A Lent of mission for Catholics of Ho Chi Minh City

In the spirit of the 2010 Jubilee in the Vietnamese Church, "Vietnamese Catholics are good Catholics in order to be good citizens." So, during Lent, parish organized pastoral activities and rites of penitence. Through the pastoral activities, the faithful express the spirit of charity for people living in their communities. Paul, a layman of the parish of Binh An Thuong tells AsiaNews: "We do not want to use violence to fight injustice in society, we must forgive and live in charity with everyone. As Jesus carried the cross - he adds - when one of the king's soldiers spat in his face, He said 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do'. "  

"In Vietnam - remembers Sister Mary, from the Congregation of the Poor Sisters of Priest Jesus - there is a proverb that says 'believe in religion, but do not believe in people who use religion for their political purposes' (dao nhung khong tin tin nguoi co dao). What the proverb says is true about a part of society. So we pray, and believe in God, and help our brothers and sisters who live with us”.  

For the Jubilee, Cardinal Pham Minh Man has invited groups of pastoral communities and all the faithful of the archdiocese to follow the teachings of the Church to live primarily a "human religion" to build the church and be good citizens.  

Father Joseph, assistant pastor of a small parish in Bien Hoa City, Ding Nai province, tells AsiaNews: "My parish has a few young people, and yet every time we organize the monthly meetings, there are more than 270 young people from villages nearby. Most of them are Buddhist or follow the religion of their ancestors or have no faith. They need moral support for their lives. In my prayers during Mass I think we are a few people and a small part of the mission. So when I meet them I talk with them, exchange experiences with them about their work. I understand them and they are increasingly part of the church. "  

For the Jubilee, the cardinal spoke of the religious life as "dao lam nguoi" (the religious life of ordinary human beings) based on relationships with people, the family, society, the Church.  He said we must learn to see God's love of Jesus and the truth for our lives, our families and society.