HONG KONG (SE): A video message from Bishop Chow Sau Yan, SJ, delivered at this year’s Christmas Vigil Mass for Filipino overseas workers at Bayanihan Centre, urged migrants to have faith in the face of trials and to show love and compassion to the needy. The Vigil Mass was celebrated by Divine Word Father Jay Flandez, chaplain for Filipinos.
In his message during the Misa de Aguinaldo, Bishop Chow wished the congregation a happy Christmas, a season of joy, love and giving. He said he understood that many overseas workers experience discrimination and uncertainty in their work. There are many cases in which migrant workers are terminated without a just reason. “Learn to turn to God, put our trust in him, the provider and the protector,” he urged participants at the Mass.
The bishop thanked the Church communities and organisations ready to help and assist migrants in trouble. He urged the faithful to assist the needy to show the face of Christ. “That is the spirit of Christmas. The Word was made flesh. God has a face, which is love and compassion,” he said.
Father Flandez, in his homily, urged overseas workers to bring the light of Jesus to others. “Jesus is the light in our lives. But many overseas workers live in darkness, and we are supposed to be bearers of light for them. The message of Christmas is that we should be light like Jesus.” He urged those present to pray for those living in shelter houses and those suffering from abusive employers.
Also, he warned them not to spread fake news on social media. “As Christians, we are supposed to be salt of the earth and bearers of good news,” he said.
He urged them not to forget that Christmas is for Christ. “It is the season of love, sacrifices, families, and above all, Christ.” He said attending Midnight Mass and spending time with the Lord are most meaningful during Christmas.
The Mass ended with a series of upbeat Christmas songs, beginning with the song, Ang Pasko at Sumapit [Christmas has come], which prompted the congregation to stand and dance together with joy, thanks to the choir of the El Shaddai Prayer Group.
An awards ceremony for the annual parol-making contest was held before the Mass, organised by the Philippine consulate and sponsored by LBT Hong Kong and other organisations.
Vice consul, Angelo Manuel, opened the ceremony by thanking the Filipino community for participating in the event and emphasising that Christmas is a time of sharing thanks and celebrating the birth of Christ.
The winners of the contest were the United Migrants Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Association. The group’s representative, Lyn Lopez, shared that the parol was made from egg containers and plastic bottles. Making it was not simple as she had to cut the plastic bottles into flower petals and then burn them a bit to make them look like opening flower petals.
She thanked her employers for their support. “When I finished making the lantern, I let it stand up in the kitchen. My ward said, ‘che che’ light it up!” The beauty of the colourful lights encircled a scene of the Nativity of Jesus in the centre of the lantern.
