Recently, the Modernist catholic bishop of Hong Kong went to China to talk with his counterpart there. When he returned to Hong Kong he said that “We all have to learn to love the country and the church. Everybody wants their country to do well. Nobody wants their country to be bad. Being patriotic is a duty. If you are a resident of Hong Kong or the mainland, you should love your own country.”

While there is nothing wrong with being patriotic or loving your own country, we noticed that he never mentioned God as a duty. For God is always the first and primary duty of any Catholic. Both the Bible and the Church have said so.

Another duty that comes after God is a duty to the Church, and then to country. From the first two duties a Catholic will become loyal to his country simply because the leadership of a country comes from God. And the Church, over the centuries, have shown that Catholics can be loyal to their country but sometimes countries fear Catholics and persecute them.

Thus, another duty that Catholics need to do is to convert the world to Christ and to instruct the ignorant about their duties to both God and man. Suffering often occurs to Catholics who do this but we hope and pray that their sufferings will be well rewarded.

Those who ignore their duties to God and man, and suppress those who try to convert the world will be judged by God for their actions. We fear that it will not go well for them in front of God.

Our Lady of China, pray for the conversion of those who are blind to the truth.