Apostle No. 60 - Autumn 2023
Dear Friends and Benefactors,
Once again, we write to you with news of the Apostolate here in the Far East. You can find inside this APOSTLE magazine the various works we carry out in the Lord’s vineyard for the salvation of souls.
One of the greatest temptations that Catholics can encounter in these strange times is that of despair. A Catholic can travel to any country in the world and find so many cases of discouragement and difficulty in the practice of our holy faith. Time and time again we hear the cries of the faithful for more help, more time, more answers to the problems they face in a pagan world. These are loud and desperate cries that cannot be ignored!
It is the supernatural virtue of hope that provides the answers and the resources to face the “impossible” situations that we encounter each day. It is precisely the hope and trust in Divine Providence that give us the strength and perseverance to overcome the temptations of despair and sadness during these perilous times.
However, there are also other “cries” of souls that cannot be heard so easily. These are the “silent cries” of so many millions, nay billions, of souls that are born in the darkness of idolatry and false religions. They spend their entire lives seeking after happiness and some other answers that would make this bizarre world seem more sensible to them. Unfortunately for most of these poor souls, they cannot find the answers and they die in spiritual darkness. As St. Paul writes to the Romans, “How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14).
We cannot forget these souls, and we cannot pretend that we are to only take care of the Catholics who are already attending our chapels and churches. We are in need of so many more vocations, more priests, more religious brothers and nuns, more laity who are filled with the zeal for the salvation of these souls who live in darkness.
Yes, we must be careful that we do not fall into the common error from our human weakness to be selfish, to think only of our own individual good, to forget that we are all put on this earth to save our souls AND the souls of others.
My dear readers, please continue your generous support of our work out here in Asia. We have the utmost confidence in the Most Holy Trinity that all generosity in spiritual and material goods will be rewarded hundredfold in this life and in the next.
Be assured of our prayers for all of you and please pray for us too!
Click here to download the Apostle No. 60 - Autumn 2023
Fr. Patrick Summers
District Superior of Asia
