KOTA KINABALU(CS).- “So by their fruits you will know them” (Mat 7:20).
During the Year of Faith, the faithful were called to become witnesses of their faith. In his message at the Thanksgiving Mass for the Year of Faith, Archbishop John Wong reminded the
Pope Francis’ call to seize with enthusiasm “a new phase in the journey of evangelization” by offering this new document, called Evangelii Gaudium or The Joy of the Gospel, to the Church as a map and guide to her pastoral mission in the near future”. It is an invitation to recover a prophetic and positive vision of reality without ignoring the current challenges.”
This is a continuation from last issue and is the final part of the Synthesis of the Joy of the Gospel:
SANDAKAN(CS).- St Mary’s Cathedral celebrated New Year (2014) Mass at 8.00 am on January 1st. The mass was well attended by parishioners and their families. January 1st coincides with the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, as well as a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church.
“We thank the Lord for all the blessings we have received last year and may the Lord continue to guide, to bless and to be with us in our ups and downs throughout this new year”, said Fr Sunny Chung in his opening homily to the parishioners.
If life is a journey from here to there, then would it make sense to know where we are going? Would it not be essential to have a map in this journey that gives us an idea of where we are and where we are heading?
I believe that we can discover our destiny in life if we look for it, in the right places and ask good questions. Our Lord Jesus is a God of revelation. He reveals and does not hide our destiny from us. In the next few paragraphs, we will see how we can know this. Hopefully, we will learn to ask better questions that will bring us much closer to knowing where our lives are heading to.
It is essential to know where we are going when we set out for a journey. Life is a journey. It is first of all a journey of discovery.
My journey of faith begins with my first encounter with Christ which subsequently led to my conversion to become a Catholic. I was baptised in Easter 2005. Before then I was a pagan worshipping idols, seeking feng sui masters when things were not right and keeping talismans for protection and luck. I was a worldly person in every sense, seeking status and power which turned me into an arrogant and self-centred person.
ROME(VATICAN RADIO).- Nov 26 – The Joy of the Gospel is the title Pope Francis has chosen for this first major document of his pontificate, putting down in print the joyous spirit of encounter with Christ that characterizes every public appearance he has made so far. The man who has constantly kept the media’s attention with his desire to embrace and share his faith with everyone he meets, now urges us to do exactly the same. To “recover the original freshness of the Gospel”, as he puts it, through a thorough renewal of the Church’s structures and vision. Including what he calls “a conversion of the papacy” to make it better able to serve the mission of evangelization in the modern world. The Church, he says, should not be afraid to re-examine “customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel” even if they may have deep historical roots.
KOTA KINABALU(CS).- Fr Aloysius Tung, 86, celebrates his 60th priestly ordination with a Thanksgiving Mass at St Simon Church, Likas Dec 27 in the presence of all those beloved of him.
With him at the altar were Archbishop Emeritus John Lee, Archbishop John Wong, Fr Cosmas Lee, Fr Moses Lui, Fr Fundes Motiung, Fr Tony Mojiwat, Fr Thomas Madanan, Fr Jalius Sading and Fr Erik Jerome.
The celebration was all the more meaningful with Fr Tung being the main celebrant, ably assisted by Fr Cosmas Lee.
KOTA KINABALU – Arthur John, IY seminarian, writes on the closing of the academic year for archdiocesan formands:
Dec 11, 2014 marks the closing of our academic calendar year 2013 for the CAC Aspirants and the IY Seminarians.
It is by God’s Grace that we are able to complete our formation for the year. It seems like it was only yesterday that we began our journey in the CAC and IY Formation Houses. The period seems short but it is made up of many moments that filled our journey.