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Tet Homily My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: With great joy I greet all of you in the Name of the Lord and wish you a most blessed and Happy New Year! May all the days of this New Year be filled with God’s peace and love. May this year be for you and your families a special time of spiritual renewal and growth. My special prayer for you, the Vietnamese Catholic people of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac Parish, is that you will gratefully receive God’s love and love Him in return. Happy New Year to all of you. Living here in the United States, you have become accustomed to our ways and our practices. An example of this is your adaptations to our Western calendar. Yet, at celebrations like Tet, you are reminded of your good Asian traditions and encouraged to hold fast to them and to practice what is genuine and good. In a similar fashion, as Christian people living in a largely secular society, we must be careful not to lose the real meaning and practice of our Catholic faith. The secular world extols the self, making us self-centered. Christianity on the other hand enthusiastically acknowledges that God is the center as well as the source and the summit of our lives and indeed of all creation. Moreover, imitating the example of Jesus Who came to serve and not to be served, we learn to reach out to help our brothers and sisters and especially those who are most in need. Selfishness is not a virtue. It is a vice. It is sinful. Selfishness is contrary to love – love of God and love of neighbor. In the Sacred Scriptures, Jesus tells us how we should live during this New Year. In fact, His message, His commandments, His directions are not just for this New Year but for all the days of our lives here on earth. Remember, we have been created by God for a very special reason. We are to come to know, love and serve God here on this earth so that we could live with Him forever in heaven. In the Gospels, Jesus directs us to a life which is quite different than our secular society describes. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. He tells us to do good to all people. Jesus encourages us to be generous and merciful. He does not direct us to a self-centered life or a life of selfishness. Rather, He calls us to acknowledge His dominion over creation and to reach out and serve our brothers and sisters. This is the great commandment of love. Love God first and foremost and your neighbor as yourself. Today, as we celebrate Tet, I ask you to count your blessings and give thanks to God. Thank Him for the gift of life and the gift of our Catholic faith. These two gifts from God enable us to know, love and serve Him. These two gifts, properly received, will lead us to an eternal “Tet” in heaven. Then and only then shall we have everlasting peace and joy and rest. Happy Tet now and forever. Most Reverend
Eusebius J. Beltran |