China: Priests of Taiyuan Diocese Reflect on the Beatitudes During Annual Retreat

From August 25 to 30, 2025, all the clergy of the Diocese of Taiyuan, Shanxi, Mainland China, gathered at Dong’er Gou Catholic Church in Taiyuan City for their annual retreat.

Centered on the theme “Following Jesus Christ and the Church in Celebrating the Jubilee of Hope,” the retreat guided priests in
studying the Beatitudes, helping them to grasp their true meaning and to follow Christ with renewed conviction.

The retreat master explained each Beatitude in detail, encouraging participants to reflect on faith and priestly life from multiple perspectives. He posed thought-provoking questions such as: “Does my life have meaning?” and “Am I truly satisfied with my priestly mission?” He invited them to review their experiences of happiness and joy, to distinguish between “human happiness” and “the happiness of Jesus,” and to reflect on what true joy really is. He also presented the threefold classification of the Beatitudes, stressing that they are the fullest expression of Christian hope.

The priestly mission, he emphasized, is a lifelong journey of walking with Christ, taking Him as a model, practicing faith in
discipleship, and fulfilling the sacred mission entrusted by God.
Each day of the retreat included Eucharistic adoration, giving the bishop and priests an opportunity to deepen their union with Christ through prayer and reflection on the Word of God.

In his concluding message, Bishop Meng reminded the priests to remain faithful to their original calling and to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience they made before God. He urged them to make good use of the “talents” entrusted to them by the Lord and to take inspiration from the late Father Su Zhen, who devoted himself wholeheartedly to prayer and spiritual life, avoided worldly ambition, and sought only the glory of heaven.