2016 - a Year of Active Encounters with God’s Mercy

Every passing year is to be thankful for and the year 2016 is particularly thankworthy for a number of reasons.



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On top of the list is my active participation in a variety of activities in celebration of the Holy Year of Mercy, which has just drawn to an end. There were spiritual retreats, Bible reading gatherings, choir singing in concerts, pilgrimages to the local churches, the Opening and Closing of the Holy Door, to name just a few. Even our Sunday school curriculum included acts of charity in association with the theme of the Jubilee Year. In fact, each and every one of the activities was an encounter with the mercy of our Heavenly Father. The most memorable was undoubtedly the pilgrimage to the Holy Land in April. The visits to the places of Jesus’ birth, his baptism, his ministry work and finally his crucifixion have impressed me so greatly that the scenes still remain vivid on my mind, helping me to get more inspired than ever before when doing Bible reading.

In addition, I feel myself more enriched spiritually by attending a few courses. “Bible in 80 Weeks’, which began in June, 2015, drew to its close shortly before the Holy Land pilgrimage. We did not feel the loss for long, though, as another Bible course was soon launched in September, keeping us engaged and motivated for ten weeks in St. Paul’s prison letters. I took great delight not only in the input of the speakers but also in sharing with the group members. I would not have got so much enlightened if I had done only solitary reading.



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But I feel most gratified for having enrolled in the course on “Catholic Social Teaching”. As implied in the name of the textbook used, it was a treasure to be explored, then discovered and finally kept for life. It has brought to light what I used to be ignorant of. I now understand that as a citizen as well as a child of God, I have my commitment to social justice. I also understand better what is meant by “loving God and our neighbours” and ‘building the kingdom of God on earth’. In fact, not only has the course enhanced my sense of belonging to the church, it has made me more emotionally attached to my Christian belief.

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Honestly, there have been moments when I doubted God’s presence. I did question God why he had allowed my sister to suffer from a disease terrible beyond words. I even asked why God had created mankind at all. Yes, those had been the moments when my faith was challenged. But it was also during her bitter days, months and years that I witnessed God’s mercy. Initially, she may have blamed God for the miserable state she was in. But over time we saw her gradually pacified with strengthened faith. God had blessed her with patience, courage and perseverance to endure the prolonged ordeal. Though deprived of her speech ability, she prayed with her husband peacefully with her eyes closed every morning. Besides us family members, she would only permit the priests, pastors and nuns to visit her, showing her eagerness to have contact with God through their help. Besides, she also had the fortune of being looked after by kind and caring medical staff. And on the night when she passed away, there was peace on her face, the kind of peace we had not seen for years. We were sad at the loss … we still are. But we do not have the least doubt that she’s now enjoying eternal peace in God’s embrace. From her, I have learned how to be submissive to God’s will with the entire trust in Him.

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My involvement in a documentary film, which was a review of my life as a teacher, was another experience of closeness to God. I am thankful to the producer for including my spiritual life in the documentary. Listening to the interviewed teachers and students sharing about my past, I could not but think of God. Without His support and encouragement throughout all those long years of my teaching career, I could not have overcome the numerous hurdles and challenges all the way along and got my commitments implemented with satisfaction. I still view the documentary every now and then. While relishing the sweet fruits of my efforts, I also remind myself to count my blessings. God has shown caring concern for my passion for language. If it was under God’s guidance that I took up language teaching decades ago, it must have been his arrangement that my freelance work since my retirement is also language-related.

The past year has been an eventful one. Whether it will be remembered more for the happy achievements or the sad losses, one thing is for sure: I will always look back upon it with gratitude for God’s mercy and with determination to seek spiritual enlightenment and enrichment through greater involvement in the service of God.

Inspirations from the Course on Catholic Social Teaching

It was two days before the deadline that I submitted my course enrolment form. I had been hesitant about enrolling in the course on Catholic Social Teaching as I had limited knowledge about the subject. Besides, I thought the implementation of the social mission was only the concern of certain individuals or communities. I was even under the impression that our faith was merely reliant on our personal relationship with God. Social or even world affairs, on the other hand, were far beyond me.



Now, however, I realize that the Catholic Social Doctrine refers to the 11 encyclical letters written by the popes or bishops of different eras in response to the social and political situation of the time, providing new concepts and solutions to existing problems and challenges after careful analysis. Through dialoguing with the world, Social Teaching also provides people of different eras with the values of life in line with their faith as well as social norms coherent with human social behavior. In addition, Social Teaching, based on the evangelical spirit, helps the Christians to reflect on their faith and to make the correct decisions and choices when their conscience happens to conflict with practical issues. Moreover, Social Teaching places emphasis on the Role of the Prophet the Church ought to play, encouraging the Catholics to properly carry out their civic responsibilities, to insist on the truth of Christian faith and bravely put forth their point of view regarding social affairs.



Then what inspirations have I got from the course? What viewpoints do I need to express publicly? I think one of the problems worth reflecting on is that about human rights. For a long time there has been social concern about individual rights. However, the human rights advocated by the church are concerned with the dignity and rights of the individual as well as the overall interests of mass society. As God has entrusted mankind to take care of the world, the use of the earth and its ownership is inseparable.



At present Macau’s society seems affluent. In fact, however, economic development is inclined towards the gaming industry. The government also allows property speculators to maximize their profits by snapping up land unceasingly, resulting in serious social problems: Resources are unevenly distributed; there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor; the rent has soared beyond the means of the average man, low-wage earners are obliged to put up with the poor living conditions in cramped super-tiny slum apartments. The high rent has also caused many shops to wind up their business. Those that manage to survive have to raise the prices of goods, resulting in high living costs and mounting social complaints. “The lack of housing is being experienced universally and is due in large measure to the growing phenomenon of urbanization.35 Even the most highly developed peoples present the sad spectacle of individuals and families literally struggling to survive, without a roof over their heads or with a roof so inadequate as to constitute no roof at all. ( SOLLICITUDO REI SOCIALIS 17) ” God created heaven and earth to enable all mankind to have the opportunity to enjoy all the resources. Land ownership should not be the exclusive right of certain wealth groups. It is definitely social injustice if only a few selfish persons are allowed to grab the resources unceasingly, depriving others of their basic needs. “In using them, therefore, man should regard the external things that he legitimately possesses not only as his own but also as common in the sense that they should be able to benefit not only him but also others. (PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD 9)” Therefore, the government has the responsibility to take every possible measure to put an end to this injustice and ensure that every citizen is entitled to the right of survival.



On the other hand, as a Christian, I also have my responsibility for justice. While taking delight in my possession of a decent shelter, have I turned a blind eye to those who have nowhere to call their home? Have I seen property investment as a means to financial security, thus contributing to the spree of unhealthy speculation unknowingly? In his ‘’SOLLICITUDO REI SOCIALIS” Pope John Paul II said, “ … it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.” This is the spirit of solidarity advocated by the pope. He put special stress on the care of the poor, considering this the primary and special way to put Christian love into practice. Therefore, if we care only to accumulate wealth and show no concern for the poor and underprivileged, we would be like the rich man who had no compassion for Lazarus. (Luke 16: 19-31)



The course has inspired me of the true meaning of Jesus Christ’s request for us to love God and our neighbors. Besides trying to establish a relationship with God, we should also show a genuine concern about the other members of society. And every effort we make to contribute to social justice is the manifestation of our concern for our neighbors. Of course, my knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching is only skin deep. I am willing to pursue further studies in this field and I hope also to arouse the awareness of its importance among the youngsters through my Sunday school teaching.