January 28, 2016, 9:00p.m. – CEBU CITY – HUNGARIAN Archbishop Peter Cardinal Erdo called on the pilgrims of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) to be true to their calling as members of Christ’s community of disciples.
In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration this morning, the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest said people should be driven by concern for their fellowmen, echoing Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle’s call to eradicate “cultural barriers.”
“If you think the greatest goal of your life is just to feel good, you do not feel responsibility for others or all humankind,” he said.
The 63-year-old prelate, who described Christians as the “salt of the Earth,” said openness to God yields hope that the world needs.
“[He] is among us, the hope of glory is not only among us, but also to mankind,” Erdo said. “Christ needs us. The world needs us if we belong to Christ.”
Eucharist in solidarity
A testimony given by Kei-chi Sugawara, a survivor of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, exemplified responsibility for others.
Sugawara recalled how the twin disasters became a blessing in disguise months later, citing the increase in the membership of their Catholic community in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture. The new members include Filipinos.
“We lost a lot to the tsunami. But what we gained far outweighs what we had lost. From a membership of some 100 before the disaster, our parish membership has doubled. And it has become animated,” Sugawara said.
“The disaster brought down not only physical walls, but walls of indifference and prejudice,” he said. Krystel Nicole A. Sevilla
