Pope’s Prayer

Intentions

Chuùc Möøng Naêm Môùi

Chuû tòch BCHTU

Pope Francis

on Families

TNTT Families

Möøng Xuaân

Lôøi Chuùc

Ban Baùo Chí

A New Year Reflection

Rev. Bình Nguyeãn, SVD

Möøng Xuaân Ñoù Ñaây

Vui Xuaân

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Tr. Hồng Nhung

Ủy Viên Báo Chí

“

”

Lunar New Year comes right

on the first day of Lent this

year, which is a special time of

renewal. The New Year too is

a special time of renewal.

Traditionally, in a very special

and visible manner, Lunar

New Year gives legitimate

cause and motivation to renew

oneself with God, family

members and friends. The

first three days of the year are

reserved purely for worship,

kinship and friendship.

In any gathering on New Year

days, the wishful New Year

echoes the three vital spiritual

qualities: Blessing, Longevity,

and Prosperity. As VEYM

members, we count on

abundant blessings that God

bestows upon our Movement.

We thank God for the guidance

of the Holy Spirit in the past 30

years as we have come to know

God more, love Him more

dearly, and become better

Christians. This is a true

blessing!

We especially give thanks for His presence

with our Movement in the world that leads

to our centennial celebration in Rome. One

hundred years is a long time, which cannot

exist without God’s blessings. Our

Movement truly prospers! From its

birthplace in France, the EYM now spreads

extensively and grows mysteriously in all

corners of the world. By God’s will, it was

planted in Vietnam in 1929 and therefore

we, as Vietnamese EYM members,

graciously inherited it. Since its founding,

the Movement, which is lived by the core of

its spirituality, the Eucharist, is eternal. This

is truly a Longevity and Prosperity!

As we celebrate the Lunar New Year, the

year of the Goat, we wish one another a new

thought of “Blessing, Longevity, and

Prosperity.” As always, we rely on God’s

Rev. Francis Bình Nguyeãn, SVD

General Chaplain

blessing. With God’s blessing, we will be able

to bless one another with kind words and deeds.

As human beings, we love to achieve a long

life. Be mindful that Longevity doesn’t mean

the extension of breath, but more importantly of

love and care for another. When Blessing and

Longevity precede, Prosperity inevitably

follows.

I wish each one of you Blessing, Longevity,

and Prosperity on this Lunar New Year. May

the love of the Eucharist continues to reign

over your life!

Trước thềm Năm Mới Ất Mùi, con xin gửi đến quý Cha

Tuyên Úy, quý Trợ Úy, Trợ Tá, quý Huynh Trưởng, các

em Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể các cấp và quý phụ huynh

cùng các vị Ân Nhân lời Chúc Mừng Năm Mới.

“

”

Nguyện chúc quý vị và gia đình một năm Ất Mùi đầy

tràn Ân Sủng và Bình An của Chúa Giêsu Thánh Thể

qua sự cầu bầu của Mẹ Maria và thánh cả Giuse.

Tr. Giuse Đào Văn Đức

Chủ Tịch Ban Chấp Hành Trung Ương

MEETING WITH FAMILIES ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

POPE FRANCIS

Dear Families,

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am grateful for your presence

here this evening and for the wit-

ness of your love for Jesus and his

Church. I thank Bishop Reyes,

Chairman of the Bishops’ Com-

mission on Family and Life, for his

words of welcome on your behalf.

And, in a special way, I thank

those who have presented testimo-

nies – thank you! – and who have

shared their life of faith with us.

The Church in the Philippines is

blessed by the apostolate of numer-

ous family movements and I thank

them for their witness!

The Scriptures seldom speak of Saint

Joseph, but when they do, we often

find him resting, as an angel reveals

God’s will to him in his dreams. In

the Gospel passage we have just

heard, we find Joseph resting not

once, but twice. This evening I

would like to rest in the Lord with all

of you. I need to rest in the Lord

with families, and to remember my

own family: my father, my mother,

my grandfather, my grandmother…

Today I am resting with you, and

together with you I would like

to reflect on the gift of the

family.

First, however, let me say

something about dreams. But

my English is so poor! If you

allow me, I will ask Mon-

signor Miles to translate and I

will speak in Spanish.

I am very fond of dreams in

families. For nine months eve-

ry mother and father dream

about their baby. Am I right?

