Christians are not perfect people. They are imperfect people who have doubts despite their belief in the Savior. And it is still these imperfect people that Jesus chose to carry His word to those that do not know Him. The imperfect Church must carry the light of the unblemished lamb to every corner of the earth.
In the wake of the recent religious turmoil in the guise of ethnic violence in Manipur, the United Christian Forum has called for justice and respect for all communities. A prayer campaign will also be launched for God’s guidance and intervention to establish peace in the state.
Not just Catholics, but men of every religion have the innate predisposition to the recognition and awareness of a God and the inspired desire to have a relationship of prayer with Him.
The mission is burdensome and requires everyone’s commitment. The Catholic Diocese of Macau launched late last month the Diocesan Year of Vocations with the aim of creating a favourable environment for the awakening of priestly and religious vocations. To encourage the involvement of young people in the life of the Church – Brazilian missionaries Daniel Oliveira and Rafael Vigolo claim – is essential to attract new labourers to the vineyard of the Lord.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Sudan and South Sudan has been calling for prayers and peace in the country, as conflicts continue to ravage other regions like Darfur. The involvement of the United Arab Emirates in supporting conflicting parties raises concerns about their influence in the wider region.
The disciples’ sadness at Jesus’ second departure was alleviated by the joy and hope that the Paraclete He promised to send gave them. In the same way, Jesus remains in us, in an intangible manner, so that we experience Him through faith and He can be present to all people at all times.
The Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is Jesus’ gift to us to comfort us, to breathe life into His Word, to inspire us with wisdom and prudence, and guide us in our battle against the spirit of this world.
When we adopt the mind of God and follow Him in his ways with all our heart, pour out to Him every need, every problem and allow Him to encompass us with his love – this is prayer.
Marian devotion sets the tone for the “Litaniae Lauretanea” art exhibition that was inaugurated last Saturday at Rua Formosa. The exhibition is one of the initiatives that the Macau Catholic Culture Association will promote until the end of the month as part of the celebrations of May, the Month of Mary.
A new poetry contest aimed at children that attend the Portuguese-language Sunday school classes at the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady was launched last month. The initiative, mainly aimed at new methods of meditating on God’s Word, attracted more than two dozen participants.