Friday, October 30, 2015

Sharing: Oct 2015 Youth Gathering of Holy Family Church

Several volunteers and I organized the Oct 2015 youth gathering on World Mission Sunday of Holy Family Church on October 25.  The theme was “Unfinished Mission” and was attended by almost 30 youth from different Churches in Shenzhen including the volunteers.    
The registration was begun at 11:00 a.m. right after our Sunday Mass. Ms. Lin prepared the PPT of the flow of the gathering.  Fr. Lu delivered his welcoming speech after teaching the song “主啊!差遣我” (=Lord, send me).  He led us to sing it as our opening prayer.   Here is the link of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvDGLoLOLXU
Ms. Ye was the MC for the day including leading the ice breaking game.  Mr. Fan led the game related with the proactive habits including the sharing. 
After lunch at the back of the Church, I gave a very short presentation about World Mission Sunday, asked two of the participants to read two paragraphs of the letter of Pope Francis for the World Mission Sunday 2015, showing the part of the DVD “Unfinished Mission” about the 150 years of PIME mission in Hong Kong and mainland (http://www.pimeusa.org/) and the short video of ministry with the ethnic Miao in Yunnan which used to be the mission of MEP (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Foreign_Missions_Society).
Then, I asked them to be a missionary for an hour in a small group and drawn their sharing for the group report.    Each small group decided what to do and how to do it.  A group went to MTR station and nearby area to distribute around two hundreds bookmarks with a passage of the Bible including to the blind and the limp guys; a group went to nearby park to get to know the people and introduce the Church; a group went to Dong Hu Park to distribute bookmarks; and a group stay at the Church to do e-evangelization through the group chat and suddenly a young man entered the Church as he wants to be in peace amidst his problem.  There are several ways to do evangelization and God prepares everything!
Fr. Lu gave the summary and led the prayer for the year of Consecrated Life before singing “主啊!差遣我“and giving the blessing. 
Three participants will share their evangelization effort during three different Sunday Masses this week end.
I let Ms. Liang took initiative to be the coordinator for this gathering because I will be away several months for the second part of renewal and preparing for the final vows in USA.  Here is the link of the pictures: https://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=980a5754c9ae06633315f89dbf2f35f7&sid=0EbuWrFm4ZM2Xk and the sharing of several participants:
吴镇生:
        这是一次特殊的信仰感受!黄修女在这次青年活动的主题介绍中突然加入了1小时的出外传教活动这个环节,让我们突然不知所措,因为我们毫无准备。活动讨论前,我们小组组员沉默了一会儿,但是回想上一个环节观看远渡重洋来到中国传教的传教士们的一些传教事迹,我们便开始讨论,要以怎么样的方式去进行我们的传教。
       
接着,我们小组每个人轮流发表意见,制定方案,有想唱圣歌的、有想直接宣讲的、有想奉献爱心的;经过大家的讨论之后,我们最终决定到教堂周围的小区及地铁口派发教堂的圣言书签,以广撒福音种子的方式去宣传教会。虽然我们集体通过了这个方案,但行动前也是有组员对此不抱很大信心的,生怕别人会拒绝我们这种方式。但与其担心这,担心哪,还不如直接行动。说完,我们大家就拿起我们的装备,大胆走出教堂,开始我们的行动,我们的地点选在地铁太安站C出口,因为那边人流相对较多,我们走着走着,可能大家深感传教的困难,我们不由自主地唱起了圣歌《不简单的路》:"这不是条简单的路,有风有雨有考验,这路上充满荆棘诱惑,走起来真是困难。"一路走着,有圣神的力量推动着我们,我们开始向路上的人派发圣言书签,并致予主内的问候:"耶稣爱你""天主是爱"。从一开始统一的问候到后面我们随心传递的问候,我们将书签发给每个经过的人,也把天主给予我们的爱传递出去。为了能够传递给更多的人,我们最后分成3组行动,在不同的路口,传播天主的话语。虽然还是会有人拒绝我们的书签,但我们依然坚持将天主的话传递给更多人;期间我们有一个小分组在路上看见经过的一车残疾人,里面有瞎眼的,有跛脚的,有哑巴的,我们将这些圣言书签发给每一个人,并告诉他们:"你们是有福的,耶稣爱你!"他们十分开心的接受了我们爱的传递;这让我想起了圣经上,耶稣医治瞎子,治愈病人的情景;或许天主今天就是借着我们,将祂的爱传递给这些残疾人,及今天所有接受我们圣言书签的人们。
       
就这样,在离预订时间还有15分钟的时候,我们将带出来预计有两百多份的圣言书签全部派完了,我们满心喜乐,每个人有说有笑分享着活动的过程。沿路返回途中,我们又唱起了《不简单的路》:"终于到心中,天主的花园,由衷地感谢主恩典。"不到1个小时的传教活动,虽然时间很短,但我们收获满满!不要怕!只管信「谷536」传教工作不只是神职人员的责任,也是我们每个信友的责任,天主如此爱了我们,我们必须把这爱传递给更多的人;感谢天主使用我们作为祂的器皿,愿我们能够依旧保持这爱火,勇敢地为主做见证!!

