Seven days, 15 languages: Hundreds of Pakistani Christians in a Bible marathon
Lahore (AsiaNews) - A marathon of the Bible six days and seven nights long, with readings of all the passages from Genesis to Revelation in 15 different languages by local and foreign believers. The initiative was launched by Pakistani Christians at the Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, in the province of Punjab, on September 30 and will end on the evening of October 6. During the inaugural Mass Msgr. Sebastian Francis Shaw, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Lahore, reminded those present that "reading the Bible is a special gift [that we] have received from God" so that we can "listen, but also to act" according to his word.
The Bible Marathon 2012 is celebrated at the Marian shrine, which is about 95 km from the city of Lahore, and has attracted hundreds of believers - Catholics and Christians of various denominations - from the four provinces that comprise the country. During the celebration, Msgr. Shaw recalled a meeting with an old woman, when he was still a priest, who encouraged him to organize Bible study courses. Mindful of that episode, the bishop addressed the over 300 faithful, urging them to recite passages from the Old Testament.
The apostolic administrator of Lahore also expressed "pleasant surprise" at the presence of many young people and children, and he then turned to priests, sisters, catechists and faithful asking them to strengthen their love for the Bible and become real evangelizers. And referring to the closing ceremony of the Jubilee for the 125th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Lahore, scheduled for November 17, he added that the new evangelization will help them become promoters of the Holy Bible.
After the bishop missionaries and representatives of the various Christian congregations intervened, reading the first five verses of the book of Genesis each in their own language. These include Hebrew, Latin, German, French, English, Italian, Maltese, Spanish, Arabic and Sinhala. Among the local languages marvari, Balochi, Punjabi and Urdu. Particular emphasis was given to the Urdu language, starting with the first copy of the Bible printed in 2007 through a joint effort of the Pakistan Bible Society and the Catholic Bible Commission of Pakistan.
The idea of a Bible marathon was born in 2010 and Mariamabad was chosen because it is the focal point for the cult of the Virgin Mary. In this special week dedicated to the Word of God, the priests invite the Pakistani faithful to attend Mass, confession, pray the rosary and adore the Eucharist as part of the program.
* P. Inayat Bernard is a Pakistani priest of the Archdiocese of Lahore and co-director of the weekly "The Christian View."
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11/11/2022 14:37
