After nearly three months of social unrest, the month of September has seen the subsequent commencement of schools, and Sunday school classes and catechumen classes within the Church. In the wake of unprecedented unrest, the teachers are faced with the task of answering the critical questions from their children and the catechumens preparing for baptism. Consider the following analogy:
Inside a concentration camp, a group of Jews were discussing the existence of God. After each had narrated their own suffering, they unanimously agreed that God is dead. The oldest Rabbi said, “Well, we all agree that God is dead. Now let us pray.”
While in deep suffering and pain, where human reasoning refutes the existence of God, hope is still our reliance. Those Jews lament the injustices, atrocities and barbarism done to them and eventually conclude that God is dead. However, they do not lose hope of a future where God wipes their tears.
It is the weight of earthly misery that makes believing in God particularly important. In a similar way, while Jesus cried out in agony on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, he also dedicated his spirit into God’s hands.
Examples of people who differed the will of God are numerous in the Bible. One of them is Jonah. God sent Jonah to save Nineveh. Instead of accepting God’s call, he ran away. Yet God brought him back to accomplish the mission. Jonah was still angry and asked God to let him die. God did not say that Jonah could not be angry, but he rebuked him, “Should we not be concerned over Nineveh, in which there were many people?”
The present conflicts within our communities did not originate from this extradition bill, nor will they come to an end because of the withdrawal of the bill. As the Hong Kong city is experiencing a time of unrest, our catechism teachers and faith instructors should be well oriented to communicate the right message. Our instructors must be prepared to walk with those candidates for the catechumenate to search for mutual communion within suffering.
However, we should not be afraid or be anxious because the Church is founded on the virtues of faith, hope, and charity amidst dissenting views. In spite of all the differences among the apostles, all of them preached the same Gospel.
Our catechumens and Sunday school students should be enabled to live in faith and support each other to move forward in their lives. Instructors might worry about their incompetence and insufficient knowledge.
The story of Moses in the Book of Exodus provides a message of comfort. Moses, born during a period of terror was put inside a papyrus basket, was left in the river Nile. Neither the baby nor his mother had little idea where he would float. Things, which seemed impossible, led to the liberation of a nation from its predicament.
New Sunday school and catechumen classes are like the papyrus basket among the reeds with a new-born baby inside, floating to an unknown future. May the different parts of the body of this new-born baby can be in communion so that its body can grow strong and become a faith community which can lead the Church to walk through the darkest valley and respond to God’s call with bravery. SE
