Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Friday 29 March |
Good Friday
Aleteia logo

Welcoming Jesus in Thailand, Where Priests are Scarce and Mass is Rare

12391128_10206953796276886_814777078936570665_n

Deacon Greg Kandra - published on 01/13/16

Please consider a gift for Aleteia!
Help us spread the joy of Christ's victory.
Aleteia depends on your support.

Join our Lenten Campaign 2024.

DONATE NOW

This is the sort of thing more of us need to know about: an example of the breadth and depth of Catholicism, as it’s practiced in a distant corner of Thailand.

Here in the U.S., we wring our hands over our posture for the Lord’s Prayer and gnash our teeth over EMHCs and shake our fists at ugly vestments. Step outside, though. Look beyond. Squint and you will see the astonishing beauty contained in the fervent and unflinching piety of people who have few priests but a bottomless faith—and who cherish every opportunity, no matter how infrequent or how imperfect, to celebrate the sacraments.

Note that in the piece below, Fr. Sala mentions the critically important presence of deacons in these villages.

And note, too, that the Jubilee of Mercy has a richer, deeper significance for these people than it may have for some of us jaded Westerners (some of whom are far too eager, just one month into this event, to declare it a failure).

Read on, and give thanks to God for men like Fr. Sala and the beautiful faith of the good people of Thailand:

Hundreds of people dressed in their Sunday best, wearing traditional headdresses, playing traditional gongs and drums to welcome the statue of the Child Jesus, carried in procession to the village church and venerated there. This is the scene before Fr. Valerio Sala, missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), every time he visits a village of the Mae Suay mission (diocese of Chiang Mai), in the mountainous north of Thailand. Fr. Sala has been in the country for six years and for the past four has been in charge of the pastoral care of 29 tribal Akha villages that have no stable priest. “Being alone” – he says – “I try to visit them all for Christmas, so I started traveling in early December. This year, then, there was also the beginning of the Jubilee Year which is an opportunity to introduce the community to the meaning of the Jubilee Year, and spiritual and corporal works of mercy. ” …On Christmas Day Fr. Sala celebrated two Masses, one in the missionary center of Mae Suay and the other in the hostel of the Assumption, a church in the middle of the valley. “I invited people from a dozen villages in the vicinity to the second celebration” – says the priest – “and many came, about 300 people. Opening the ceremony of welcoming the baby Jesus I read the Luke’s Gospel of the Annunciation, explaining that the call to Mary not to be afraid also applies to us. I also explained that ours is the only religion in which God incarnates in humanity, not because we are the best, but because the purpose of religion is to be embodied in life. ” In the absence of priests (who visit the villages at least three times a year and for funerals) there are catechists (prayer leaders) who help people to pray, especially on Sunday. “These figures” – notes Fr. Sala – “are very important because they serve as deacons and because they speak the Akha language. I only speak Thai but people – especially the elderly – do not understand. So, for example, catechists translate all my preaching. ” Fr. Sala also speaks about the impact and novelty of the Jubilee of Mercy: “For the Akha tribal forgiveness is a difficult thing to understand. They come from a religion in which life is subject to the power of the spirits, which must be appeased with sacrifices and offerings. In the villages there was no forgiveness and acceptance, only the rule of survival. These concepts have arrived with the Gospel. In households, for example, the child is useful not because it is seen as the fulfillment of the union of the couple, but because it means extra workforce. In the family the emotional bond is not intended in the manner we are accustomed to. The concept of a God who forgives has revolutionized the way they live. ” “What we are trying to help them understand” – says the missionary – “is that the Gospel must be incarnated in everyday life and not be relegated to the few hours when I visit or we celebrate together. This is a concept that is hard to pass on, because they are accustomed to rituals and to appease the spirits and that’s it. Christianity is instead accepting Jesus in their lives and allowing him to change it.”

Read it all. 

Photo: AsiaNews.it

Support Aleteia!

Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Thanks to their partnership in our mission, we reach more than 20 million unique users per month!

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

Support Aleteia with a gift today!

jour1_V2.gif
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More