Holy Saturday Easter Vigil at HTC Tawau

HTC SOCCOM TEAM, TAWAU

Tawau : Msgr Nicholas Ong, the rector of Holy Trinity Church presided over the 8.00 pm Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass, yesterday 30th March 2013. More than 2,000 faithful attended the celebration with a spirit of joy. The three days, celebrating the death and resurrection of the Lord that make up the Triduum,  is but of one celebration. These are the most beautiful and wonderful gifts of the Church. 

The celebration of Easter begins with the Service of light. Msgr Ong in his homily said that Light in the New Testament symbolizes three things: (i) Light symbolizes faith as opposed to unbelief which is darkness. (ii) Light symbolizes life, contentment and happiness as opposed to death, misery and unhappiness which is darkness. (iii) Light symbolizes good as opposed to evil which is darkness.

He reiterated that the three themes are related, that is, with faith in God, we receive life, and the life from God is a life of goodness. Light will overcome darkness, faith will overcome unbelief, life will overcome death, and good will overcome evil. This is because Jesus Christ the Light of the World has overcome the devil, the darkness of the world.

God created the world out of love, but when we sinned God loved us even more. He became man to save us from sin, but when we crucified him on the cross he loved us even more. He died, rose from the dead and gave us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will continue to love us until we love God, love our neighbor and love ourselves.

The readings tell us about the history of salvation. They enlighten us what God has done for us in the past and what God continues to do for us in the present in baptism. The reading from the letter to the Romans tells us that it is in baptism that we die and rise with Jesus Christ to the new life of Easter, never to die anymore and never to sin anymore.

The Gospel tells us about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel the two angels told the women that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. It is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit is given to us so that we will die and rise with Jesus Christ to the new life of Easter.

After the blessing of water, together with all elects, we expressed our faith in the Risen Lord by renewing our baptismal promises. By answering 'I do' to the six questions, three rejecting Satan and more importantly, three professing our faith in God, our lives will be revolutionized. After which the elects were baptized, joined to Jesus in death so that we might walk in the newness of his life. This year around 90 candidates were initiated into the Catholic Church through the RCIA / RCIC process in Holy Trinity Parish. 

山打根聖瑪莉主教座堂-逾越節三日慶

逾越節三日慶

今年聖瑪莉主教座堂邀得亚庇教區叶为聪神父主祭逾越節三日慶，使得中文組的教友能以自己熟悉的語言更深入的去了解逾越節的真正意義。

耶穌當年邀請十二門徒共進最後晚餐，今日邀請全世界的教徒共進晚餐，與教友共行苦路一起受難，三日後將一起復活。

 

主的晚餐(28-03-2013)，晚上7.30

晚上6.30左右，已有教友提早來到聖若瑟堂，準備慶祝逾越奧蹟的首日---聖週星期四。在逾越奧蹟的第一個晚上，耶穌建立了聖體聖事與彌撒聖祭，就是替人贖罪、為人做犧牲的聖祭。講道後，叶神父為十二位教友洗腳，象徵耶穌在最後晚餐中給十二位門徒洗腳一樣。今年的山園祈禱，同樣設於聖若瑟堂一角。叶神父陪同教友一起，於寂靜當中，默想耶穌在晚餐時的吩咐，並想像陪同耶穌到山園祈禱。

苦難禮儀(29-03-2013)，下午 3時

下午三時舉行的禮儀，二時左右已見有教友等候在教堂內，靜默中思想為救贖世人的罪而被釘死在十字架上的耶穌基督。

禮儀結束後，教友順序列隊親吻耶穌苦像。

復活前夕守夜禮(30-03-2013)，晚上8時

晚上8時，教友們在教堂外觀看主祭祝聖新火及復活燭，爾後尾隨步入教堂。開始逾越節三日慶典最隆重的一晚------復活前夕守夜禮。

今年共有10位新領洗者，在接受洗禮後，穿著潔白象徵無瑕的白色衣褲，在教友們熱烈歡迎的掌聲中，也在代父母及導師陪同下步入聖堂；眾教友也一同重宣領洗誓言。

婦女組的媽媽們也準備了包裝精緻的復活蛋分派予所有的教友們。

「主復活了!」

「主真的復活了!」阿肋路亞!

 

山打根聖瑪莉主教座堂-圣枝主日

(山打根訊) 山打根聖瑪莉主教座堂今天舉行苦難聖枝，慶祝救主耶穌榮進耶路撒冷城，拉開聖周的序幕。

教友們一早聚集於堂區活動中心，等待神父祝聖聖枝，再依序排列跟隨大隊遊行進入聖堂。教友們手持聖枝揮動，彷如昔日耶穌進入聖城一般， 民眾皆站立於兩旁熱烈歡迎。

The Stations of the Cross

HTC SOCCOM TEAM, TAWAU

This is the view of Holy Trinity Church, Tawau, before the start of the Stations of the Cross yesterday, 29th March 2013 at 8.00 am taken from across the road. Some 800 faithful attended the ceremony, a devotion through prayer and reflection to follow Jesus Christ all through the way to Calvary, an event honoring the Passion of Jesus. May we gain courageous patience and learn to trust God who protect us and deliver us from evil.

The Stations of the Cross at HTC Tawau

HTC SOCCOM TEAM, TAWAU

Tawau : On Friday, March 29, 2013, more than 800 parishioners of Holy Trinity Church celebrated Good Friday with the stations of the the cross ceremony around its compound at 8.00 am. Good Friday is celebrated the Friday before Easter Sunday. It signifies the day of the crucifixion of Christ. 

The Way of the Cross is a day of reflection, entering into the mystery of Christ. The fourteen stations with each stop representing a significant moment of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection beginning with a prayer to remember Jesus being condemned to death. It is performed in a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during His Passion.