The new parochial administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Macau’s remotest parish – Saint Francis Xavier in Coloane – assumed office recently. Father Tiago, a Brazilian missionary who doubles up as the rector of the Redemptoris Mater College, takes on a mission of overseeing pastoral and spiritual life in the parish, with the purpose of helping to revitalize the life of the Church on Macau’s largest island.
Facing execution, John the Baptist felt the need to look for some answers. “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” John’s question to Jesus was not posed merely to clarify a religious belief. The issue was much more personal: “Was all my life of sacrifice and toil worthwhile? Did I make the right choice to put you ahead of me? Do these sufferings have meaning, or did I fail in my mission?”
In the first part of today’s gospel passage, we see that John is imprisoned. Upon not receiving any news about exciting interventions from Jesus, the Baptist’s faith begins to waver. How did these perplexities come to him? The answer is quite simple.
The Macau Catholic Culture Association wants the Christmas manger to become a familiar presence in the homes of local Catholics. The organization has launched a competition to choose Macau’s most beautiful Nativity scenes. The association is also selling a 12-day Advent Calendar that allows for the creation of a complete Christmas crèche.
Advent chants, choral compositions by great symphonists, and even popular music. On Saturday, December 10th, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady will host a special Advent Choral Vespers service, featuring the Diocesan Choir and the Cathedral Schola of Macau. The initiative aims to prepare local Catholics for one of the most fundamental mysteries of the Catholic faith: the Nativity of Jesus.
God allows us to be tempted in order to test our virtue and to give us an opportunity to grow and to earn merit. Nonetheless, He takes our capability into account and supplies us with His grace.
Let us understand the beautiful dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which gives us the gift of Mary, the Theotokos. Her role as the Mother of God is the precise reason why God deigned to bestow upon her the gift of being conceived without the stain of original sin.
Poverty, illness, hunger and joblessness. This is the face of the urban poor whose numbers are growing in the cities of the Philippines. in Caloocan City, the Dehonian priests have been working with laypersons to provide food to the needy, including the children and the elderly. And by merging with their existence, they say they have found a blessing.
Originally, the balls and the lights on Christmas trees symbolized the hope that nature would eventually overcome the cold and darkness of winter, and produce once again fruits and crops for our nourishment. May those fruits of conversion also bring hope and light to a world that is still in a deep moral winter.
When he spoke of God’s wrath, John had no clear idea of how it would manifest. The wrath of God is an image that recurs often in the Old Testament. It is not intended as an explosion of hatred on the victim. It is an expression of God’s love: he is fighting evil, not the person who does it. He does not want to hit the person but to free each one from sin.