[Yes!] They dream about what

kind of child he or she will

be... You can’t have a family

without dreams. Once a fami-

ly loses the ability to dream,

children do not grow, love

does not grow, life shrivels up

and dies. So I ask you each

evening, when you make your

examination of conscience, to

also ask yourselves this ques-

tion: Today did I dream about

my children’s future? Today

did I dream about the love of

my husband, my wife? Did I

dream about my parents and

grandparents who have gone

before me? Dreaming is very

important. Especially dream-

ing in families. Do not lose

this ability to dream!

How many difficulties in mar-

ried life are resolved when we

leave room for dreaming,

when we stop a moment to think

of our spouse, and we dream

about the goodness present in the

good things all around us. So it is

very important to reclaim love by

what we do each day. Do not ever

stop being newlyweds!

Joseph’s rest revealed God’s will

to him. In this moment of rest in

the Lord, as we pause from our

many daily obligations and activ-

ities, God is also speaking to us.

He speaks to us in the reading we

have just heard, in our prayer and

witness, and in the quiet of our

hearts. Let us reflect on what the

Lord is saying to us, especially in

this evening’s Gospel. There are

three aspects of this passage

which I would ask you to consid-

er: First, resting in the Lord. Sec-

ond, rising with Jesus and Mary.

Third, being a prophetic voice.

Resting in the Lord. Rest is so

necessary for the health of our

minds and bodies, and often so

difficult to achieve due to the

many demands placed on us. But

rest is also essential for our spir-

itual health, so that we can hear

God’s voice and understand what

he asks of us. Joseph was chosen

by God to be the foster father of

Jesus and the husband of Mary.

As Christians, you too are called,

like Joseph, to make a home for

Jesus. To make a home for Jesus!

You make a home for him in your

hearts, your families, your parish-

es and your communities.

To hear and accept God’s call, to

make a home for Jesus, you must

be able to rest in the Lord. You

must make time each day to rest in

the Lord, to pray. To pray is to rest

in the Lord. But you may say to me:

Holy Father, I know that; I want to

pray, but there is so much work to

do! I must care for my children; I

have chores in the home; I am too

tired even to sleep well. I know.

This may be true, but if we do not

pray, we will not know the most im-

portant thing of all: God’s will for

us. And for all our activity, our busy

-ness, without prayer we will ac-

complish very little.

Resting in prayer is especially im-

portant for families. It is in the fami-

ly that we first learn how to pray.

Don’t forget: the family that prays

together stays together! This is im-

portant. There we come to know

God, to grow into men and women

of faith, to see ourselves as mem-

bers of God’s greater family, the

Church. In the family we learn how

to love, to forgive, to be generous

and open, not closed and selfish. We

learn to move beyond our own

needs, to encounter others and

share our lives with them. That is

why it is so important to pray as a

family! So important! That is why

families are so important in God’s

plan for the Church! To rest in the

Lord is to pray. To pray together

as a family.

I would also like to tell you some-

thing very personal. I have great

love for Saint Joseph, because he

is a man of silence and strength.

On my table I have an image of

Saint Joseph sleeping. Even when

he is asleep, he is taking care of

the Church! Yes! We know that

he can do that. So when I have a

problem, a difficulty, I write a lit-

tle note and I put it underneath

Saint Joseph, so that he can dream

about it! In other words I tell him:

pray for this problem!

Next, rising with Jesus and

Mary. Those precious moments of

repose, of resting with the Lord in

prayer, are moments we might

wish to prolong. But like Saint

Joseph, once we have heard God’s

voice, we must rise from our

slumber; we must get up and act

(cf. Rom 13:11). In our families,

we have to get up and act! Faith

does not remove us from the

world, but draws us more deeply

into it. This is very important! We

have to be deeply engaged with

the world, but with the power of

prayer. Each of us, in fact, has a

special role in preparing for the

coming of God’s kingdom in our

world.

Just as the gift of the Holy Fam-

ily was entrusted to Saint Jo-

“Don’t forget: the family that prays together stays together!”

seph, so the gift of the family and its place

in God’s plan is entrusted to us. Like Saint

Joseph. The gift of the Holy Family was

entrusted to Saint Joseph so that he could

care for it. Each of you, each of us – for I

too am part of a family – is charged with

caring for God’s plan. The angel of the

Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which

threatened Jesus and Mary, forcing

them to flee to Egypt and then to set-

tle in Nazareth. So too, in our time,

God calls upon us to recognize the

dangers threatening our own families

and to protect them from harm.

Let us be on guard against coloniza-

tion by new ideologies. There are

forms of ideological colonization

which are out to destroy the family.

