Message
& prayers from Jakarta and Manila
A
note from Fr. Hilarius in Jakarta dated 7th November 2009 Dear
Fr Yan & Friends of FOJP, We are very glad to have received
your email/letter dated 3-Nov 2009 for which we thank you. We
will share your prayer gathering by asking our parishioners to pray for the grace
of God for those who have been suffering from natural disasters in West Sumatera
Indonesia and the Phillipines at our chapel here on November 8,2009.May our merciful
God bless them and relieve them from their distress and tribulation soon. Yours
very sincerely,
Fr. Hilarius Sutiono,CDD
Jakarta Indonesia.
Prayer
intentions from friends in the Philippines
1.
For civil leader - may they view authority as an opportunity to serve the community
rather than as a source of honor and profit for themselves.
2.
For the poor of our land, may they experience the concrete support of the community
while they themselves show solidarity with the needy among them. 3.
For all the victims of natural disasters, the refugees, and the homeless. May
they be promptly assisted in their present need and be helped to rebuild their
lives with dignity. 4. For all those afflicted with any kind
of disease, especially influenza H1N1, lepto spirosis, etc. May they experience
Christian concern and charity and be healed of their infirmities. 5.
We praise and thank you Lord for your immense love manifested in many little ways
of kindness and generosity as evident in the real and physical unbounded solidarity
of people and nations. This communion which you have enacted to unite us through
love and sacrifices so that the world may be restored to the grandeur of the Fathers
greater glory. Amen. <back>
Messages
from Michael Sy in Manila
3rd November 2009 - Many
thanks to the Friends of Jesus' Passover and Fr. Yan for your efforts to be in
solidarity with us in the Philippines and our friends in Indonesia. 8th
November 2009 - The thought of solidarity keeps on radiating in my mind even several
weeks after the pilgrimage and solidarity visit to the churches in China. It would
be different if the solidarity was just a message sent as a prayer and not so
deeply felt as compared to the solidarity of presence. To be there personally
and celebrating the Eucharist together means a lot especially in places where
the mass is not too frequent. Although we had only talked with the people in charge,
it would be more interesting to talk with the ordinary people. When we saw simple
folks trickling into the church trying to join the mass that we had, some of them
tried to talk with us. One of our major handicap would be our inability to converse
with them in fluent conversational Chinese. Although we are comfortable with the
native Hokkien dialect, we may need to practice fluent Chinese and the use of
terms not commonly acquainted by us. Solidarity was greatly
felt when we worked with the EV concert group last August for the concert at ICA
DTAS. This was a Hong Kong group the Friends of Jesus Passover. Their aim was
to reach out in evangelization to the Chinese in our country, including newly
migrated Chinese. It was a great learning experience working with them. Recently,
we had several disasters that affected most of us. The group did not cut communications
even after the concert. They still communicated with us. They asked about the
conditions and how they can help. Today November 8 at 4:30 pm they will have a
prayer service for the Filipino community in Hong Kong and they are asking us
to send in their prayers as a form of solidarity with us in our sufferings. They
hope to raise funds through their parish for the victims in the Philippines and
Indonesia, two countries that they had recently visited. The theme of their concert
"God is Love" reverberates as a real presence through this solidarity.
This is why our being Catholic is not coincidental but predetermined.
How we make Christ's presence real into the world as His mystical body is another
thing for us to reflect on. On our own we may not make a big difference, but as
one body united in spirit and effort things may begin to take off. We may no directly
be effective. However, the people God allows us to come into contact with brings
them into this encounter with Him and He will be the one who uses others for His
purpose. This is how I see it. We may not be there for the fruits to bear but
at least we make efforts to plant the seeds. Keep courage
and be alert. No effort is wasted.
<back>
Sharing
from Friends of Jesus' Passover 在今天的祈禱會中，我被菲律賓及印尼藉的參與者所感覺。特別在他們因看到當地災傷的片段觸動而流淚時，提醒了我，他們對家鄉惦念之苦。在家鄉有天災時，自己仍要在香港工作，對家人幫不上什麼時，相信那種無奈及傷痛只有當事人才能感受最深。 幸而主給他們的眷顧，在歌聲中，他們之投入能看出音樂給他們療法，起碼在歌舞中，讓傷感釋放，並能轉化為歡欣，繼續努力前面的路。 求主保守他們及家人，雖然兩地之隔，心仍能緊貼維繫。 <back>
Allah
itu kasih! Diyos ay pag-ibig! God is Love! It was
a great experience to pray in union and raise money with the Indonesian and the
Filipino communities at St. Andrew's Parish in Tsang Kwan O, Hong Kong, for the
victims of the flood and earthquake in the Philippines and Indonesia. Friends
from Jakarta and Manila, whom we met a few months ago during our evangelization
trip, also showed their support and phoned in during the four-hour prayer gathering.
We had about 250 participants and raised approximately HK$20,000!
We had a
full programme for the day and the programme was facilitated by groups from the
Holy Family Parish, the Filipino Community, the Indonesian Community, Renewal
in the Spirit Community (RiS) and Friends of Jesus' Passover (FOJP). We sang in
different languages - in Bahasa, in Tagalog, in English, in Chinese and sometimes
with actions. However, we understand each other because the presence of the Holy
Spirit united us in God's love via praying, singing, sharing, meditating and Eucharistic
Adoration. Fr.Yan blessed the congregation at the end of the programme.
Allah
itu kasih! Diyos ay pag-ibig! Without God's love, what would bring us together
to show our empathy and support to the victims of the flood and earthquake? As
we are united in faith, we find strength in Him. Let us keep lighting the fire
in our hearts and sharing our hope and love to the others.
By Zenia Lau, Friends
of Jesus' Passover <back> Thanks!
I am invited to join the Prayer Meeting for the flood and earthquake victims in
the Philippines and Indonesia today. This is the first time I prayed with Filipino
and Indonesian. This is the first time I shared the pains with non-Chinese in
Christ.
From the videos cast in the meeting, we learnt more natural disasters
occurred in Philippines and Indonesia this year. I saw that they cried and prayed
for the suffering of their home families. I'm impressed at that moment. At first,
I guessed the Filipino and Indonesian should work in Hong Kong without worries
because they can earn money to support their home families. Actually, most of
them (especially if they are mothers) may feel home-sick. This separation from
family may become more seriously as they cannot come back to help their families
in the disasters. They are paying the cost of separation and helping many Hong
Kong families. We should thank for their achievements in Hong Kong.
I
made a donation in the prayer meeting. Wish that this small money can give them
a blessing due to God's love, and also offer the thanks to Reina who is Indonesian
and previously working in my family. Wish that we of different nationalities can
be united in God's kingdom.
John <back> | 
