The Didache is a document from the earliest times of the Church. It is a kind of instruction, written during the first five centuries of Christianity, and believed to have come from the apostles. In Greek, it means ‘teaching’ or ‘instruction’ from the title ‘The Lord’s Instruction to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles’.
A visiting professor at the University of Saint Joseph since 2019, Father David Goodill arrived in Macau for the very first time and delivered a public lecture at Saint Dominic’s Church on the concept of hope in the Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas Aquinas. With a doctorate in moral theology from the Swiss University of Freiburg, the Dominican friar argues that hope is the virtue that makes us persevere on our journey of faith. The Reverend David Goodill in his own words…
The Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) and the Xavier Centre for Memory and Identity will commemorate, next summer, the 100th anniversary of the First Council for China with the organization of a four-day long international conference. The event will debate the relevance and significance of the Shanghai Plenary Council.
Around two dozen families have received the Pilgrim Image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for monthly visits since the beginning of October. The initiative is one of the events being hosted by local parishes and Catholic organizations to promote vocations to the ordained ministry and consecrated life. The Diocese of Macau is currently celebrating, until December 8, 2024, the Diocesan Year of Vocations.
John the Baptist is a good example for all preachers and leaders who follow Christ. The invitation to every Christian and every minister of the Church is to rewrite the sender’s address and the delivery address to Christ and to the people; not (selfie) to self-address. If the preaching diverts the attention from the message to the messenger, it is no more the gospel that we preach and all efforts will go vain and fruitless.
We have already discussed the three great Apostolic Fathers: St Clement, St Ignatius of Antioch, and St Polycarp. There are three other things from this period that we can mention: these concern a bishop, a letter and a revelation.
As human beings, as citizens of a nation and of the world, as Christians we are committed to work for peace – for inner and social peace! And yet, we look at our world and see wars, violence, division, injustice, and oppression.
In this second column of the monthly series on the theme of ‘Peace’, Fr Fausto Gomez OP reflects on the kinds of peace and the four columns of peace (plus one).
The local branch of the Society of Jesus created a brand-new formation space, conceived so that laypeople can train other laypeople. The newly-created ‘Xavier Hall’ was inaugurated on December 2 by Father Stephen Tong Chak-Iong. The Provincial of the Society’s Chinese Province visited Macau to celebrate Saint Francis Xavier’s feast day with Macau’s Jesuit community.
Expectant waiting needs a good reason because waiting will test our endurance. The ability to wait and pray is a capital that can start us well into a great divine enterprise. Let us begin that enterprise in this Advent season.
Sharing the Gospel with your family is not always as easy as sharing it with a stranger. Conversely, listening to the Gospel message from a family member is not always as easy as hearing it from someone else. Why is that?