Our country is so blessed to be visited
by His Holiness Pope Francis. Being the largest Catholic country in Asia, this apostolic
visit became the most anticipated event for the whole congregation of Roman
Catholic in different parts of the country. A historical event to be considered, the
Palace declared non-working holidays (January 15-16 and 19) in the National
Capital Region.
Pope Francis was saddened by the
devastation caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan to the people of Tacloban, the main
reason why he decided to visit our country and personally meet the survivors. Braving the storm, he held an outdoor mass for all the worshipers of
Tacloban, who were mostly families of the typhoon victims. Pope respected the
sentiments of all the survivors who lost their houses, livelihood and even
loved ones, but he still encouraged them to never let Jesus down because He never
let them down. He said “But Jesus is there
nailed to the Cross, and from there, he does not let us down. There, he
experienced all calamities that we experience. Jesus is Lord, the Lord from the
Cross, he is there for you!” These heartfelt words of the
Pope comforted and renewed the faith of the survivors.
Just this afternoon, Pope Francis
held his concluding mass at Rizal Park. Perhaps, by now, the world is amazed how strong the faith is of the Filipino Catholics. Despite the heavy rains, still approximately 6 million worshipers attended the outdoor mass. Sadly, I wasn't able to attend this final mass, so I just watched this momentous event through our TV. But, it’s
okay, I still feel so blessed because I learned a lot from his homily. J
The following are some important points from the Pope’s final homily:
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| During the Holy Mass Photo Credits: Today Online |
The following are some important points from the Pope’s final homily:
- The Pope was so glad to celebrate the Sto. Niño Sunday with us. The image of the Holy Child Jesus should always remind us of the link of God’s Kingdom and mystery of spiritual childhood.
- As today’s gospel, he cited Mk 10:15: “Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”
- He mentioned the lyrics of the official apostolic visit song “We Are All God’s Children,” which he considered as a perfect message of Sto. Niño to us. In Christ, all of us became God’s adopted children, brothers and sisters.
- We should focus on things that really matter. Be reminded that the devil is the father of lies, and often hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication.
- He said that Filipinos are called to be outstanding missionaries of faith in Asia.
- Lastly, just like how he always ends his previous encounters, he earnestly requested everyone to pray for him.
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