In a pastoral letter, Msgr. Gan Junqiu writes that Jesus "was concerned about the situation of injustice in society", "proclaimed the gospel of repentance and mercy of God," "took to heart those who are abandoned by society, sinners, etc.. He harshly accused leaders of the time for their lack of interest for those in need "," set up a small group with him at the centre "and" testified the Gospel, offering himself. "

Guangzhou (AsiaNews) - "What we really need to do is announce what we believe and practice what we preach." This is the invitation of Guangzhou bishop, Msgr. Joseph Gan Junqiu addressed in his pastoral letter for the start of the Year of Faith.

In one of the many references to Benedict XVI, Bishop - ordained on papal mandate and with government approval - writes that "the Pope has stressed that the aim of the Year of Faith is to strengthen the faith of Christians, to give impetus to the work of proclaiming the Gospel, to promote harmony of society at the same time correcting misunderstandings within the Church concerning the Council. The Church intends to lead the faithful to seek the truth, entering the "door of faith", and encourage everyone to become credible witnesses of Risen Lord. "

"Jesus is the model evangelizer" he adds, and he "tells us that evangelization is the mission the Father entrusted to him, it is a grace.' The mission to evangelize is to bring the Good News to those who are in great difficulty, give joy to the poor and health to the sick, give forgiveness to sinners and freedom to prisoners, free from evil those possessed by demons, raise the dead, so that the weak become strong. Liberation does not mean raising the dead, restoring an old world, it means ensuring that people can live in the atmosphere of love of the heavenly kingdom, which is the work of evangelization carried out by Jesus. "

"The Church is the symbol of the presence of Jesus in the world, to evangelize is to share the saving mission of Jesus." He "was concerned about the situation of injustice in society. Receiving baptism from John, he expresses his commitment in this regard: "for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness (Mt 3, 15). Secondly, Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of repentance and mercy of God, he used miracles to bear witness that the Kingdom of God is near. Thirdly, Jesus took to heart those who were abandoned by society, sinners, etc.. He harshly accused the leaders of the time for their lack of concern for the needy. Fourth, to proclaim the Gospel, Jesus established a small group with him at the center. Finally, Jesus bore witness to the Gospel by offering himself. "

Bishop Gan Junqiu then cites the example of Matteo Ricci, who "immersed himself in people, learned the habits and customs of the time, and absorbed the culture and knowledge of the time, then he used his knowledge and skills to announce the Gospel to the people of that time, "to exhort Christians today to" share in the evangelizing mission of Jesus through acts of love. The most important thing for them is to live the spirit of the Gospel, so that there is unity between what they do and what they say".

"The Church is the continuation of the love of Jesus, it is necessary that we express our love in concrete actions, particularly taking care of our poor and suffering brothers and sisters. In a word, what we really need to do is announce what we believe and put into practice what we preach. "

"Many times we are afraid to express our faith in public, even some people when asked if they believe in God, say no. Indeed, this stems from our lack of faith. Again, I encourage all of you brothers and sisters do not worry, our glory is to believe in God, He who gave us the gift of salvation to us to achieve communion with the Lord through the gift of salvation and gain the kingdom of heaven: this is our fortune. Therefore we must courageously share with others the love of God, allowing the Word of the Lord to guide our speech and our experiences. In this way our new evangelization will posses a relevant witness and strength of conviction. "

"Believing is like taking up the testimony from those who have gone before us. It is up to us to accurately and immediately continue to transmit it. In this coming Year of Faith I strongly hope that every brother and sister live and practice according to the teaching of the Pope, so that the spiritual values ​​of the "Door of Faith" are fully lived up to. "

 

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