Last August,our pilgrimage to the Holy Land led us to the place where Mary received  the  Annunciation  from  the  Angel  Gabriel.  There  were  a  lot  of emotions in our group as we read on the wall of the house of Mary, the Word became flesh "here",   and there was much joy a few hours later when we celebrated the Eucharist in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem .

Today the Word is made Flesh, here in our hearts in Cambodia.

In the days of Advent, we became partners in the mystery of the Incarnation. With Mary, we prepared our hearts to receive God himself. At Christmas, God-Man came to live in our hearts through Jesus. Great Joy. Great Peace.

Thanksgiving

The Year of Faith that we completed with the ordination of the deacons for the service of the Church and the World, invited us to give thanks for all the marvels with which the Lord has filled our lives:

- the Synod on the New Evangelization
- the Reflection on the Church,
- Our new Pope Francis
- The relics of St. Therese ,
- 200 baptisms, 400 confirmations,
- The youth synod - our mini JMJ
- The pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to Taom
- the Scout camps and the camp for vocations
- The nights of prayer,

And  especially  for  each of  us  the  joy  of  serving  in  our  parishes, in  the community, offering all our experiences of God.

With Mary, let us ponder in our hearts all these gifts that God has offered us during this one year.

The diaconal ordination reminded us that the Incarnation is God giving his life for others, completely. Service to the other is the greatest sign of this life.

2014-2016 –THE YEARS OF CHARITY : Who is my neighbor?

This question to Jesus is the question we also need to ask Jesus. The next 3 years will help us to respond simply and truly, and we will continue our reflection on the Church that we want to build in Cambodia. Let me offer you now some ideas that can guide us in these coming years:

Let our Church be Communion

"That they may be one as we are one ... (Jn 17,22)

Two thousand years ago, Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God. We are heirs of the kingdom which calls all humanity to reconcile, to live together in brotherhood and peace.

Our Church in Cambodia is rich in cultural and social diversity. More than ever, we are called to live as brothers and sisters, to reconcile our differences, and to live in our flesh the experience of the Church as the Body of Christ.  We must form a communion with God and in God, where everyone has a place and everyone sees the other as a brother or sister to love in truth and action. The Church is not communitarian, the Church is communion.

These  years  of  Charity  will  help  us  to  make  concrete  the  sign  of  our communion in each of our communities.

Let our Church be incarnated

As you have sent me into the world , I also have sent them into the world. (Jn 17,18)

Jesus  spent  thirty  years  in  Nazareth  ...  The  Good  News  of  Jesus  was announced for the first time in 1555 in Cambodia ... The story of the development of the Good News in Cambodia is a long story, marked by the vicissitudes of history.

And our incarnation is not yet complete. Our society is changing, habits are changing, the family model that was known generations before Pol Pot is changing. The XXI century is present in all social and economic sectors. The workers’  world  is  changing  rapidly,  the  rich  get  richer,  the  poor  have stagnated, the middle class is growing rapidly. The message of Jesus must be incarnated in this society.

It is the duty of everyone to become attentive to our faith and let it permeate our life and our daily decisions.

It is the same for pastoral workers wishing to work in Cambodia. We can not ignore the study of the language and the understanding of Cambodia through its culture, its history, its men and women.

Cambodia  is  entering  this  globalized  world  at  breakneck  speed,  and  yet remains a profoundly rural country, steeped in traditions and rituals.  These traditions are part of the heart of every Cambodian, even when they live in the towns and are connected to all the social networks.

Understanding the heart, changing our perspectives, entering into the mystery of a people, takes time .... I ask each religious congregation and all the institutes of consecrated life to include many years of language study as a requirement for working here.

The 2015 year of ASEAN is approaching. As part of the whole society, the Church must be ready to enter into this new pluralistic society that will gradually emerge.  We must open our hearts to accommodate all viewpoints, but not in defiance of the Khmer culture and the Khmer soul.

