The Assumption of the Virgin, 'hope of eternal life for the Japanese'
Nagoya (AsiaNews) - The Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin "has a particular importance for Japanese Catholics, that connect to eternal life and the death of loved ones. Communities of the faithful spend the whole day in church for the first Mass and then to read the names of their deceased family members. Sometimes the celebration takes hours" says Fr. Keith Humphries, of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who works in Mikokoro center of Nagoya.
The Solemnity of the Assumption is of particular importance for all the Churches in Asia, since it coincides with the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II. The nuclear bombings carried out by the U.S. against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 246 thousand people, are remembered each year with masses and functions - religious and civil - in favor of peace. Catholics remember that "only Mary, Queen of Peace, could have stopped the massacre."
But it is even more significant in Japan, as the local Church was born August 15, 1549 when St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary, landed on the coast of Kagoshima to introduce Christianity to the Rising Sun Land. Although it has been slow to take root - only 1% of the population is Christian - the Catholic faith has a growing social weight: "The Japanese did not immediately grasp the concept of the closeness and friendship of God towards man . But when they get there, they are so deeply struck that their lives change dramatically. "
The end of the earthly journey of Mary, resumes Fr. Humphries talking to CNA, "marries the traditional Japanese concept of the commemoration of the dead. It is a very strong element of faith, which according to local Catholics becomes even more important given that the Assumption becomes a symbol of eternal life." The focal point is the celebration of three Masses a day on 15 August, each of these attended by about 500 people: "You see more and more young people, even children. The Japanese have a wonderful heart, open to prayer and meditation."
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