They are not born of dreams, of pray-

ers, of closeness to God or the mis-

sion which God gave us; they come

from without, and for that reason I am

saying that they are forms of coloni-

zation. Let’s not lose the freedom of

the mission which God has given us,

the mission of the family. Just as our

peoples, at a certain moment of their histo-

ry, were mature enough to say “no” to all

forms of political colonization, so too in

our families we need to be very wise, very

shrewd, very strong, in order to say “no” to

all attempts at an ideological colonization

of our families. We need to ask Saint Jo-

seph, the friend of the angel, to send us the

inspiration to know when we can say “yes”

and when we have to say “no”.

The pressures on family life today are

many. Here in the Philippines, countless

families are still suffering from the effects

of natural disasters. The economic situa-

tion has caused families to be separated by

migration and the search for employment,

and financial problems strain many house-

holds. While all too many people live in

dire poverty, others are caught up in mate-

rialism and lifestyles which are destructive

of family life and the most basic demands

of Christian morality. These are forms of

ideological colonization. The family is also

threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine

the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of

the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life.

I think of Blessed Paul VI. At a time when the problem of pop-

ulation growth was being raised, he had the courage to defend

openness to life in families. He knew the difficulties that are

there in every family, and so in his Encyclical he was very

merciful towards particular cases, and he asked confessors to

be very merciful and understanding in dealing with particular

cases. But he also had a broader vision: he looked at the peo-

ples of the earth and he saw this threat of families being de-

stroyed for lack of children. Paul VI was courageous; he was a

good pastor and he warned his flock of the wolves who were

coming. From his place in heaven, may he bless this evening!

Our world needs good and strong families to overcome these

threats! The Philippines needs holy and loving families to pro-

tect the beauty and truth of the family in God’s plan and to be a

support and example for other families. Every threat to the

family is a threat to society itself. The future of humanity, as

Saint John Paul II often said, passes through the family

(cf. Familiaris Consortio, 85). The future passes through the

family. So protect your families! Protect your families! See in

them your country’s greatest treasure and nourish them always

by prayer and the grace of the sacraments. Families will always

have their trials, but may you never add to them! Instead, be

living examples of love, forgiveness and care. Be sanctuaries

of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human

life from conception to natural death. What a gift this would be

to society, if every Christian family lived fully its noble voca-

tion! So rise with Jesus and Mary, and set out on the path the

Lord traces for each of you.

Finally, the Gospel we have heard reminds us of

our Christian duty to be prophetic voices in the

midst of our communities. Joseph listened to the

angel of the Lord and responded to God’s call to

care for Jesus and Mary. In this way he played

his part in God’s plan, and became a blessing not

only for the Holy Family, but a blessing for all of

humanity. With Mary, Joseph served as a model

for the boy Jesus as he grew in wisdom, age and

grace (cf. Lk 2:52). When families bring children

into the world, train them in faith and sound val-

ues, and teach them to contribute to society, they

become a blessing in our world. Families can be-

come a blessing for all of humanity! God’s love

becomes present and active by the way we love

and by the good works that we do. We extend

Christ’s kingdom in this world. And in doing

this, we prove faithful to the prophetic mission

which we have received in baptism.

During this year which your bishops have set

aside as the Year of the Poor, I would ask you, as

families, to be especially mindful of our call to be

missionary disciples of Jesus. This means being

ready to go beyond your homes and to care for

our brothers and sisters who are most in need. I

ask you especially to show concern for those who

do not have a

family of their

own, in particular

those who are

elderly and chil-

dren without par-

ents. Never let

them feel isolat-

ed, alone and

abandoned, but

help them to

know that God

has not forgotten

them. Today I

was very moved

when, after

Mass, I visited a

home for chil-

dren without

families. How

many people

work in the

Church to make

that home a fami-

ly! This is what it means, in a prophetic sense, to

build a family.

You may be poor yourselves in material ways, but you

have an abundance of gifts to offer when you offer Christ

and the community of his Church. Do not hide your faith,

do not hide Jesus, but carry him into the world and offer

the witness of your family life!

Dear friends in Christ, know that I pray for you always! I

pray for families! I do! I pray that the Lord may continue

to deepen your love for him, and that this love may mani-

fest itself in your love for one another and for the

Church. Do not forget Jesus who sleeps! Do not forget

Saint Joseph who sleeps! Jesus slept with the protection

of Joseph. Do not forget: families find their rest in pray-

er. Don not forget to pray for families. Pray often and

take the fruits of your prayer into the world, that all may

know Jesus Christ and his merciful love. Please pray also

for me, for I truly need your prayers and will depend on

them always! Thank you very much!

