(Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., former master of the Order of Preachers. Photo by Miah Terrenz Provido)
October 14, 2015, 8:12p.m. – “HAPPINESS starts when we stop caring just about ourselves.”
Members of the Dominican family were called to revive the joy of God’s presence in their lives on the second day of the Asia-Pacific Region Dominican Family Retreat at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Oct. 13.
With the theme, “The Joy of Spreading the Gospel,” attendees from different countries across Asia-Pacific were urged to find joy by letting God live in them.
Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., former master of the Order of Preachers, said there were many ways for people to be truly joyful.
“The first step to being joyful is to care whether our brothers and sisters are happy,” he said.
Fr. Radcliffe said Catholics must learn to express love and appreciation toward their brothers and sisters. Happiness is found in selfless concern for other people’s happiness, he added.
“The culmination of our freedom and joy is when we give away our lives, like what Jesus did,” Fr.Radcliffe said.
Joy, he added, is needed in the push for a new evangelization. “Joy is important in preaching the Gospel as well. If we want to reach out to people and spread the Gospel, we must begin by celebrating,” Fr. Radcliffe said.
Holy Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Vincent Vien Ha, O.P., socius of the master for Asia-Pacific and Fr. Franklin Buitrago Rojas, O.P., coordinator of the Jubilee of the Order.
“Our faith is not a set of rules. It is a relationship with God who loves us and knows us better than ourselves,” Fr. Rojas said in his homily.
The session ended with the Veneration of the Cross. Representatives from different countries offered prayers before the cross and everyone was given a chance to kiss the image of the crucified Christ. K. N. A. Sevilla
