AS CATHOLICS embark on pilgrimages for the 2025 Jubilee Year, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle called on the faithful to commit to real service as a way of offering their lives to God.
In his homily during the second day of the 11th Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE) on July 19, Tagle said Jesus’s sacrifice is the perfect model of service.
“Kung tutularan natin si Jesus, ang dapat ialay ang ating buhay. ‘Yan ang tunay na pilgrimage. Kasama ang Diyos. Diyos ng buhay at buhay ko ang makikipaglakbay,” he said.
Tagle said giving money to the Church is easy, but doing the real work of service is the worthier challenge.
“Madaling magpadala ng tulong. [Pero] iba ‘yong ikaw ang pumunta at tumulong. Madaling sumulat ng cheque kay monsignor. Iba ‘yung ikaw ang pumunta, mag-karpintero ka,” he said.
“Sana ang sambayanan ay gumalaw dahil may dugo, may buhay, may puso,” Tagle, pro-prefect at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, added.
The Mass was celebrated using the “Misa ng Sambayanang Pilipino.”
A PCNE staple, Misa ng Sambayanang Pilipino is “an attempt to inculturate the 1975 Roman Order of Mass in the context of the culture and traditions of Filipino Catholics.”
The second day of the conference was capped with the “Jubileo Concert of Hope” at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, which featured performances from Tagle, The Feast Worship, Eumee Capile, and Rachel Gabreza.
Tagle performed the song “Alfie,” a song about finding love, from a 1966 movie with the same title.
The cardinal urged participants to reflect and ask themselves about the point of their purpose in life.
“Everything that we do in our interactions with one another, what are we really looking for? Are we looking for love? Are we giving love? Are we signs of hope to people around us?” he said.
