Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Peace in Jesus’ name!

As we enter the tail end of the Easter Season, we prepare in anticipation for the celebration of the Pentecost. It is the feast in the Church liturgical calendar when we observe the birth of the Church founded by our Lord. We welcome the Holy Spirit that Christ has promised to us. The great feast of the Pentecost commemorates the time of the outpouring of the Spirit. On this day, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed to us, in fulfillment of Christ’s Passover. [1] Through the Holy Spirit, the mission of the Church, “to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit” [2] is being fulfilled. Couples for Christ remains at the forefront of the work of evangelization.

In celebrating the Pentecost, the whole community of Couples for Christ is grateful to the Lord for the gift of service, for allowing us to be partakers of His mission. He called each one of us by name, imperfect as we are. He empowers and sanctifies us so that we too can share in the work of Christ’s salvific mission. Couples for Christ members are called to respond to His call. Unworthy as we are, we are blessed to be co-workers in the giant vineyard of evangelization.

Our service in the community comes in many forms of ministries, advocacies and programs, and in many expressions of our charisms just as the one Spirit of God gives us different gifts. This means that we develop different approaches, different ways of expressing Christ’s love. Working on the charisms and expressions of loving the Lord are always exciting, not always easy and frequently challenging. There have been many occasions in the past when we were put at odds with each other, causing misunderstanding and hurts, Evidently, these could lead to painful experiences, frustrations and disappointment. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, CFC have been led to develop pastoral guidelines in ministering to the spiritual and temporal needs of the members of the flock, resolving pastoral concerns and difficulties and provided with ways of conflict resolution. We are one global CFC community living and working under the guidance, directions and care of the pastoral leadership at all levels.

We firmly believe that it is the Lord who put us all together as a community, so that with the common goal of following Christ, we can journey together, support each other, lift one another. In moments of pain and misunderstanding, may all of us, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, learn to humbly ask forgiveness, and may we also be open to forgive others and docile to pastoral corrections. As shepherds pastoring the sheep of this community, leaders should recognize that we too need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In humble supplication, we ask for your prayers that the Spirit will be with us always. We also seek constant reminders and inputs on how we can improve our ways of serving the Lord through our community.

May we continue to ask the Spirit to guide us as brothers and sisters, so that, we continuously commit to be accountable to one another. Let us continue to be open to the guidance of each other. As we and our families’ journey towards holiness, we should learn to guide each other to the truth of Christ. We are called to defend and protect one another against the barbs, wiles and attacks of the evil one. As a community, we are called to build up and edify each other, and in the face of problems and in times of troubles, to rally around each other. When we see the errors of our brethren, let us remember the culture of correcting and admonishing in private. Let fraternal love and care guide us even in the exercise of correction and discipline. In building up one another, we allow the Holy Spirit to build up our community as well.

Let us pray for one another, that we may commit to listen more to our Lord Jesus Christ and follow His example of humility, obedience, and servant leadership out of our love for God and one another.
In lifting ourselves to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we offer the prayer of Saint
Augustine:

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy
Amen.

With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we have tried to do our best for the past 43 years of our community despite all the challenges and difficulties. This year’s anchor verse reminds us, “It is too little”; this is a reminder for us that there is much more work to be done, more individuals, more marriages, and more families to be helped and pastorally accompanied back to our Lord. We must continue to work together as a community inspired by the love of God.

May the Holy Spirit continue to move and guide each one of us towards the realization of our CFC Vision, “Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the Face of the Earth”. Let us remind each other of our covenant as a community, that our focus should always be on our Lord Jesus Christ, in everything that we do. May the Holy Spirit strengthen our relationship as brothers and sisters, and allow the work of evangelizing the families and the poor to prosper.

May God bless us always.

The International Council,

(Sgd) Jose S. Yamamoto
CFC Chairman/President

[1] Kosloski, Philip. “Why Is Pentecost Called the Birthday of the Church?” Aleiteia, 23 May 2024, Accessed 17 May 2024.

[2] Cf. Matthew 28:19 (NABRE)