The Church lives according to the rhythm of both the universal Church and the local Church. We must be more careful than ever that all the components of our church are in respectful harmony and that a true church, an incarnate sign of communion, is rooted deep within "our land and our rivers. "

Let our Church be committed

I , the Lord , have called you in righteousness . You will open the eyes of the blind, you shall bring forth the captives from prison. (Isaiah 42.7)

In just the last few months a new society is being born before our eyes. Big changes are taking place rapidly. What form will they take?

Our church is small.  Our voice is muted.

The constitution respects religious freedom, and because of our faith, we need more than ever to turn resolutely towards the little people of our society who have been pushed out so easily with bulldozers.

God is on the side of the widow, the orphan, and the strangers.  As  baptized  Christians,  we  must  take  responsibility  and  courageously denounce all situations of injustice and the corruption that always favors the rich to the detriment of the poor.

I call for a true conversion of heart in each of us. A new society where justice and equality are respected may emerge if everyone takes responsibility for the common good .

Our responsibility as Christians is to be engaged. In small ways but with a new heart we can be actors for change.

Three years of prayers and reflection on charity must also be a time to act with charity in all sectors of our society and at all levels, whether as individuals or as institutions. We all have our own personal political convictions, but our choices and decisions must be made in the light of the gospel.

Jesus fought for a fuller life for all. God offers love and mercy to every man and woman, and we must create a brotherhood around the world because we have a single father.  I call more than ever for our Church to make choices for life and peace .

Our Church proclaims the Good News and prays

"That they have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness... (Jn 17,13)

This perfect joy that Jesus has placed in us, we can not keep it to ourselves.  On Christmas Eve some communities across the Vicariate gathered hundreds or even thousands of people to share this great joy: a Savior has come and enlightens the darkness of our lives!

This hope we share throughout the year has its peak at Easter when Jesus conquers death forever.

We must open the doors of our hearts during these years of charity so that the gospel will be heard everywhere in the countryside and in the cities, even where our presence is still very modest.

The love of Jesus is contagious, a contagion that ignites our communities with enthusiasm and joyful signs of life that we have received in abundance.  So many hearts suffer from thirst. So many hearts weep. Go out, shout for joy. Invite.  Share. Welcome warmly.

We are the Church that Jesus sends with all his heart and all his mercy.  But remain with Jesus, our Master, in a permanent relationship of heart to heart. Mary's Magnificat is an expression of her intimate and constant relationship with God.

May these three years really be an opportunity to live in the "atmosphere" of God, where our prayer is the breath of life: with Him, for Him, in Him always and every day .

A Few Notes about the Church of God , serving the little people

I  just  want  to  share  with  you  some  gifts  received  during  the  month  of December.

• With the Missionary Sisters of Charity, hundreds of poor families gathered at Christmas and their hearts were warmed with the children’s presentation of the Nativity and by sharing gifts. Yes, it is good to know that we have brothers and sisters to love and who love us .

• With our disabled brothers and sisters at the Peace Village on the beach by the sea, 50 disabled children with their parents were able to discover the sea in an experience of humanity and brotherhood for all, both children and adults. It was an encounter that spoke to the heart of the dignity and preciousness of life.

With our little deaf children at the bishop’s house, and with their "big brother" who cares for them with dedication : they can not speak but their heart explodes with joy and gratitude.

• With sick children at the hospital in Takeo and with two small pieces of life,just a few hundred grams in the new incubator of the hospital Bambino Gesu... life is the greatest gift we have received ...

• With the prisoners of Sihanoukville and Takeo and our Buddhist, Muslim and  Protestant  brothers.  A  great  sign  of  brotherhood  and  peace  with  a message of Hope was shared by the different religions: everyone has the opportunity to become a new human being. Each, whatever he has done, is a brother to love.

Each of us has received during this year countless gifts that give life and show the depth and breadth of the love and tenderness of God.

Personally and communally, let us focus on Charity, for the love of Christ urges us:
 

PEACE IN CAMBODIA .
PEACE ON EARTH .

God bless you and keep you in his Tender Mercy


+Olivier Schmitthaeusler
Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh Cambodia