By Father Paul Kam Po-wai
Responding to Pope Francis’ invitation, 59 countries and 222 places around the world held ecumenical prayer vigils under the title, “Together—Gathering of the People of God” on September 30 to pray for the Synod of Bishops currently being held in Rome. The Diocese of Hong Kong also by organising a three-day and two-night youth gathering from September 29 to October 1 to pray in communion with Rome.
It was attended by more than 90 young people, not only from Hong Kong, but also more than 40 young people from China. On September 29, they gathered at Caritas Community Hall, Caine Road, and started with Taizé prayers, after which some went to the homes of their host families to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Those who were not with host families went to the Diocesan Retreat House.
On the morning of September 30, we gathered at the cathedral for Mass, and returned to the Caritas Community Hall for morning prayer at 9:00am, followed by Bible teaching, sharing and midday prayer. In the afternoon, there were different workshops and in the evening, a Taizé prayer service was held at the cathedral at 8:00pm.
In addition to the participants, more than 100 others joined in the prayers. Participants took turns in the Eucharistic adoration from 10:00pm until the following morning at 7:00am.
On October 1 at 8:00am, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing celebrated a Thanksgiving Mass to conclude the gathering. He reminded us, that the Synod of Bishops officially began on October 4, so our prayers were only the beginning. We invite everyone to continue to pray daily for the synod and the participants, and also for the universal Church.
The theme of the gathering was “Enlarging the Space of Our Tent” [Isaiah 54:2]. Jesuit Father Paulini, mentioned in his Bible teaching that this means expanding our lives. Participants from Hong Kong who gave up their public holidays, young people from China who came from far and wide, and volunteers who did their best to serve had all expanded their lives—lives of encounter with the Lord and with people, through the three days and two nights of prayer, sharing and learning.
I admire their commitment, dedication and trust, their single-mindedness in praying for the Synod of Bishops. In addition to praying the Taizé three times a day, they also took part in the Eucharistic adoration all night long. Praying in this way expanded their love for the Lord and for the Church, and we can see here that young people love to pray, and are eager to pray.
Different workshops about Tai Chi, art spirituality, mind-body spirituality, Zen painting and ecological spirituality as well as the guided tours in the cathedral have broadened young people’s horizons, state of mind, and helped them look into more areas of encounter with the Lord. We can see that the young people need more space and creativity in order to expand their lives.
Throughout the gathering, apart from prayer and learning, the most profound experience for young people was that of companionship—especially for those from China. They experienced the hospitality of the host families, the care given to them by the organiser, as well as the sharing, listening, and commitment of the young people to each other. They felt the love of their brothers and sisters within the Church. It also broadened the life of love for them. Here we can see that hospitality, care, sharing, listening and commitment are the best companionship.
“Together—Gathering of the People of God” is not an activity, but an attitude, a reminder and a spirit. We are all God’s people and there is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,” [Ephesians 4:5-6], and we are devoted “to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” [Acts 2:42].
