Jubilee Pilgrimage to St. Thomas the Apostle Church

Jubilee Pilgrimage to St. Thomas the Apostle Church

by Deacon Alex

Reality is both meaningful and paradoxical at the same time. For example, most lost sheep are not aware that they are lost! Life can be reassuringly good when there is abundant green grass and streaming water. A lost sheep feels safe when there are other sheep like it grazing along on the move. A routine life is comfortable with few challenges. Occasionally, they need to walk farther in order to obtain what they need. As long as you are easily contented, the band will keep playing on. But among the herd there are a few sheep playing scouts. They would go an extra mile ahead to ensure that the path is safe and the supply is sufficient. These scout sheep are the only ones which know that the herd gets lost!

This was what happened during the second Jubilee Pilgrimage the OLMC English Community went on January 31, 2025. They started on time, riding 4 coaches from Dominion Centre in Wan Chai to Tsing Yi. They celebrated mass immediately after arrival. The homily was inspiring and a parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle Church delivered an informative presentation about this pilgrimage site. After giving the participants sufficient time for group photos as well as selfies, we ate a light lunch in the Tsing Yi Park next door followed by group games. Everything went on smoothly according to schedule before we trekked along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails which normally takes less than two hours to complete. In the end, we took nearly three hours to finish. Why? We got lost because it was a pilgrimage!

The Trails provide several photo-taking spots for hikers to take breath-taking pictures of the Tsing-Ma Bridge, Ma Wan Channel, HK Disneyland as well as the International Airport further west! The Trails are not boring because hikers may take alternate routes to arrive at the photo-taking spots. There are stairs as well as granite-paved roads going uphill and downhill, lined by trees on both sides. We could feel God caressing our hairs and faces with His fresh air and cool breezes. Nobody felt tired. Even the elderly in their walking sticks trod briskly. Time seemed not to take toll on anybody. Oh! How intoxicating pilgrimage can be! The organizers began answering calls from coach drivers waiting for us at the exit point. They knew the situation and they put up a brave face. The guideposts are not of much help. But there was one certainty: we could not go on the same path in the opposite direction. It would only lead us back to the entrance and not the exit. Our scouts needed to rely on God’s guidance, as well as common sense, in order to bring us to the Trails’ exit. At last, we made to the scheduled exit and all of us enjoyed the three-hour trek very much, chit-chatting cheerfully along the way.

Beloved brethren! The God we believe in is an almighty and merciful God. In Him we fully trust. But we exist in the time dimension and we need patience to witness the fulfilment of God’s promises. St. Paul writes, “Affliction produces endurance; and endurance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:3b-5a). In this 2025 Jubilee, let us be Pilgrims of Hope to inspire endurance and patience in our loving Father in Heaven among the people we encounter. Amen. God bless!