The end of a year always makes many people say "Wow! I cannot believe this year has flown by...  It feels like we just celebrated New Year!"  Not only has the year 2009 flown by, a decade has passed since we began the new millennium.  The anticipation of the new millennium not only brought hope to many of better things to come, it was also accompanied with many uncertainties. 

Pope John Paul II at the close of the Great Jubilee said that a new millennium is opening before the Church like a vast ocean upon which we shall venture, relying on the help of Christ.  The Son of God, who became incarnate two thousand years ago out of love for humanity, is at work even today: we need discerning eyes to see this and, above all, a generous heart to become the instruments of his work (Novo Millennio Ineunte, n.58).

Since the year 2000, many events have taken place both internationally and locally... events that have given us something to hope for and also events that have made us more skeptical of the future.  Some of these events have impacted our daily living so much that we have had to re-look humanity's course of direction.  Economic, political, spiritual and social spheres of our lives have been affected by many of these events.  That is why we need "discerning eyes" to be able to look back and see how God is leading His people.

In this issue of CANews, we hope to be able to do that... to look back at the past decade and see God working through human history.  Our faith teaches us that God continues to unfold the mysteries of His divine plan through human history.  In order to try and understand God's plan, we need to look through the eyes of faith and this is not an easy task because some of the events in the past decade have led many to even question the existence of God.

Under such circumstances, where do we go?  What can we look towards for the next decade?  If humanity is to move forward, we need to hope - to hope in God who has always led His people.  Together with hope in God, we must also have hope in humanity.  Focusing all of our energies solely on our failings will not help us in any way but let us look forward to the opportunities that will come our way... consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams.  Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.  Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do (Pope John XXIII).

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and a Hope-filled New Year.