DESPITE calamities and corruption that have plagued the country, there is still hope for the Philippines through God, said Cardinal Jose Advincula in a Mass for the Solemn Closing Rite of the Jubilee Year of Hope at the Manila Cathedral on Friday, Dec. 26.
Advincula called on Filipinos to “become hope” in facing the Church’s and the nation’s trials.
“May pag-asa pa ba ang Pilipinas? May maaasahan pa ba ang mga Pilipino? Malinaw na oo, may pag-asa. Sapagkat ang pag-asa ay hindi mahahanap sa pangako ng tao o ideolohiya. Ang pag-asa ay manggagaling lamang sa Diyos na hindi niya pababayaan ang kanyang bayan,” the Manila archbishop said in his homily.
He challenged the faithful not to lose hope in themselves, their families, and in the nation.
“Kung nasaan ang kahirapan, kung nasaan ang maliit at walang kapangyarihan, kung saan may karumihan at kadiliman, doon isisilang ang pag-asa, doon sisikat ang liwanag,” Advincula said.
He recalled that the Jubilee Year coincided with severe challenges, including earthquakes, typhoons, and scandals involving graft, corruption, and the misuse of public funds.
“The Lord has given us a painful way to learn about hope. Kung kailan tayo nagninilay sa pag-asa, doon naman tayo humarap sa napakaraming mga hadlang at balakid sa pag-asa,” he said.
Anchoring hope in Christmas, Advincula said that Jesus’ birth in the manger was the fulfillment of God’s promise that the light shines in darkness.
The prelate urged the laity to anticipate the extraordinary “Jubilee of Redemption” in 2033, which marks the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’s passion, death and resurrection.
“From the Jubilee of Hope to the Jubilee of Redemption, we continue to be pilgrims. We walk together in hope because we know that our redemption is at hand,” Advincula said.
The closing Mass marks the end of the year-long Jubilee 2025 activities of the Archdiocese of Manila, which focused on spiritual renewal, pilgrimage, and acts of charity.
The 2025 ordinary Jubilee Year, which carried the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” will formally end on Jan. 6, coinciding with the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
Pope Leo XIV will preside over the final closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
