"Father,
if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be
done"
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Peace be with you! We are still in shock from
the brutal murder of the four Missionaries of Charity and 12 collaborators in
Aden on March 4. We pray for the repose of their souls. At the same time we
implore the four martyrs to intercede for Yemen and for the whole Middle East
that peace may come and violence cease.
Since March 4, Father Tom Uzhunnalil, a
Salesian priest, who has been serving in Yemen for several years, has been
missing. Since the day he was kidnapped we do not know what has happened to him
or where he is. There is still hope that he may be freed.
As we are celebrating the Passion and Resurrection
of Our Lord, I ask all of you to pray for Father Tom, especially during the
adoration hours on Maundy Thursday after the celebration of the Last Supper
Mass.
United with Jesus, with Father Tom and many
others who are persecuted we pray: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup
from me; yet not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). We pray that the same
angel who comforted Jesus may give strength to all who are in danger and
strengthen them in the hours of darkness.
I wish to express my solidarity and
compassion with all who are affected by the events in Aden: the family members,
the Missionaries of Charity, the Congregation of the Salesian Fathers, and not
least the patients of the home and the few Christians remaining without a
shepherd during this time of trial.
We pray for the conversion of the evildoers
and make our own, the prayer of Jesus on the cross: “Father, forgive them; for
they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). We believe that Golgotha is
not the end. Jesus is the Christ, the Risen Lord who lives and reigns forever.
In Him I wish you all a very Happy Easter.
Bishop
Paul Hinder
Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia
Abu Dhabi, March 22, 2016
Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia
Abu Dhabi, March 22, 2016
Editor’s Notes:
Directly under the
Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports
the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.
ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through
prayer, information and action.
Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul
II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work
in over 145 countries throughout the world.
The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including
providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church
buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since
the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed
worldwide.
For more information contact Michael Varenne at
michael@churchinneed.org or call
718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street,
PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org