Homily of Cardinal John the Baptist Phạm Minh Mẫn on Dec. 12, 2012

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Permit me to share with you not my thinking, but my feeling about the way of living the Word of God and His wisdom, in responding to the challenges of the today society, especially in my crowded city, where, after 1975, many people and the diocese were suffering of many loss, loss of property, loss of human rights ...

1. First, fifteen years living in this city, I feel that Jesus always accompanies us, as He did with the two disciples of Emmaus.  He is changing loss and sufferings into opportunity for the people of God to share with others our faith and love and hope. So, in all situations and difficulties, I keep faith in Jesus, listening and keeping His Word in my heart, bringing the light of His Truth and Love into my daily thinking, feeling and acting.  And I feel that His Truth and Love give us strength to overcome all kind of fears in our life, to be patient in our prayer, to be humble in our ministry, and to be wise in serving the life of all people.

2. Secondly, I feel that the Holy Spirit is working to renew our mind and open our heart to respond to the challenges of our social life.  So I keep cooperating with Him, helping the people of God in this overcrowded city, not to be in the right wing or in the left wing, but to walk on the path of Christ, inculturating into the cultural tradition, finding in it the seeds of the Word of God, and with it building up the culture of life and love for our society.  I feel that is the way by which Jesus and His Church today are proclaiming the Good News and opening for everybody the road to the new life in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Love and Peace.

3. Thirdly, in difficulties, in trials, even in fear, I feel that, with the help of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and the example the Blessed Mother and our martyrs, the people of God, instead of closing itself in the self defense, open mind and heart to respond to the love of God for all human beings, believers and non believers, left wing and right wing, rich and poor, especially for the abandoned and marginalized in the today society.

Finally, in my overpopulated city, I feel that there are so many people in need of the living water of Christ.  And responding to this need is the responsibility of all catholic.  So, I keep helping every catholic family and community, first to become the well where Christ is willing to share His Living Water to everybody, and secondly to become messengers of The Good News, sharing joy, faith and hope, with friends and neighbors.  I keep doing it, not alone, but with the cooperation of all our priests, religious and lay apostolate associations, and with the hope in our loving God.

May God bless all of us.