May the Lord give you grace and peace in Lent through the Holy Spirit.
It is on 25th February 2023. We celebrate the feast of the 40th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Abu Dhabi. It is a significant day since the liturgical calendar ranks it as a feast throughout the Vicariate. It is where the Bishop has a special place, and we celebrate our life of faith as a family of God.
The readings are from Ephesians 2:19-22 and the Gospel from John 4:19-24.
A man used to tease his wife for her commitment to the Church. He was a Catholic, yet he never liked to come inside the church for the reasons he held. There was a time when he lost his job and they had nothing to eat. He challenged his wife saying that whether her faith in God and the Church would bring anything to eat. The wife was silent and praying. Someone knocked on the door. Immediately, he retorted telling her to go and open the door, it might be the God she believes knocking. She attended the door finding a postman with a money order for her husband as royalty for a book he wrote.
Cathedral is a life-giving church for the Vicariate as a mother welcoming everyone and remaining inclusive in taking everyone on board. It is the place of communication with God and to have communion with one another. St. Peter tells us, together with Christ, we are one building (1 Pt 2:4).
St. Paul boldly confesses that we are God’s building because God lives in us. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). Ekklesia means a community that believes in the Lord. As a community, we are united in faith with the Bishop. We too are today through this feast reminded that we are a community of faith and charity. Celebrating our freedom and faith in the service of the Gospel is the expression of this dedication.
It is also a day to renew our dedication to the Lord as we thank the Lord for the Cathedral of St. Joseph. The dedication involves struggles, and sufferings to grow in faith and ready to take responsibility as people of God. “In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” (Eph.2:21). The Gospel rightly points out to worship in spirit and truth. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn.4:24).
As the Cathedral has helped the community to grow in faith, we too need to support and strengthen others with our love and charity. Without imposing, humiliating, or dictating we need to show our genuine assistance to others to grow in the full stature of perfection. We are privileged to be members of the Cathedral and so we remain grateful to God to be graceful to one another. We rejoice not only within these four walls of the Cathedral but in the mystical Body of Christ, the community of believers. Let us work together with our Bishop in faith and charity for the upbuilding and integral growth of the Church. Have a lovely day. God bless you.