On Sunday, February 11, a group of religious men and women gathered in the Capuchin Friars Chapel in Jerusalem for a special celebration: "The Chinese Lunar New Year." H.E. Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana Apostolic Nuncio for Israel and Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem presided over the celebration. Together with him, priests and religious of the different congregations present throughout the Holy Land. HE Mgr Adolfo Tito Yllana Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem and Palestine and Apostolic Nuncio for Israel and Cyprus Here is a group of about eight nationalities, people from different countries. The first thing I would like to say is that the arrival of migrant workers or missionaries has really enlivened the church in the Holy Land. We always say that the Holy Land is a living witness to the resurrection of Christ. HE Mgr Adolfo Tito Yllana Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem and Palestine and Apostolic Nuncio for Israel and Cyprus Why did we have to celebrate this Lunar New Year? Some will say it is the Chinese New Year. Some would say it is the Vietnamese New Year, but it is the Lunar New Year. Actually, as I said, this event has more to do with spring. We are about to enter spring, and this does not cancel or make less important the New Year that began in January. Also in the celebration was the distribution of a fruit, in a red bag and as a special symbol. HE Mgr Adolfo Tito Yllana Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem and Palestine and Apostolic Nuncio for Israel and Cyprus Today a fruit is given to symbolize this: something that God has given us. So when they give you this little envelope, the red envelope, it's a gift, but it's really like giving you the beginning of a new life. That's how you start something. You start, just like if you are a farmer, I will give you something to fill the ground. HE Mgr Adolfo Tito Yllana Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem and Palestine and Apostolic Nuncio for Israel and Cyprus So also for the New Year, the Lunar New Year. This is the meaning. We gather together. We celebrate together. And we share good wine. We thank God that You have blessed us. We bless You every day Lord, let us always recognize that You are with us. This is what He told us. Today is not just about thinking about ourselves, but about God Who never forgets us. HE Mgr Adolfo Tito Yllana Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem and Palestine and Apostolic Nuncio for Israel and Cyprus Thank God we have a new day. A new day of the year, which begins with the first reading from the Book of Exodus of the People of God, which we read earlier. We will celebrate this event with family, with our loved ones, and especially together with the poor, which is really the most important thing. At the end of the celebration the thanks of Br. Lionel GOH, for the beautiful celebratory moment Read More