47th WORLD COMMUNICATION DAY AT HOLY TRINITY PARISH TAWAU

Julita and SOCCOM team, HTC Tawau

Tawau : Holy Trinity Parish Tawau celebrated the Feast of Ascension Of The Lord ( 7^th Sunday of Easter ) also the 47^th World Communication Day on 11th May 2013 during sunset Mass. The SOCCOM members of Holy Trinity Parish took the opportunity to take part in the Eucharistic celebration held during the Sunset Mass on the 11^th May 2013 as commentator, collectors, lectors and also the offertory.

The participation gave members the opportunity to learn and understand the deeper meaning of the Eucharistic celebration and above all stepping forward  to serve. Members should be mission oriented, a criteria necessary in the field of social communication for the promotion of evangelization. An exhibition about the Catholic Faith will be held on the following week ( Pentecost ), an activity by SOCCOM in conjunction with this Year of Faith.

In his homily, Fr. David A. Garaman, the assistant rector, in summing up the readings on  Ascension said, 'Jesus wants us to be strong and vibrant in bringing others to recognize, accept and share in His life. Let us take this opportunity to build a relationship with Christ, to discern and do His will'.

Lectors from L - R : Jerome and Julita 

From the Gospel of Luke 24: 19-20, he stressed that  the Ascension of  Jesus to Heaven does not mean that He left us. But only with this, the Holy Spirit will be revealed to us so that we can continue to spread the Good News of repentance and forgiveness of sins and be witnesses of His glory.  He continued to say that, 'Jesus instructs us to go and proclaim the Good News without worry but do it with joy for He will be with us through the Holy Spirit which will decent unto us on Pentecost.'

Let us appreciate the relationship we have with Christ so that we are able to establish relationships with other people and together serve Him.  Through joint prayer, devotion, sharing the Word of God and the sacraments, we are drawn closer to God and each other especially in our parish of various ethnic groups in building the community of God.

He concluded by saying, "we are grateful because we know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life." If we are to preach the Good News as commanded, we need to understand or comprehend the Good News ourselves  knowing and loving Christ.

In conjunction with the 47th World Communication Day, Fr. David touched on the message given by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI based on the theme "Social Networks : portals of truth and faith: new spaces for evangelization". Among the challenges faced today is the emergence of the complex digital environment. These are some of the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI before his retirement.

Social Network progress today challenges us to reflect deeply the digital communication opportunities in the context of evangelism. Is it really helpful to all  to know who  Christ is? As expressed by the Holy Father Emeritus: Can it help men and women meet Christ in faith? It is not enough to find an adequate language, but rather, it is necessary to learn how to present the Gospel as the answer to that basic human yearning for meaning and faith, which has found its expression online.

It is not simply a question of how to use the internet as a means of evangelization, but instead of how to evangelize in a context where the lives of people find expression also in the digital arena. As faithful, we must encourage Catholics across the globe to make better use of the media and other forms of communication to share the Good News of the Gospel to the world and contribute to all how this new media progress and secondly, what can we Christians do in that arena to help and support the development of social networks in a positive manner.

In conjunction with Mothers' Day, a day where we show them reverence and love, all mothers were called to assemble at the front of the altar where they were blessed by Fr David. May they be strengthened and be model of faith and love as like Mother Mary ~ leading their children to know and do what is good, not for themselves but for God and others.