From the bottom of our hearts, we at the USCCA wish you a very Merry Christmas. This year, we have been blessed by our supporters with words and images of Christmas joy to share with you here. Please take a moment to read the following "little thought of hope" shared by Chiaretto Kin Sheung Yan, accompanied by an image courtesy of Fr. John Li:
Cold is the night, darkness around, we wait in silence with sacred fear. Out of darkness, a light was born, a beating heart was born, Love was born. The incarnated Word made flesh. Father and son, mother and daughter, parents and child, light and shadow, negative and positive, nothing and all, through love in the form of the Cross, generate one another dialectically into life, light and love. Peace will reign again over our lands. Peace in human hearts, from the sacred family to the world of fraternity and peace as a human family, living in harmony.
It is not a dream, for the Word has entered human history, was incarnated, lived and died for us, and become one of us. This is the meaning of Christmas. He loved us (Dilexit nos). It seems that many have failed to realize this or have forgotten it. That the wounded world may regain its heart, Pope Francis prayed: “In the presence of the heart of Christ, I once more ask the Lord to have mercy on this suffering world in which he chose to dwell as one of us. May he pour out the treasures of his light and love, so that our world, which presses forward despite wars, socioeconomic disparities, and uses of technology that threaten our humanity, may regain the most important and necessary thing of all: its heart” (DN 9).
The love of Christ speaks not only of divine charity but also of human affection. Jesus cried for Jerusalem, cried for the death of his friend Lazarus, and cried to the Father in desperation on the cross. The Gospel makes no secret of Jesus’ love for Jerusalem: “As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it.” He then voiced the deepest desire of his heart: “If you had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace.” Abandoned by all whom he loved, and even by God, Jesus’ inner turmoil finds its most powerful expression in his cry from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (DN 45). Jesus felt abandoned by God. It is something beyond human understanding and can be defined as his greatest suffering and therefore the apex of his love.
Jesus has a thirst for our love but, according to an apparition to St. Margaret Alacoque, He is sad because He receives nothing but indifference in return (DN 165-166). How can we console the sacred heart of Jesus? The love of God who wills or permits everything for a higher purpose, which is for our own good. Sufferings could be united to the passion of Christ so as to generate fruits and to bring hope. The warmth of the Christmas spirit urges us to multiply joy and share the sufferings of those most in need of our love. Let’s recognize every suffering as a countenance of Jesus crucified and forsaken. Let’s love and share others’ burdens and sufferings as Jesus’ that can be transformed into joy and hope. In so doing, we can bring joy and hope to the world, and therefore consolation to the heart of Jesus.
In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that Paul was heading towards the East from Troas. Yet, during the night he had a vision of Macedonia boy standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul understood that it was a sign from God; he and the apostles then left Troas and sailed West to Macedonia, where he met Lydia, whose heart was particularly opened to God and responded to Paul’s message. She welcomed them to her home and the entire family was attracted by Paul’s Gospel message and were baptized (Acts 16:9-15). She persuaded them to stay and from there, Paul's evangelical path to the West and to Rome was laid.
Had Paul journeyed towards the East instead of going towards Europe, the West, the cultural scenario and history of the world would be totally different and beyond our wild imagination. At the Great Jubilee 25 years ago, Saint Pope John Paul II emphasized that the Cross was established in Europe in the first millennium, in the American and African lands in the second millennium, whereas in the third millennium, one should expect great fruit of faith to be reaped in such a vast and vibrant continent as Asia. We may not understand immediately the mysterious love and divine plan of God. Our responsibility is to welcome and respond to the wonderful plan of God.
As we are approaching the first jubilee after the Great Jubilee of the third millennium, our gaze turns East with Hope in our hearts and my thoughts go to those saints and missionaries like Theresa of Baby Jesus, Francis Xavier, Matteo Ricci, and the common people who have contributed in bringing the Gospel message to China along the Silk Road in the early times, and with ups and downs throughout the centuries. My thoughts also go to those like Paolus Xu Guangqi and his family, who welcomed it. This year, the United Nations established the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, as proposed by China, which will occur on June 10 every year. Let us do our part to be an active instrument of peace and dialogue, and of giving testimony of love of the Gospel. May the testament of Jesus that “All May be One” (Jn 17:21) someday come.
----------------------
The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.
Comments