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各位教友： 下週六早上十時，萬寧主教將為我們的堂區中心啟用，主持揭幕儀式，並舉行感恩祭，歡迎各位前來參與，並帶備食物，於感恩祭後一起聚餐。 週六那天，剛巧是墨西哥及美國人慶祝瑰得露彼聖母顯現的大日子。當年，瑰得露彼聖母穿著“tilma” 顯示於人前，Tilma是後古典期及早期殖民地時代，阿玆特克及墨西哥中部的男仕所穿的一種外衣，它可以像長圍裙般穿在身體前面，或者像斗篷般披在肩上。瑰得露彼聖母顯現於1531年12月9-12日，至今，來自各地的教友，仍遠赴墨西哥的瑰得露彼大教堂，絡繹不絕地朝拜聖母。 作為墨西哥人，瑰得露彼聖母影響了我的一生，有關這聖顯的詳述，仍為活在現代的我們帶來天主的厚愛，讓我們找到人生的真諦。瑰得露彼聖母顯現的詳述，有名為NICAN MOPOHUA的專文供你在網上查閱。NICAN MOPOHUA意指: 「這記述了…」，是墨西哥中部的方言Nahuatl，此方言至今仍有約一百五十萬墨西哥人使用。 每次我返回墨西哥，都會去瑰得露彼大教堂內專崇聖母，每次都令我悠然心會、精神煥發，成了我每次返鄉的必到之處。瑰得露彼聖母像是那樣眩人耳目，震人心弦，吸引了成千上萬的信友，滿懷信念而來，感謝她、信靠她。我在聖母像前為你們的夢想、需要及希望祈禱，也為我在堂區的工作禱告，相信聖母一定會引領我們，就像她當年指引少年耶穌一樣。 不少科學家遠渡重洋，前來研究瑰得露彼聖母像及其背景的物件〈星星及繪圖〉，這麼多年過去了，聖母像依然完美無瑕，就連聖母穿著的Tilma，粗糙的物料原只應有二、三十年的壽命，現今卻仍然完整無損。眼科醫生發覺聖母的瞳孔更會因光線照射而收縮，一如常人，箇中原因，真令人難以解釋。 將臨期內，希望藉著這瑰得露彼聖母的分享，就如聖母當年滿懷喜悅迎接嬰孩耶穌一樣，給你一點鼓勵，好能放開懷抱，心無罣礙，廣傳福音。 主祐， 莫靖龍神父 (以上為莫神父書信之意譯, 書信內容以英文為準)  |
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Dear Parishioners: Next week we will have the blessing of the new Parish Centre, this will be an important day for our parish community and Bishop Kevin Manning has kindly agreed to offer the thanksgiving mass and do the blessing. As we mentioned in the Parish Newsletter last week, all of you are invited to come and we ask you to bring a plate (with food :) ) to share with others. The Thanksgiving mass will start at 10:00 am. The blessing of the Parish Centre providentially falls on the 12th of December, the day when in Mexico and in the Americas celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe. That day, Catholics in all the Americas celebrate the day when the miraculous image appeared on the “tilma”. According to my dictionary online a tilmàtli (or tilma) was a type of outer garment worn by men, documented from the late Postclassic and early Colonial eras among the Aztec and other peoples of central Mexico. The garment was to be worn at the front like a long apron, or alternatively draped across the shoulders as a cloak. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilma_(clothing) ) The apparitions took place from the 9th to the 12th of December 1531 and the image is still venerated at the National Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. As a Mexican, the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe has had a great influence in my personal life both as catholic and as a priest. The oldest narrative that we have of the apparitions has been and still is a source of inspiration to know and love the “great God of truth that gives us life”. This narrative can be found online. The name of the document is NICAN MOPOHUA (Here is told.. ) those are the first two words in Nahualt (a Mexican language still used by 1.5 million people who live in central Mexico). Every time I have the chance to go back to Mexico, it has become a personal devotion to go and visit our Lady at her house in the National Basilica. It has been and still is one of the most sublime moments during my stay in Mexico. The image is powerful itself as to draw the attention of the person who in faith comes and visits her. The Basilica has always many visitors, people from all different cultural and economical backgrounds. We all go to see our Mother, to thank her and to entrust our prayers to her so she can pass them to her Son Jesus. During my visit I spend a few moments before the blessed image, praying for you: your needs, your dreams and your hopes for the future. I also entrusted my pastoral work to her care and guidance, she is the one who knew how to look after Jesus and guide him in his younger years. The image has been the object of different studies, the symbolism behind all the drawings and stars (even the Southern Cross can be identified in the image); the fact that the image is still intact after so many years, even when the rough material the tilma is made of has a lifespan of no more than 20 to 30 years; the Ophthalmologic studies made on the eyes of Mary that detected that when the eye is exposed to light, the retina contracts, and when the light is withdrawn, it returns to a dilated state, just as happens with a living eye and so many others that would be impossible for me to mention in this short article. I hope these few ideas about Our Lady of Guadalupe can encourage you in this time of Advent, to welcome Jesus just as Mary did and also to bring him to “all the people who live together in this land”. Peace in Jesus Fernando Montano MG |