ASIA/SINGAPORE - Archbishop Goh: Easter invites us to "proclaim the Gospel with joy and passion"

Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Singapore (Agenzia Fides) - Easter invites all the faithful "to proclaim the Gospel with joy in our reality in Singapore": This is what the Archbishop of Singapore, William Goh says in his Easter message, addressed to all the faithful. In the message, sent to Fides, Archbishop Goh recalls that Resurrection means "to win despair with hope, overcome hatred with love, injustice with forgiveness" and proposes to the faithful three elements of reflection.
The first is "new life in Christ": "The triumph of God on the cross cancels sin and death once and for all and gives us new hope. As children of hope, we try to free ourselves from anger, malice, gossip, and to live as new creatures in Christ", "as resurrected children" in everyday circumstances, in personal life, family and work.
The second point is the "personal encounter with the risen Lord", which is the central message of Easter, the Archbishop notes. "The presence of the disciples to the tomb makes us reflect: only when we have experienced this encounter, we can know the love of the Father", explains the message, inviting the faithful "to a Christ-centered life". The encounter with Christ, in fact, "is an experience that involves the heart, the mind and the body". And from the encounter with the Risen Christ, who "is not a mere intellectual understanding of faith, we find the strength to go through the trials and challenges of life".
The third point is to "move forward with joy": "The Gospel is the source of our joy and must be proclaimed with joy and passion" in the reality of Singapore. "It should be presented as something beautiful: this beauty is Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, who comes to give us life in abundance, a joy that the world cannot give, and the truth that makes us free". The text ends with a warm "welcome" to the newly baptized brothers and with the hope that they can be filled with the grace of God (PA) (Agenzia Fides 16/04/2014)


Share: