昔日文章

Next Sunday will be the first day of the Chinese New Year (or "Spring Festival"). Every family is having a hectic week getting the big day ready. Chinese New Year is the most important festival among Chinese people, while Christmas is the most important one in the Western world. Then how do Chinese people prepare for the Chinese New Year?  Traditionally, Chinese families clean their houses thoroughly to prepare their houses for good luck. In Hong Kong, there is a Cantonese saying, "Wash away the dirt on the 28th of the 12th month."（年廿八，洗邋遢） Brooms, dustpans and mops are put away during Chinese New Year. In many Western countries, this practice of cleaning a house from top to bottom is called "spring cleaning", as it normally takes place in spring.  To create a festive atmosphere, Chinese families decorate their houses with bright red paper cuttings. Red symbolizes good fortune and happiness. Couplets of auspicious phrases are also hung around the house to bring prosperity to the family. What couplets have you put up?  Another important preparation is shopping for gifts and red envelopes. Your parents also need to get festival foods ready for the reunion dinner on the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the festive meals when friends and relatives visit you during Chinese New Year. What are your favourite foods, a New Year cake or a turnip cake? Children may prefer the traditional snacks in the Tray of Togetherness such as red melon seeds, candied melon and candied lotus seeds.  H e r e, m a y I w i s h y o u a h a p p y a n d prosperous Year of the Snake!  Glossary: Turnip cake:蘿蔔糕 Tray of Togetherness:全盒 Red mekon seeds: Candied melon: Candied lotus seeds:

It truly amazes me to read stories of missionaries going to foreign lands and have to first learn the native language before they could start sharing their faith. It was difficult for me just to learn Mandarin with my Cantonese background. I have an associate from India and even though he speaks English well he still has problems with American pronunciation, accents, idioms and cultural perceptions. Blessed Gabriel Allegro（雷永明神父） arrived Húnán（湖南）in 1931 when the Chinese spoken language was not even standardized. Most Chinese did not speak Mandarin. Most only spoke the local dialect like Beijing huà, Guangdong huà, Shànghăi huà, etc. Even Beijing Hua was different from Mandarin which was the language of the imperial court（京話）and the style of speaking was flowery and high brow （官腔）, certainly not what we now call Pŭtōnghuà（普通話）.  After learning how to speak whatever dialect Fr. Gabriel still had to learn to write Chinese. It is difficult for us, learning from an early age, to remember the strokes of words seldom used. I still have problems reading the Bible in Chinese. When I do, I usually have the English text close by to make sure I did not miss anything. That is why I am writing these columns in English. It would have taken too long to write them in Chinese, every week. I don’t mind sharing my thoughts and faith, in English.  Such was Fr. Gabriel’s zeal for scripture and his burning desire for us Chinese to be able to read the Bible in our own language. He is truly “St. Jerome of China”（中國的聖師熱羅尼莫）.  By the way, who gave Fr. Gabriel the name‘ 雷永明神父’ ?  Blessed Gabriel Allegro, pray for us.  真福雷永明神父，為我等祈！ 

Jane is a Secondary 2 student. Here she tells us her Christmas experience: In early December, my classmates were chatting about Christmas gifts for our parents. Some suggested knitting woollen scarves, which would be something unique. As we chatted, I thought of those old people living on meagre means, with no children of their own. Then, I had an idea – some woollen scarves for these old folks! All my classmates agreed. We bought some yarn with our pocket money. During the next two weeks, those of us who knit well became teachers to those who don't. Together we knitted thirty scarves of different colours.  I contacted a charity organisation. We paid a visit to its elderly home. The elderly aunts and uncles listened to our Christmas carols and put on the scarves with delight. They held our hands and nodded their heads with a big smile. Some said, "It's really a warm day for us."  We found that we ran out of pocket money and time to knit some scarves for our parents! Yet when Mum and Dad saw the photos of our visit, they said that our experience was the warmest Christmas gift they had received. 

John the Baptist inaugurated the public life of Jesus. He pointed Him out to others so that they may find Him.  This year, in my parish, is a time for heightened preparation for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the parish community, coincidentally, St. John the Baptist Church in 1862. Later, in 1875, a second parish was also established serving the Czechoslovakian immigrants. It was called the Holy Rosary Church. In 1970, the two parishes were merged to become the present Holy Spirit Church. On May 26, 2013 we will officially celebrate the joyous event of Jesus’ continuous presence in the Eucharist for these 150 years. The date itself is not significant. It is merely the most convenient time as it is a long weekend in the United States.  In the United States the last Monday of May is called Memorial Day, originally set aside to remember those who died during the various wars in the history of the country: from War of Independence from the British, the Civil War that ended slavery, to the wars in this past century. But the most significant war for the parish is the battle of souls that Jesus came to rescue for the Father and all those who sacrifice themselves so that the Faith can be celebrated and passed on to the future generations.  150 years ago, in June of 1863, the then bishop dedicated the first church here in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. The territory called Nebraska was just being opened with pioneers heading west looking for a way to reach California as well as places to settle. Christianity has always been the primary religion of the early settlers of the United States, with a minority of Catholics among them. They came from a divided Europe, often times with religion as the battle lines. Many of the young men that came were from poor families looking for a future. Just like many immigrants throughout history, the hopes and dreams of finding a new beginning kept them enthused and adventurous. Along with the Catholic explorers and settlers were priests that dedicated themselves to taking care of the spiritual needs of these young men and later their families. Some of these priests would periodically visit a number of settlements miles from each other, all on horse back. They would ride their horses over open country facing tremendous challenges including avoiding the often-not-so-welcoming Native Americans (otherwise known, no longer politically correctly, as “Indians”). And this was only 150 years ago!  Because of the anniversary, I have been reading the lives of many of the priests that came from Europe and served in the parishes all these years. I also recognize the more recent pastors that preceded me, those I have known personally since I was ordained. I, indeed, stand on the shoulders of giants. Often times I ask myself whether I could have done what they did. I am not so sure that I could have.  But like John the Baptist, my role is to point out to people where Jesus is already waiting for them. In turn, they will find that they are “the beloved son” the Father loves. All of us are to be like John the Baptist, “to be diminished so that He could increase.” And the less we are of ourselves, the more we are in Christ. And the more we are in Christ, the fuller we truly become ourselves, because we are created in His image.  How are you fulfilling your role as “heralds of glad tidings” to those around you?