ASIA/CHINA – Meeting and walking together with the Lord: Youth Encounter on marriage, organized by the Diocese of Fen Yang
Fen Yang (Agenzia Fides) – “Keeping the faith, knowing truth, meeting the Lord, walking together in Love, establishing the true value of marriage” is the theme for the Youth Encounter in the Diocese of Fen Yang, in the province of ShanXi, which took place at the beginning of Lent. Priests, seminarians, and an active layman from the local Church, directed various testimonial discussions on the sacrament of marriage, the life of faith, the foundation of love, and family life according to the Church’s teachings. Over 100 young people attended, the majority being over the age of 18, and single. According to the local parish priest, the “diocesan Pastoral Center has always made matrimonial ministry a priority, especially nowadays, considering the growing number of mixed marriages and divorces. For this reason, the youth of today are in need of a concrete Christian guidance, in order to face the situation…not only them, but their parents as well. Not just any initiative will do; there is a need for guidance and for examples of Christian marriage. We also offer an opportunity to Catholic young people to meet one another, come together, and form a family among them.”
The Diocese of Fen Yang has had a long and important history of evangelization. The territory belonged to the Diocese of Tai Yuan, that was first evangelized in 1633, by Fr. Michael Friganlt, disciple of the great Jesuit missionary Fr. Matteo Ricci. The Diocese of Fen Yang saw its first Jesuit community in 1699. In 1926, thanks to the great effort and zeal of Pope Pius XI, in support of his “Chinese friend” Cardinal Celso Costatini, and “the Chinese apostle” Fr. Vincent Lebbe, Fen Yang was among the first autonomous diocese with the creation of the Chinese hierarchy and with the first Bishop being among one of the first Chinese bishops, consecrated by Pius XI on October 28, 1926, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Today, the diocese has 16,000 faithful, 31 priests, 35 religious, and 14 major seminarians, as well as, 48 churches, chapels and prayer sites. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 10/3/2008; righe 25, parole 340)
耶穌對猶太人說：「我實實在在告訴你們：誰如果遵行我的話，永遠見不到死亡。」猶太人向他說：「現在我們知道：你附有魔鬼；亞巴郎和先知都死了；你卻說：誰如果遵行我的話，永遠嘗不到死味。難道你比我們的父親亞巴郎還大嗎？他死了，先知們也死了。你把你自己當作人麼人呢？」耶穌答覆說：「我如果光榮我自己，我的光榮算不了什麼；那光榮我的，是我的父，就是你們所稱的「我們的天主」。你們不認識他，我卻認識他；我若說我不認識他，我便像你們一樣是個撒謊者；但是，我認識他，也遵守他的話。你們的父親亞巴郎曾歡欣喜樂地企望看到我的日子，他看見了，極其高興。」猶太人就對他說：「你還沒有五十歲，就見過亞巴郎嗎？」耶穌回答說：「我實實在在告訴你們：在亞巴郎出現以前，我就有。」他們就拿起石頭來要向他投去，耶穌卻隱沒了，從聖殿出去了。
