55th World Day of Prayer for Vocations and Jubilee Celebrations
The 55th World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be celebrated on 22 April (4th Sunday of Easter) at 3 PM in the Cathedral, to pray especially for vocations in Macau. The Diocese will also celebrate and honor clergy and religious who will be celebrating their Jubilee anniversary in 2018.
Religious Profession (60 years)
– Fr. Norbert Che Shiu Chung, SDB
– Sr Sin Miu Nan Marie Theresa, MNDA
– Sr Wong Sheung Hing Agnes, MNDA
Entrance (60 years)
– Sr Wong Lai Kam Clare Frances, FMM
Priestly Ordination (25 years)
– Fr Alejandre Barcelon Vergara, SOLT
Entrance (25 years)
– Sr. Park Jong Mi, FSP
CHURCH FATHERS (17) – Saint Irenaeus
Anastasios
When we talk about the Church Fathers or the first Church documents, as we are doing now for some time, we need to be aware that of course there are some sort of “hierarchies” among them, in the sense that their importance is not the same, some because their works are almost completely lost. Justin, for instance, was certainly one of the major figures among the Church Fathers. Now we talk about another one that may be considered with Justin among the greatest in the second century: Irenaeus.
FEAST OF OUR LADY, HEALTH OF THE SICK
The feast of Our Lady Health of the Sick was celebrated at St Lawrence Church on Sunday, 15 April. Macau Diocese Vicar General Father Pedro Chung was the main celebrant for the Mass which was followed by a procession. Rain poured like grace during the procession, but blue umbrellas had been prepared in anticipation. Some of the faithful had also made some rosary beads which were blessed together with the sick people inside the church after the procession. (Photo and report by Ivan Leong)
BITE-SIZE PHILOSOPHY (60) – Do we need to talk about good and evil?
FEATURED IMAGE: Randy Colas in Unsplash
Rev José Mario O Mandía
Some time back, we were talking about freedom (“Bite-Size Philosophy,” nos 47 & 48), “the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility. By free will one shapes one’s own life” (CCC 1731). Freedom makes us owners of our actions, it makes us responsible for them. The concept of responsibility leads us to a discussion about ethics (from Greek ethos — “custom”) and the morality (from Latin mos — “customs or manners”) of our actions.
STONE AND CORNERSTONE, SHEPHERDS AND GOOD SHEPHERD – 22ND April 2018, 4th Sunday In Easter
Edmond Lo
www.FLL.cc
“The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22).
The antiphon in today’s responsorial psalm appears also in the first reading where Peter quoted this prophetic psalm to chastise the priestly leaders of the Sanhedrin, who supervised the building of the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem. His message? You, the priestly leaders, are the “builders” that Psalm 118 referred to; Jesus, the “stone” you rejected, ironically has become the cornerstone of another temple – the New Jerusalem Temple. (See Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, commentary on Acts 4:11)
THE TRAVELS OF YORE (2) – The role of the priests
Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
As we can concluded from last week text, the 16th century voyages were not at all romantic trips on board sailing boats… In reality, they were true nightmares. We are talking about ships with two decks and two lower covered decks, perhaps two meters, two and a half meters high, relatively small spaces, where one could cook. As is easy to calculate, lighting a fire in a sailboat was a danger. “In fact,” says professor Contente Domingues, “if the ship catches fire, the ship disappears and leaves no trace. Counteless vessels were lost in such circumstances. On the high seas the ship leaves no trace.”
ASK THE LITURGIST (4) – The Classic Candelabras
Enrico Finotti
I am a sacristan and I would like some ideas on the use of candelabras that once adorned all our altars. For many years now they have been in storage and some of them have unfortunately already been sold. On the altars of my church in place of the candelabras there are bowls with large candles, which is used at certain feasts. Could they not still be used, given that they are there, and to prevent the remaining ones from being sold?
A PILGRIM’S NOTES – Comparing oneself with others
FEATURED IMAGE: 12019 at Pixabay
Fausto Gomez OP
After we are born, we often hear around us: “He or she is the most beautiful or smart, or less perfect than his brother or sister or classmate or playmate.” Many of us were educated at home, in school, in other communities on the need to be better than others by comparison.
