HONG KONG (SE): Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan SJ, expressed shock at Russia’s attack on the nuclear plant facilities in Ukraine during a Mass celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on March 6. He called on the faithful to pray for political leaders to repent in this time of Lent.
“The threat to drag the world into a nuclear disaster is out of personal pride and ambition,” Bishop Chow pointed out as he called for more prayers for repentance and reconciliation for the countries, both ironically Christian, involved in the war.
“For the leaders of the countries, who grew up under the influence of Christianity, we pray that they can abandon their war-dreams and misconceptions. It is important that we do more prayers in Hong Kong. We believe in the power of prayers. We pray that the Holy Spirit can touch their hearts so that they can give up war to protect the lives of people and the future generations, and solve the crisis through sincere dialogues instead of superficial talks meant to buy time.”
Bishop Chow urged the Church leadership to self-evaluate to ascertain whether evangelisation and faith formation are good enough. He feels it is crucial to see if we need a renewal in faith formation to educate the next generation better to have a more stable and peaceful world in the future.
After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the bishop released a message expressing his concern for the people in Ukraine. “We are seriously disturbed by the attacks of Russia on Ukraine. While we acknowledge the complexity of international politics, we feel deeply saddened by the civilians’ loss of lives and homes. The military manoeuvres and the manipulation of political powers are shattering the Ukrainians’ hope for peace and stability in their homeland,” the bishop said in his message.
“While we are battling against the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, we cannot ignore the pains that another pandemic of egoism and hegemonic mentality is inflicting on our world. We are citizens of the global village, and our well-being is intimately intertwined. Let us offer our sincere prayers for those in Hong Kong and throughout the world who are struck by these two pandemics,” he continued.
For the leaders of the countries, who grew up under the influence of Christianity, we pray that they can abandon their war-dreams and misconceptions. It is important that we do more prayers in Hong Kong. We believe in the power of prayers
Bishop Chow
Bishop Chow prayed that God would deeply touch the hearts of those who have the power to revert this tragic trajectory and restore hope for peace in our world, and for empathetic dialogue to start sooner among the parties involved.
He urged people to respond to the appeal of Pope Francis to pray and fast for peace in Ukraine and to support the Ukrainians living in Hong Kong. He said collective prayers could attain an unimaginably effective result [https://www.examiner.org.hk/2022/02/25/pray-for-ukraine-bishop-chow-urges/news/hongkong/].
Reflecting on the gospel for the first Sunday of Lent, Bishop Chow said that Jesus overcame the devil’s temptation with his identity as the Son of God. He pointed out that everyone has an identity and that it is vital to accept our identity, both as citizens of a country and as Christians. He called for unity in the Christian mission to serve God.
Expressing his solidarity with the people who are anxious about the outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the bishop said, “People tend to lose confidence in the government and are easily be moved to buy daily necessities in a panic when there are rumours about the locking down of the city.”
“When we are spiritually strong, we will have the wisdom to check the veracity of rumours,” he continued.
However, amidst the chaos of the world, the bishop said he was happy to see the love and care among neighbours through mobile phone messages and prayers. He expressed deep gratitude to healthcare staff and cleaning workers who have been working hard. He acknowledged the generosity of many people, not necessarily rich, including groups from the Catholic Church who bought rapid antigen test kits and donated them to the needy.
He expressed his concern for foreign domestic workers who were abandoned by their employers after being infected. “I found it very strange. Why do they have to do so? I understand the fear, but is it not against our respect for human dignity? Our Church is also trying our best to help,” he said.
He said the efforts to offer assistance have shown that God is with us in the midst of trials.
