CHRISTIANS are called to recognize and defend the dignity and rights of every person, UST Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P., said during a Mass for human rights, justice, peace and good governance on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
This is part of the pursuit of holiness, and “being a Christian is always being called to be a saint,” Tiong said during the Mass at the Santísimo Rosario Parish Church.
He said the call to holiness was not limited to saints from long ago, citing Saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati as contemporary examples for young people.
Tiong said the call to holiness is tied to the Christian mission of proclaiming the Gospel, which includes recognizing every person as a child of God.
He said human rights are rooted in the inherent dignity of every person, who is Imago Dei, or created in the image and likeness of God.
Tiong stressed that human rights are inherent and not mere privileges.
“That is why we have the right to life,” he said.
The vice rector also cited freedom of religion, protection from harm and the right to a good name as among the rights arising from human dignity.
“Ang pagkilala sa bawat isa, sa bawat tao, bilang nilikha ng Diyos, bilang anak ng Diyos. That is the most fundamental recognition of our human rights,” Tiong said.
(Recognizing each person as a creation of God, as a child of God, is the most fundamental recognition of our human rights.)
Coinciding with the memorial of St. Padre Pio, the Mass also saw Tiong present the Italian saint as an example of how the Christian call to holiness could be lived out through service to others.
Tiong said Pio, who lived through two world wars and died in 1968, demonstrated his concern for human dignity through his service to the sick, including the establishment of a hospital that later became a major research hospital in Italy.
“Padre Pio saw in every sick person the dignity of a child of God,” Tiong said.
Tiong said promoting human rights did not always require public demonstrations, as Christians could uphold human dignity in other ways.
“Let us not underestimate the power of prayer, the power of goodwill, and the power of charity,” he said.
He also urged Christians to preserve hope amid differing perspectives and ideologies on the challenges facing the country.
“Still, the good news is the source of peace in our lives,” Tiong said.
The Mass, organized by the Office of the Vice Rector for Religious Affairs, the Center for Campus Ministry and the Simbahayan Community Development Office, was part of UST’s Francisco de Vitoria Linggo ng Karapatang Pantao, which runs from Sept. 17 to 25.
It was originally scheduled for Sept. 21, the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, but was postponed following the suspension of classes. Bruce L. Buenaventura
