By Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, OFM
For a week or so in early October I was invited to Sydney, Australia, to visit several different Chinese Catholic organisations there, and to participate in a large-scale evangelisation day jointly organised by them. The number of participants reached 1,200, which was double the original estimate! The day was filled with heart-lifting praise and worship, soul-touching testimonies, inspirational sharings, and a variety of faith talks in different interests and languages. It concluded with a Mass of unity and communion. The whole event really enabled the participating brothers and sisters to grow in their faith and to be strengthened in the Lord, so that they would not be afraid to take up the mission of evangelisation.
Although the evangelisation day was mainly for the laity, there were more than 80 non-Christian brothers and sisters in attendance who were willing to get to know the Lord, which was really an amazing act of the Holy Spirit!
Organising such a large-scale event, as you can imagine, is not easy at all, and it would be difficult to make it happen without group efforts and co-operation. Of course, this is even more about the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is not just a one-off event! How does the Holy Spirit quietly lead us in our daily lives? I will try to reflect on three basic elements of the Church’s synodality.
Communion: They are all Chinese, coming from different places, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, etc., and some are locally born. The similarity of language and culture has made them feel at home and form a community, but the deeper foundation is the same faith, and it is the Holy Spirit that connects them all. Language, culture and other elements provide an environment in which faith can be lived out. The importance of mother tongue is that it is more effective than foreign languages in helping people to deepen their relationship with the Lord and to realise his love, which is the Holy Spirit.
Participation: The unseen communion has to be realised through visible participation. One of the biggest challenges for overseas Chinese faith organisations is heritage, as the next generation will soon integrate into the local culture and abandon the use of Chinese. So how can the organisations be sustained? I notice that they are keen to develop youth pastoral work and are willing to give young people the opportunity to participate, so that they will have the room to explore and even make mistakes. In large-scale events like the evangelisation day, we can also see them playing a key role!
Mission: The Church does not exist for itself. No matter how successful it is, the evangelisation day is only a single event, and it is more important that evangelisation becomes an integral part of the life of faith. I like to see that every Chinese Catholic community in Sydney organises catechism groups for Chinese people who want to know the Lord. They have also adopted Alpha programmes, both for young people and adults, to get participants interested in faith and to build community through sharing.
The 10-day trip to Sydney was a time of learning for me, in which I discovered the footprints of the Holy Spirit in overseas Chinese believers, and marvelled at the works of the Lord!
