Year of the Goat begins with ashes
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Robert Carbonneau
Feb 28, 2015, 9:16:48 AM2/28/15
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Hong Kong Sunday Examiner
http://sundayex.catholic.org.hk/
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Year of the Goat begins with ashes
HONG KONG (SE): The Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year is the most important festival for the Chinese people, when all family members get together.
The New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner is believed to be the most important meal of the year for Chinese families.
Since this year, New Year’s Eve coincided with Ash Wednesday on February 18, the blessing and distribution of the ashes was conducted in the morning, while the New Year’s Eve liturgy was celebrated in the evening in parishes across the diocese of Hong Kong.
In view of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, John Cardinal Tong Hon had granted a dispensation from the obligation of fasting and abstinence, normally required on the Ash Wednesday.
But people were reminded to engage in some other form of penance, acts of mercy or charity, in keeping with the penitential spirit of the season of Lent.
At St. Benedict Church, Shatin Wai, Father Edward Yu Fuk-min officiated at the liturgies of the day.
“Our life as Christians invites us to rely on the providential care of God and to overcome the moments of frustration and failure through reading the scriptures, constant prayer and singing the glories of God,” Father Yu said in his homily during the New Year’s Eve thanksgiving Mass.
Narrating a number of inspirational stories of people who have overcame traumatic and miserable life situations to become renowned personalities in history, Father Yu said, “Our life needs to be one of thanksgiving for the blessings received, for the Lord makes everything good for us. Take time to be thankful and count your blessings.”
Earlier in the day, explaining the significance of Ash Wednesday, he said, “Ashes are a sign of repentance. They indicate that we are sorry for our sins and will do penance for them. Ashes also represent death as it is said in the scriptures, ‘For dust you are and to dust you shall return’” (Genesis 3:19).
He explained before distributing the ashes, “The ashes remind us that we will die one day and have to give an account of our lives to God. Lent invites us to repent and amend our evil ways, so that dying to sin, we renew our new life in Christ. The season of Lent is the season of spiritual renewal.”
To begin the New Year with the season of Lent adds a special meaning to the spiritual life of the people, as the season of Lent calls for renewal of life, as does the message of the New Year.
May our Lenten observance in the New Year of the Goat bring us abundance of blessings from God!
http://sundayex.catholic.org.hk/
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Year of the Goat begins with ashes
HONG KONG (SE): The Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year is the most important festival for the Chinese people, when all family members get together.
The New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner is believed to be the most important meal of the year for Chinese families.
Since this year, New Year’s Eve coincided with Ash Wednesday on February 18, the blessing and distribution of the ashes was conducted in the morning, while the New Year’s Eve liturgy was celebrated in the evening in parishes across the diocese of Hong Kong.
In view of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, John Cardinal Tong Hon had granted a dispensation from the obligation of fasting and abstinence, normally required on the Ash Wednesday.
But people were reminded to engage in some other form of penance, acts of mercy or charity, in keeping with the penitential spirit of the season of Lent.
At St. Benedict Church, Shatin Wai, Father Edward Yu Fuk-min officiated at the liturgies of the day.
“Our life as Christians invites us to rely on the providential care of God and to overcome the moments of frustration and failure through reading the scriptures, constant prayer and singing the glories of God,” Father Yu said in his homily during the New Year’s Eve thanksgiving Mass.
Narrating a number of inspirational stories of people who have overcame traumatic and miserable life situations to become renowned personalities in history, Father Yu said, “Our life needs to be one of thanksgiving for the blessings received, for the Lord makes everything good for us. Take time to be thankful and count your blessings.”
Earlier in the day, explaining the significance of Ash Wednesday, he said, “Ashes are a sign of repentance. They indicate that we are sorry for our sins and will do penance for them. Ashes also represent death as it is said in the scriptures, ‘For dust you are and to dust you shall return’” (Genesis 3:19).
He explained before distributing the ashes, “The ashes remind us that we will die one day and have to give an account of our lives to God. Lent invites us to repent and amend our evil ways, so that dying to sin, we renew our new life in Christ. The season of Lent is the season of spiritual renewal.”
To begin the New Year with the season of Lent adds a special meaning to the spiritual life of the people, as the season of Lent calls for renewal of life, as does the message of the New Year.
May our Lenten observance in the New Year of the Goat bring us abundance of blessings from God!
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