I had left my body temporarily. For a moment, I could not feel my body and there was an almost floating sensation. I felt light, I felt a burden lifted from me. I was not slain, but I felt rather emotional.

It seemed as though God was talking to me through Father Pereira as he told us that it was normal if we were crying or feeling emotional for it was part of the healing. My eyes welled up and it was probably the most emotion I’ve shown in a while. For someone who rarely cries, this was definitely a very salient moment. I knelt down and prayed some more. We were then told to pray over each other as we recited the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary.

The relatively solemn mood was then lifted as we then broke into song and for some others, dance. Apart from my psychomotor deficiency in clapping and singing, it truly was a great send off as we all sang with our hearts.



This rally has left a favorable impression on me. It has moved me, it has touched me, it has energized me. It is a reminder of how great our God is and how he does things in mysteriously wonderful ways.

Yahweh I know you are near,
Standing always by my side.
You guard me from the foe,
And you lead me in ways everlasting.

Lord, you have searched my heart,
And you know when I sit and when I stand.
Your hand is upon me protecting me from death,
Keeping me from harm.

Where can I run from Your love?
If I climb to the heavens You are there;
If I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea,
Still I'd find You there.

You know my heart and its ways,
you who formed me before I was born
in the secret of darkness before I saw the sun
in my mother's womb.

Marvelous to me are Your works;
How profound are Your thoughts, my Lord.
Even if I could count them, they number as the stars,
You would still be there.