ASIA/CHINA - In view of Lunar New Year priests urge Catholics to thank God for gifts received and to live the festive season in a spirit of Christian solidarity

Beijing (Fides Service) - In view of the most important annual celebrations in China Lunar new year - January 29 of the Solar year - Catholic priests in mainland China have urged the faithful to live the festivities in a spirit of gratitude to God, the giver of all good things.
“It is a tradition to celebrate a special mass on new year’s eve to thank God for gifts of peace and prosperity received in the past year. This year among the many the gifts for which we will thank God will be the life of John Paul II and the gift of the new, wise and amiable Pope Benedict XVI. We will also thank God for many graces received in our community, many new members who received the Sacraments of Christian Initiation, children baptised, older ones confirmed and couples who had their marriage blessed in the Sacrament of Matrimony” said a Catholic priest in Beijing.
He also said that Christian parents and families strive to enrich Chinese traditions with the beauty of the Gospel teachings. And that for many Christians it is a tradition during new year celebrations to visit the elderly, the sick and the disabled in the spirit charity taught by the Gospel.
Ethnic Chinese Catholics all over the world are preparing to celebrate Lunar new year in the spirit of their faith, not forgetting those in need. (Agenzia Fides 18/01/2006 Righe: 22 Parole: 227)