Year of the Poor
communion. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma administers the holy communion to a person with disability. (CDN PHOTO/ CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
Love and help the poor more.
This was the challenge posed by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma to Cebuanos who attended the Holy Mass in celebration of the Feast of the Solemnity of Christ the King yesterday.
Clad in white and gold liturgical vestment, the 63-year-old prelate told the faithful gathered in front of the Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City to shun a luxurious lifestyle and instead focus on caring for the less fortunate.
He said this was the main call of the Church as it marks the end of the Year of the Laity and start the Year of the Poor as declared by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“We should all try to live simply, help in the direct intervention for the poor and join an advocacy that would make the poor feel loved and hopeful of a brighter future,” Palma said in homily.
“In that way, the Lord will delight in us because of our acts of kindness,” he said in the Mass the attended by an estimated 7,000 people occupying the streets fronting the Capitol.
Bishops Emilio Bataclan and Antonio Rañola and close to a hundred priests concelebrated the Mass with Palma which was held at the spruced up Capitol façade.
Seated in front of the stage where the altar was placed were: Gov. Hilario Davide III, his wife Jobella and daughter, Dia and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
Welfare of poor
He said part of the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress’ (IEC) mission which will be held in Cebu in 2015 will revolve around finding ways to uplift the welfare of the poor.
The prelate said the feat can only be possible if the members of the church start practicing three basic acts of kindness which is to (1) live for others, (2) volunteer for the poor, (3) and lifting the spirits of the less fortunate.
He said Catholics should show their kindness in more concrete ways such as joining medical missions, volunteer works for various pro-poor advocacy — feeding programs and counseling sessions.
“To feed the poor, to clothe the naked and to visit the prisoners and the sick,” he added.
He said Cebuanos have already the spirit of volunteerism during the wake of supertyphoon
“Yolanda” and last year’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
“As we praise God for the love he has for us despite the calamities that passed, bangon kita ug padayon lakat (let’s rise up and continue the climb),” added Palma.
In an earlier interview, Fr. Mhar Vincent Balili, chairman of the IEC committee on liturgy, shared that the Solemnity of Christ the King is “the celebration instituted in 1925 in response to growing nationalism and secularism. It reminded everyone that Jesus is still the king of the world.”
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI had chosen Cebu City as the venue for the 51st IEC on January 24 to 31, 2016
“This gathering will show the world that Cebu is indeed the cradle of Christian civilization and that we are united,” Palma said.