Catholic Sabah

04/12/2025

Pope Leo to continue traditionaI visit for Immaculate Conception

Tradition and devotion intertwine in the “homage” or veneration paid to the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated each year on Dec 8.

Each year, representatives of the city and various religious and civic organisations pray and offer flowers at the statue of the Virgin in Piazza Mignanelli, near the famous Spanish Steps in the heart of Rome. This year, Pope Leo XIV will take part in the traditional act of devotion, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, including Benedict XVI and St John Paul II.

Last year, on Dec 8 2024, it was Pope Francis who prayed at the feet of Mary and entrusted to her the upcoming Jubilee, “a message of hope for humanity tried by crises and wars.” Now, just a few weeks before the conclusion of the Holy Year, Pope Leo returns to the feet of Our Lady.

Continue reading in https://www.catholicsabah.com/pope-leo-to-continue-traditionai-visit-for-immaculate-conception/

04/12/2025

Pope: ‘I was thinking of retiring, but instead I surrendered to God’

“First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you who have worked so hard; I would like you to pass on this message also to the other journalists, both in Türkiye and in Lebanon, who have worked to communicate the important messages of this journey. You too all deserve a big round of applause for this visit.”

Pope Leo XIV greeted the 81 journalists on board the flight from Beirut to Rome with those words, before answering several questions, speaking in English, Italian and Spanish.

He spoke about his just-concluded Apostolic Journey, the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, Europe’s presence in peace negotiations, and the situation in Venezuela.

Continue reading at https://www.catholicsabah.com/pope-i-was-thinking-of-retiring-but-instead-i-surrendered-to-god/

03/12/2025

Thursday of the 1st week of Advent

The constant Rock

“Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, she, the faithful one whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace because she trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is the everlasting Rock…” In the first reading, the words of the prophet Isaiah remain relevant to us today. Amid the instability of our world and the personal struggles we face, the prophet reminds us that God Himself is our firm rock. Peace does not come from control, success, or external security, but from allowing God to be our sure foundation.

Read more in https://www.catholicsabah.com/dec-4-2025/

03/12/2025

03/12/2025

Cardinal Bo: Smile to others from the heart

On the second day of the Great Pilgrimage of Hope 2025, His Eminence Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, SDB, Archbishop of Yangon and former President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), delivered a stirring homily during Holy Mass, reflecting on Asia’s journey of faith and hope.

Cardinal Bo began by painting a vivid image of Asia as a “great mosaic, united in diversity.” He reminded the faithful that as people of Asia, we walk together, listening to one another. “The Asian Jesus is listening to Asia,” he said, “but often heard by very few.” Christianity, he noted, has left a profound influence across the continent.

Saint Theresa, who “preached without preaching,” brought the passion of Christ to Asia, while education and welfare initiatives left a lasting impression of Jesus among the people.

Continue reading in https://www.catholicsabah.com/cardinal-bo-smile-to-others-from-the-heart/

03/12/2025

What Advent preparation really demands

Advent began yesterday. “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” the prophet Isaiah told us at Mass yesterday. Jesus urged us to be wakeful in Matthew’s Gospel: “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Advent is a forward looking season and what is it to which we look forward? Grace.

In a sense, Advent began back in March, on the Feast of the Annunciation. Luke’s Gospel tells us that the angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin, greeting her with the words: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

Advent is Marian at its core, for it is she who is pregnant with the Word of God. The Incarnation happens in her womb. There, the second person of the Trinity becomes the Word made flesh. How proper it is that we also call the mother of God the mother of the church. The body of Christ, which is the church, still becomes incarnate in her womb.

Continue reading in https://www.catholicsabah.com/what-advent-preparation-really-demands/

03/12/2025

Pope to young people: There is still time to dream, plan, and do good

For his last event on the first full day in Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV met with young people in Bkerké, Lebanon. The event began with the testimonies of volunteers and young people, before two more asked the Holy Father questions.

In his speech, the Pope began by addressing those present with the “greeting of the Risen Jesus”, “assalamu alaikum” or peace be with you.

