Dear Sisters and Brothers, and Friends,
As I shared a rather lengthy pastoral letter with you at the beginning of last Advent, I will keep this a shorter letter this time, for your reflection and action. Christmas seems like a recent past, when we celebrated the gift of a new life through which we can embrace a credible hope for eternity.
Once again, it is time for us to immerse ourselves in another Lenten Season of mercy, hope, and repentance. Throughout the Season of Lent, we are invited to prepare ourselves to celebrate, with full anticipation, the ultimate reality of complete communion with God. It is true that we have yet to experience such impeccable communion, while we remain wayfarers in this world. Individually and collectively, we are moving towards that awaiting eternal reality of total communion with God and all life in God.
In fact, both Advent and Lent share a common theme of preparation. Advent prepares our hearts with eagerness for the first coming of our Lord, Emmanuel. Lent, however, prepares our hearts with repentance and conversion, so to embrace, as far as possible, the paschal love of the same Lord. It is he who invites us to journey with him throughout his paschal mysteries, and he with us throughout our various paschal experiences in life.
Our Church has exhorted us to commit to a ‘synodal conversion’ through the publication of the “Final Document” after the Second Assembly of the Synod on Synodality in 2024:
“The local Churches are asked to continue their daily journey with a synodal methodology of consultation and discernment, identifying concrete ways and formation pathways to bring about a tangible synodal conversion in the various ecclesial contexts….” (Final Document #9).
“Thus, synodal conversion calls each person to enlarge the space of their heart, the heart being the first place where all our relationships resonate, grounded in each believer’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.” (Final Document #110).
Hence, we are called to make extra efforts in the conversion of our hearts, minds, and habits through listening and discernment in the Spirit. We must also enlarge our hearts to include those who are outside of our circles, and those whom we have been avoiding, consciously or subconsciously – whether they belong to our Church or are not part of our communion. My sisters and brothers, please be generous, inclusive, and open to deeper collaborations.
In order to better evaluate our efforts and to discern further synodal development in our local context, I will convene a Diocesan Assembly in the early part of 2027. It is important that the different ecclesial units in the diocese take the initiative to engage in different aspects of synodal conversion, such as discernment, planning and implementation through creative collaboration with others. Such a process should pay close attention to transparency, accountability, and serious evaluation as highlighted in paragraphs 95 to102 of the “Final Document.”
Also needed is our conversion to become “Messengers of Hope,” the theme of the Diocese’s 80th Anniversary celebrations. We know that it is tempting to keep the theme merely a slogan of the year. Therefore, to avoid falling into that trap, we must consciously put the theme into practice in our personal and communal missions. Once again, we can recall the various loving experiences of God in our lives. With that, our faith in God’s unfailing love deepens, and our hope in God’s blessed and faithful companionship grows. Only when we ourselves are rooted in hope in God can we be effective messengers of hope to others.
Finally, we recall the blessed occasion when His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Tagle enlightened us at the “Blessing Hong Kong” event marking the 80th Anniversary of the Diocese, that the “blessing that God gives us and to Hong Kong is His Holy Face in Jesus Christ.” He further encouraged us to foster these “blessings,” because all of us are called to become “a blessing to others”. So, as Messengers of Hope, we should be increasingly conscious in showing the compassionate, empathic, and ever-hopeful face of Jesus to those we may have neglected or who are struggling in society. These may include the lonely elderly, young people longing for understanding and hope, vulnerable overseas domestic helpers, refugees, sexual minorities, and those who are economically or psychologically deprived.
May this Lent be a Season of genuine conversion as well as hope for you and for me!
+ Stephen Cardinal Chow, S.J.