Source: http://goo.gl/5G7p2P

“Do not forget: families find their rest in prayer.”

BANH CHUNG BANH GIAY BANH TET BUYING

CLEANING COOKING ENVELOPES FAMILY

FESTIVAL FOODS GIVING GREAT HEALTH

GREETINGS HOUSE LONGEVITY LOVE

LUCKY LUNAR MONEY NEW

PROSPERITY RED SHOPPING SPECIAL

TET VIETNAM VISITING WISHES

YEAR YEAR OF GOAT

N U Y L E A R R T Q L B E R Q E V J X X X G F T L I T U Y M

A X C E K U B J U I A A J W H N D I J W S A I T A O Q M K F

V M E O A U L A P O V N H A K V W E S F N U A V F S D K C B

Q M X K M R O O Y M I H W U I E Q S O I Y I N V I H D Z U N

C Z T Y Y H O P V J T G I Y N L K R W O T H G W U N Z O L I

Y E A R L B S F L E S I S W Y O C B M G N I K O O C G B O A

N N A G S P H U G N E A H H G P J D Y A D T N Q O A A E Z F

U U Y U J I N W R O F Y E Z Z E T T P X W A M G I L B G Q Z

A T F K U A R Z N K A E S S W S V Q H R Y W G F P O O E D W

X O F I R T P O Y C D T E S U O H I R H B V L W Z A L N R P

P R O S P E R I T Y F Z A K L S X S W S I K E C L A V O B O

K P S O V C E T Z Z U B Q K Q L W S S E V P M C G Y U D J F

R X I T S Z P N W E H D F X G E U K T G C S D V S G O T V T

A T V X E N B V P Y E V F P P J H N O R N Q E C R Y T E D O

X S R X I I R U J H N Z O U D B A W I I O I S J W C S L P H

F E W E Q X C C L E A N I N G M Q G G Q N H T E A I E A I Y

X F T V A U O G N I F X C G S T S G J B I Z N E T Z A U B Y

A M D H F D E R E K H T E O L T P Q S Z X T K Y E F Q T I C

X C D L T D G K D T L G D F W A K L Y R F Y G M R R E D U K

C Y O P C J D I L T H J E C V Y I Z K Y B D A Q N Q G H R E

F A M I L Y S A G N U H C H N A B C E C L T P U N C L B B W

W M A W N S E G X O N T Y E T F J N E V H T G R T O F T K F

B Q T K O H N V X T V U W J M Q O I P P R E V L N D K P P Q

H A F I T I V U B M Q Z U P H M B T M A S T J G V T T Y M W

K N H A P G G E A X K A O Z C L G K M J M C E U U E O Y Y J

V J E P R N N K Q U L A Z Q S H K N W V V V E L K T I K A D

W R O T I I K R Q Z X Z L N Q D E G P C I Z N Q R H N H L L

G H W Y I H D H Y F F P Q N L W W G M T M I H J Z N K M V S

S E U Q G Z A R R I M A Q P K D P A Y L J J T L Z A W M Q N

G B M M M Z T J Y O N A T D U K Z O P A F S X F Q B X G S Y

Sau khi ăn tết, Hai người cha & 2 người

con cùng đi săn, mỗi người săn được 1

con. Nhưng tổng số vịt là 3 con. Vì sao?

Thấy bố mẹ vừa về đến ngõ,

cu Tý chạy ra hớn hở khoe:

- Mẹ ơi! Sáng nay có cô Mười

ở bên Mỹ mới đến nhà chơi.

Cô tặng cho nhà mình một

món quà và nói rằng: “Món

quà của cô tuy nhỏ nhưng

cũng đủ cho gia đình cháu

dùng trong một năm”

Nghe thế, mẹ cu Tý mừng

quýnh, hỏi ngay:

- Món quà gì thế con?

- Dạ, một quyển lịch!

Sau khi ăn tết, Hai người cha & 2 người

con cùng đi săn, mỗi người săn được 1

con. Nhưng tổng số vịt là 3 con. Vì sao?

That those involved in scientific research may serve the

well-being of the whole human person.

That the unique contribution of women to the life of

the Church may be recognized always.

That people may learn to respect creation and care for

it as a gift of God.

That persecuted Christians may feel the consoling

presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity of all the Church.

That, rejecting the culture of indifference, we may care

for our neighbours who suffer, especially the sick and the poor.

That Mary's intercession may help Christians in

secularized cultures be ready to proclaim Jesus.