By Lissy Maruthanakuzhy
Panaji, June 28, 2020: Fostering personal and community prayers, safeguarding and upholding social justice and taking care of creation are among the ten steps Archbishop Filippe Neri Ferrao has recommended for his people to witness their faith.
The western Indian archdiocese has chosen “You are my witnesses” as the theme of its Pastoral Year 2010-2021. The archdiocese, which was once considered the mother diocese of Asia, had chosen “Go and do likewise” as the theme of the previous. It was in view of the Pope Francis’ call to observe October 2019 as the Extraordinary Missionary Month with the theme, “Baptized and Sent/”
“A missionary disciple experiences and shares his Jesus-experience with others. We have become the ambassadors of the immeasurable love of God,” Archbishop Ferrao says introducing the pastoral year through a pastoral letter.
The prelate wants his people to reinvigorate Catholics who have become indifferent to their faith, promote dialogue with people of all religions, engage in missionary works, promote inculturation, and make use of the modern means of media communication.
Another suggestion is to encourage “Friends of St Joseph Vaz,” a team committed to spread Christian faith. It was formed for evangelization in various parishes of Goa. They strive to spread the faith and to bring about understanding among followers of various religious traditions. They also pray for missionaries. “We ought to encourage these teams by prayer, word and deed,” the archbishop said.
Saint Joseph Vaz (1651-1711) was a Goan missionary who kept the Catholic faith alive in Sri Lanka during the Dutch repression.
The Goa archbishop also wants his to be happy and remain “radiant witnesses” of their faith.
The pastor letter comprises three parts: The accounts of the experience of God-encounter in the Holy Scripture such as the Samaritan Woman and St Paul. “The Jesus-encounter experience is initiated by Jesus himself; the life of the one who undergoes the experience is transformed totally and the person becomes a power filled witness of Jesus,” the prelate explains.
He asserts that only those who have encountered Jesus in life and undergone transformation that lead to “power witness of life” could carry out Christ’s mission.
In the second part, the prelate says, “Powerful witness of life can be achieved through vibrant personal witness, spirit-filled proclamation of the Good News and re-evangelization.”
The ten steps are suggested in third part, entitled, “Outcome of our Jesus-encounter: Our call to Bear Witness.”
Archbishop Ferrao commended his priests, religious and lay people for witnessing Christ through various apostolates and ministries in the archdiocese.
Dialogue with people of all faiths is the need of the hour in the present times.