The enthusiasm they all feel, the Pope highlighted, “expresses God’s loving closeness, which brings us together as brothers and sisters to share our faith in him and our communion with one another.” Specifically, he welcomed the young people from Syria and Iraq as well as all the Lebanese who have returned from living abroad.

Continue reading in https://www.catholicsabah.com/pope-to-young-people-there-is-still-time-to-dream-plan-and-do-good/

03/12/2025

Cardinal Tagle: Pilgrims of hope must take a different way – We need more Magi, fewer Herods

“Greetings and blessings to all.” This was the Holy Father’s message to participants of the Great Pilgrimage of Hope 2025, conveyed when Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle informed Pope Leo of his participation.

With that blessing, Cardinal Tagle set the tone for his keynote address: a reminder that Jesus is both the storyteller and the story, the story that changed the whole world.

Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew, he reflected on the Magi who, after encountering the Christ Child, were prompted by a dream to take a different way home. “Their journey was transformed,” Cardinal Tagle said, “and so too must ours be as renewed pilgrims of hope.” This message resonates deeply with the...

Continue reading in https://www.catholicsabah.com/cardinal-tagle-pilgrims-of-hope-must-take-a-different-way-we-need-more-magi-fewer-herods/

02/12/2025

Saint Francis Xavier, Priest, Wednesday of the 1st week of Advent

Go and proclaim

Today, we celebrate the Feast of St Francis Xavier, a Spanish missionary known for his work in India, Malacca, and Japan. Like St Paul in today’s first reading to the Corinthians, St Francis felt a deep compulsion to preach the gospel. This was not a task he undertook for personal gain; rather, Francis embraced his mission as a responsibility entrusted to him by God. Despite the hardships he faced during his missionary journeys, his clear goal remained: to share the good news and help people encounter Jesus, the source of life and love.

Read more in https://www.catholicsabah.com/dec-3-2025/

02/12/2025

Pope to religious in Lebanon: Faith must be a service and responsibility

On the second day of his Apostolic Journey to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV met with bishops, priests, consecrated persons and pastoral workers at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.

Opening his remarks, the Pope underlined the relevance of the visit’s motto, “Blessed are the peacemakers”, by recalling the words of Saint John Paul II when he said that the Church in Lebanon carries the responsibility of sustaining hope.

He noted that the testimonies he had just heard, from four different people, demonstrate that these expectations continue to be met in...

Read more in https://www.catholicsabah.com/pope-to-religious-in-lebanon-faith-must-be-a-service-and-responsibility/

02/12/2025

Asia’s global Catholic assembly begins with enthusiasm, fraternity

One of Asia’s largest international Catholic gatherings in nearly two decades opened in Malaysia’s Penang state on Nov 27, drawing about 800 delegates from 32 countries for four days of prayer, discussion and cultural celebration.

“The Great Pilgrimage of Hope,” organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences’ Office of Evangelization (FABC-OE), is being held at a city hotel from Nov 27–30.

The event began with a lively opening procession led by the St Xavier Institution School band, which escorted dignitaries and participants to the hotel’s Grand Ballroom amid loud applause.

Read more in https://www.catholicsabah.com/asias-global-catholic-assembly-begins-with-enthusiasm-fraternity/

02/12/2025

Franciscan Sisters of the Cross: Pope Leo’s visit to our Hospital is “a miracle”

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in Jal Ed Dib, Lebanon, on Dec 2, “is truly a miracle”, said Sister Mary Youssef, Secretary General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross, who run the medical center.

Both her religious family and the Hospital were founded by Blessed Jacques Haddad – or “Abouna Yaacoub,” Father Yaacoub, as Sister Mary calls him, a Lebanese Capuchin friar, who lived from 1875 to 1954 and dedicated his life to taking care of the poor and those on the margins of society. Today, the Hospital of the Cross is a pillar in its field, as it is one of the biggest psychiatric institutions in the Middle East – with a capacity to host up to 1000 people – and is known for welcoming all those in...

Read more in https://www.catholicsabah.com/franciscan-sisters-of-the-cross-pope-leos-visit-to-our-hospital-is-a-miracle/