Every year the World Day of the Sick is celebrated in the Catholic Church on February 11th, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. This year, on that day, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation as Pope due to his age and declining health.
Two days later it was Ash Wednesday and the 40 day period of almsgiving, penance and conversion, known as Lent began. This is a period of preparation for the great events of Christ death and resurrection that we commemorate at Easter.
In this issue, our opening article is an Easter story of Fijian youth who each year during Holy Week carry two heavy wooden crosses over 200kms around the northern and the southern side of the main Fijian isle of Viti Levu from Suva to Nadi.
This Lenten and Easter issue also carries a reflection by Fr Noel Connolly on the importance of the Royal Commission into Sex Abuse in Australia for the Catholic Church and the New Evangelization. Fr Noel recognizes that the Church must learn to become more vulnerable and less powerful. There has to be repentance and penance before there can be resurrection.
Pope Benedict's resignation on the World Day of the Sick and as we were preparing to begin Lent and Easter, reminds us all of the limits of our human nature, of ageing and sickness. These are important Lenten and Easter themes.
This issue also carries the story of Columban Fr Charles O'Mahony who died recently in Melbourne at the age of 94. There are also articles of Filipina Catechist Victoria Malacapay Andas who also died recently and the work of Columban Sr Mary Dillon with HIV/AIDS patients in Myanmar (Burma).
We also read the story of Fr Keith Gorman from his former Curate Fr Barry Cairns. Whilst Fr Keith, aged 93, is now retired in Melbourne, Fr Barry continues his priestly missionary life in Japan at the age of 81.
Another important theme for our March issue is the United Nations World Water Day on March 22 and the year 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation.
In order to mark the importance of these events, this issue carries two stories from Fr Tomás King who works with the Parkari Kholis tribal people in the south east corner of Pakistan in the Thar Parkar Desert. Being able to develop water conservation techniques is a life and death issue for the Parkari Kholi people.
May you have blessed and faith-filled Easter.
Fr Dan Harding
TFE@columban.org.au
Read more from The Far East, March 2013
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LISTEN TO: From the Editor - Lent and Easter themes (Duration: 4.03mins, MP3, 1.8MB) |