December 23, 2015, 2:22p.m. – MEDIA practitioners were urged to see the true meaning of Christmas in the light of the Jubilee Year of Mercy during a recollection ahead of the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) to be hosted by Cebu in January.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the celebration of Christmas opens doors toward the practice of corporal works of mercy.
“[Christmas] is the opposite of exclusion and discrimination of the sick and the poor,” Cardinal Tagle said, adding that remembering one’s neighbor should be the priority in the celebration of the Lord’s birth. “Be merciful like the father. Forget yourselves this Christmas. Remember others first,” he said during the recollection held at the Arzobispado de Manila in Intramuros last Dec. 22.
He said the media should also be correspondents of good news for the IEC on Jan. 24 to 31. “Sa darating na Eucharistic Congress, sana kayo po ay maging communicators ng good news,” the prelate said.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma led the consecration and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and said that silence was the way to communicate with God. “Silence is listening to God. Silence is opening our hearts to God,” he said.
Msgr. Joseph Tan, head of media relations of the IEC, said the upcoming congress would be a chance for the laity to strengthen their faith In the Eucharist. “This leads to greater awareness on the demand of the mission of mercy in the world, just like the papal visit,” he said. Gabriel M. Agcaoili
