Msgr. Chaiyara: "Lent a time of change and acceptance"
"The Pope urges us to commit ourselves with determination to make our lives better, opening our hearts to others, no matter who they are, our neighbor or a stranger, all these are 'a gift' of God."
Bangkok (AsiaNews) - On the occasion of the beginning of Lent, Mgr. Philip Banchong Chaiyara, president of the Episcopal Commission for social works, has published a pastoral letter to Thai faithful. Reflecting on the words of the Pope, the Bishop invites the faithful to love, respect and welcome others.
Bishop Philip Banchong Chaiyara, President of the Episcopal Commission for Social Work, has issued a campaign letter to the faithful on the occasion of Lenten Season 2017.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
According to Catholics traditions, Lenten season is an opportunity for the Christian to fulfill their spirituality by practicing the moral precepts, fasting, praying and making a donation. In order to follow the previous practices to increase more value and meaning in our life, this year Pope Francis invited us, the Christians, to reflect the Words on "The Words is a gift, human persons are also gifts." so as to experience from the meditation on behavior characters in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (cf. Lk 16:19-31)
The parable story, His Holiness makes a forceful statement to us to determine in improving our lives to the greater amount, by opening our hearts to welcome others, no matter who they are, our neighbor or persons unknown to us, as all of those "are also gifts" from God. Pope Francis mentioned that "Lenten season is a good chance for us to open the door to everyone who is in need of any assistance. It is equality important for us to see Jesus' face on their faces."
Expressing His concern, Pope Francis reminds us to be well aware of the power of sin and of money because 'sin makes us blind.' and 'the love of money is the root of all evils' (1 Tm 6:10). They may rule over us and become our God instead of being an instrument to do goodness and show our mercy for others. The Pope said "To be attached with money is a kind of blindness." It makes the rich in the parable story unable to see the poor who lies down starving at the front door.
This parable story gives us an idea about life after death. The rich asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his relatives who are still alive. But Abraham answers that "They already have Moses and the prophets to tell them. Let them listen to those persons. In conclusion the root of evils of the rich is 'He does not listen to God's Words and the consequence is he does not love God, at the same time he looks down upon other human being." Pope Francis said "The Words of God is living Words and so powerful, capable of changing human's hearts and bringing them back to God."
During Lenten season this year, I would like to invite all of you to devote a little time for yourselves each day to reflect on God's greatest Love in Jesus Christ and through Jesus Christ who teaches and lives a poverty life himself, side by side with the sinner and the inferior in Jesus' contemporary time. Jesus' deed towards them manifests that every human being has dignity and is valuable for respect, love and for assistance. There will be no one or nothing that will decreases the dignity of human person, irrespective of pitiful poverty or the body injured from wounds like the poor Lazarus.
Finally I pray to the Holy Trinity to lead us the Christian to be able to spend the Lenten season this year, changing from being a personal matter to become the matter related with all members within the family, and expanding it as a common matter of everyone within the community. Thus, a particular practice during the Lenten season each year will become a matter of participatory from each of us joining in God's plan of salvation which Jesus Christ mandates to us to carry forward at all time.
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10/02/2017 15:14
