By Lucy Napatalai

       EAO ZOOM, 9 February -- The Salesian East Asia Oceania Region (EAO) commenced its School of Formation for the Academic Year 2023. Layer 3 opened online via the zoom platform on Thursday, February 9, 2023. The session on the Theology of Communication, dwelt on 'God communicates only through love, joy, and peace.'

       The session was presented by Fr. Ambrose Pereira, sdb, SC EAO Coordinator and Salesian Delegate for Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. It commenced with an adaptation from a presentation of Fr. Peter Gonsalves and was interspersed with reflections from the Melanesian context. Present for the session were Social Communication members and representatives from the Salesian family of China, Philippines North and Philippines South, Myanmar, Mongolia, Australia & Papua New Guinea to learn and share in the presentation.

       The session elaborated on the relationship of God, humankind, and the world around us, stressing that communication is at the heart of everything around us. We communicate daily through our act of knowing, our urge to ask questions, our search for answers to the questions, Yahweh as God revealing himself, Jesus Christ his Son. Everything around us speaks about God; we must listen to God and the people. It is through the church that we network with our brothers and sisters and celebrate communion through the sacraments. We do this with our unique charism given to us by Don Bosco and celebrate it in our Salesian family.

       We are chosen to communicate God's message to the world around us with our lives. "It is beautiful to think that God is not only Love. He is Love Communicated!", shared Fr. Keith Amodia, sdb. 'As a Salesian family, we are signs and bearers of God's love, and all our lives, our communication must be able to lift others. Therefore, a question to ask ourselves daily would be, "Do I communicate God's love?", he continued.

       The session ended with discussion, reflection and sharing on encounters with God and ways to intensify our encounters with Him in our daily lives. It renewed in us the need to witness and communicate God's love through our words and deeds.

       The next session (SOF 2) will be held on Thursday 2nd March 2023. It will deal with the topic: Speaking across Boundaries - Inter religious Dialogue, and will be animated by Fr Alberio Rodas, from Cambodia.

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