Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Taipei (Agenzia Fides) - “Closing the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the evnaglization of Taiwan on the Feast of Christ the King has a special significance for you. It is a new call to continue and rekindle the efforts of evangelization, which does mean building the kingdom of Jesus Christ. All members of the Church are called to this task in a personal way: children, youth, lay people, families, consecrated persons, clergy, and bishops (including cardinals).” These were the words pronounced by the Holy Father Benedict XVI's Special Envoy, Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, at the concluding celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the evangelization of Taiwan, which were held in the Lin Kou Stadium of Taipei, in the early afternoon (local time) on Saturday, November 21, eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King. The celebration was attended by Cardinals and Bishops, many priests and missionaries, several political authorities, and thousands of faithful.
After having conveyed the greetings and blessing of the Holy Father to all those present and to all those who were following the celebration through mass media communications, in his homily Cardinal Tomko recalled the arrival in Kaohsiung in 1859 of three Spanish missionaries from the Philippines, along with 5 Chinese lay persons, which marked the beginning of the Catholic Church in Taiwan, after previous attempts in 1582 and 1626. “Now the 'small flock' of Catholic believers is enriched by the presence of immigrants from the Philippines and organized in seven dioceses,” the Cardinal continued, recalling his previous visits and observing the Church's signs of growth. “God has blessed your efforts of evangelization and we have to say thanks to His merciful help. But we are still at the beginning. Therefore, the point of arrival is also a starting point for a new evangelization.”
The Holy Father's Envoy has highlighted that Jesus Christ remains “the central point of the evangelization,” in that “He is our head, our King, in whom we believe, whom we obey, whom we proclaim...Jesus of Nazareth is an extraordinary man. He is not like other founders of religions. He is not only a perfect man, he is the Son of God. That makes the difference!” The Cardinal then observed that His kingdom “is not of this world, it is not of material nature, but it is a spiritual kingdom,” and we, by the grace of God, are called to build up the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Through evangelization, “we offer our society the fundamental values of the kingdom of Christ: the 'truth and life'... We propose this message to everybody, we don't impose it. We are convinced that this message brings to the whole society 'justice, love, and peace.” In the conclusive part of his homily, Cardinal Tomko exhorted all those present to become witnesses of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, to grow in the faith and in love, in holiness and grace. “Be united as the Church of Jesus Christ, the “Family of God”: united with the universal Church and her head, the Pope, united with your Bishops, with the clergy, united in your families and parishes, and among you.” He then invited all to place special attention on Christian life in the family, education of the youth, respect for the elderly, helping the poor. He especially asked the youth to take the spirit of Jesus Christ to their schools and meeting places, without hesitating to respond to His personal call to each one of them. To the laity, who are very active in their parishes, he reminded them to always be like leaven in secular society, where they live and work.
His final exhortation was: “Church of Taiwan, in the name of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, I tell you: arise and walk! A new stage in your history is about to begin! The stage of the new evangelization! Following Jesus Christ, our Lord and King!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 21/11/2009)
