Archbishop urges his flock to relive the relations of early Christians

SANCOALE: Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao urged the faithful to strengthen their faith they received through the sacrament of baptism with their active involve-ment in small Christian communities (SCCs).
The archbishop reminded the congregation that they were not Christians by chance or luck, but through the sacrament of Baptism all were chosen to be followers and true witnesses of Christ.He was speaking at the sanctuary of Blessed Joseph Vaz, Sancoale, to commemorate the 302nd death anniversary of this great missionary.
Reflecting on the theme 'Blessed Joseph Vaz, model of small Christian communities' the archbishop revealed the four relationships that existed among the earlier SSCs and how it helped the faithful to live and grow in faith. "The first relation as disciples of Christ is to grow in deep relation with our Master through the sacraments, liturgy and community prayers," he added. Ferrao informed that the second relation of love should be made visible in homes and neighbourhood through constant love and care for others.
Focusing on the third relationship, which dealt with charity, he said that it is important to reach out to the needy, poor and live with them. Finally, the archbishop stated that through the sacrament of Baptism all Catholics have become a part of Christ's body and our relation needs to be strengthened and spread through continuous guidance of the church leaders.
To fulfill all the relations which once prevailed and were vibrant among the early Christians, the archbishop said that the SCCs at the parish level were powerful means and weapons. Recalling the missionary zeal of Blessed Joseph Vaz and African leader, late Nelson Mandela, who fought for the rights of the underprivileged, he said "Catholics need to free themselves from the prison of hate, anger, jealousy and indifferences."
Tony Correia, Maria Correia and Stephanie D'Souza received special blessing from the archbishop as lay missionaries to the church in Malawi, Africa. He urged the congregation to extend their prayerful support to them to spread Christian faith with zeal and enthusiasm.
Present on the occasion were the vicar general Fr Remedios Fernandes, superior general of the society of Pilar Fr Francis Carvalho, director of DCMA-CEC Fr Saturnino Dias and rector of the Blessed Joseph Vaz sanctuary Fr Eremito Rebello, other priests and nuns.