‘LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE’ ARCHBISHOP PETER CHONG’S DIWALI MASS HOMILY – 2022

The Hindu festival, recalls the night when Lord Rama returned to his palace in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Laxman after a 14-year exile.

Many people of other faiths also join in the celebration, lighting their homes, yards and streets with oil lamps call diyas , to commemorate the victory of light over darkness and of good over evil.

The Catholic Church in Fiji joins our Hindu brothers and sisters in wishing you all ‘Happy Diwali’.

We pray that God who is light and love will remove the darkness of sin from our lives.

All of the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story behind them. Homes are illuminated with lights, and firecrackers fill the skies as an expression of respect to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, and prosperity.

According to one belief, the sound of firecrackers indicates the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the firecrackers kill or repel many insects, including mosquitoes, which are plentiful after the rains.

Beyond the lights and fire crackers, Diwali is a time to reflect and RESET our lives.

Click on the Link below to access the full message

http://www.aosfiji.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/DIWALI-MESSAGE-BY-ARCHBISHOP-PETER-LOY-CHONG.pdf