昨天参加青年活动《未完成的使命》,感受如下:
去到得知只有二十多人的聚会,我第一想法气氛应该不好吧。但在神父,修女和义工的安排和带动下,气氛融洽,并大家都参与度很高。
例如午餐时,大家聚在后堂一起边吃边聊,感觉超好。第一次来参与活动的兄弟姐妹,一定可以迅速融入进来。
我要说一下最深刻印象和有感触有两个环节。其中一环节就是看了视频关于一位神父介绍云南特贫穷教友的情况,为了帮助这些幼小者,神父和他们生活在一起,就如当年的传教士。
另外一环节就是修女要求我们在外面当一回传教士。我们组决定去公园宣传一下我们的信仰,向路人派圣言书签。但我们都羞于开口,害怕别人的拒绝。很不容易才发了几张圣言书签。还遭到退回书签,还有收了后就把书签掉到地上的。我们每一个小伙伴深深感受到做一个传教士多不容易,真感谢以前的传教士不畏所有困难把福音传给我们的祖辈。传教士一定毫无保留地打开自己内心让天主在内作工,积极回应天主才能完成天主的计划。
感谢天主让我们参加这次活动,并推动我们响应天主指派我们传福音的使命


Hong Kong, October 30, 2015


Sr. Anastasia B. Lindawati, M.M.
Let’s do simple things with simple love to make God’s love visible

November 3, 2015:

Three participants shared their evangelization effort during three different Sunday Masses this week end.   Ms. Chen was speechless at the end of her sharing as she was in tears as well as several parishioners.


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Reflection: 2015 World Mission Sunday

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
World Mission Sunday
18 October 2015
Mark 10:35-45
"...whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all..."

CATECHISM:
Those who follow Christ cannot fail to be missionaries, for they know that Jesus "walks w them, speaks to them, breaths with them. They sense Jesus alive with them in the midst of the missionary enterprise" (Evangelii Gaudium 266)

Mission is a passion for Jesus & at the same time a passion for his people...within this complex dynamic, we ask ourselves:"Who are the 1st to whom the Gospel message must be proclaimed?" The answer, found so often throughout the Gospel, is clear: it is the poor, the little ones & the sick, those who are often looked down upon or forgotten, those who cannot repay us. Evangelization directed preferentially to the least among us is a sign of the Kingdom that Jesus came to bring...

- Pope Francis, "Message for World Mission Sunday 2015," Vatican, 24 May 2015

CATECHISM:
Christ defines his saving mission as a service whose highest expression will be the sacrifice of his life for mankind. "For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, & to give his life as a ransom for many." These words, spoken to counter the disciples' tendency to seek the first place in the kingdom, are primarily meant to awaken in them a new mentality, w/c conforms more closely to that of the Teacher...but in saying he had come "to serve", he shows a disturbing aspect of God's behavior: although he has the right & power to make himself served, he puts himself "at the service" of his creatures. Jesus expresses this desire to serve in an eloquent & moving way at the Last Supper when he washes his disciples' feet: a symbolic act w/c will be impressed as a rule of life on their memory for ever:"You also ought to wash one another's feet."...He is the only teacher from whom we must learn; the only Lord in whom we should depend; the only Head to whom we should be united & the only model that we should imitate...

- St. John Paul II,"Jesus Gave His Life as a Ransom for Many," General Audience, February 4, 1998

REFLECTIONS:
May of this year as I served at Walk to Emmaus in Hong Kong I met fr. Bill, a Maryknoll missionary & dear classmate of fr. Jim Ferry, our professor in liturgy way back in the seminary. I do not anymore believe in coincidence for nothing comes by chance when it comes to God's Grace. Fr. Bill is very active with the China Mission. He is in his 80's now & China mainland is a communist country & no one can openly evangelize without getting arrested. I also met Sr. Anastasia, a young Indonesian Maryknoll missionary based in the mainland. They have brave lay partners in the mainland. I can only dream & imagine of China Mission. 

Back here at home the World Mission magazine & the works of many of our missionaries has continuously inspired me & countless others. Our country is the fruit of the sacrifices of many missionaries for the past hundreds of years & the wonderful Grace of God's love in spite of the human weakness & ambitions of the Friars. 

Our OFWs now are bringing our Faith to Europe & other parts of the world including China! They are millions & we are known as the new Irish bec of our Faith. God is truly amazing! I was told that some trans parochial communities are now sending families on mission to China & the rest of the globe. We have to remember that we are the 1st Christian nation in Asia & our laity has to step up to the challenge. 

We have to keep the fire of mission burning in our hearts. Mission is a big passion of the heart of Jesus. Every baptized has to be part of mission & the Church is always in state of mission. We are good w social media & we have to encourage young people to use their gifts in pushing the borders of evangelization through the new media! 

Do you support the mission of the Church & our missionaries?
Is your personal ambition a priority before the Plan of God?
Is your heart still burning w fire for mission or is it dead cold?
Are you willing to serve the least, the last & the lost?
Do you have the latest copy of World Mission Magazine?

Fr. Greg Somar - The Philippines