THE PAINS and sufferings that people experience will be rewarded when they faithfully turn to God, Fr. Glen Mar Gamboa, O.P., parish priest of the Santisimo Rosario Parish, said in a Mass commemorating Red Wednesday, an annual commemoration for persecuted Christians, on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Gamboa said the faithful should not be afraid to carry their crosses in life, as Jesus will accompany them.
“Tayo mismo nakaka-experience ng pasakit sa buhay, ng sakit… Pero sa tuwing tayo’y pumapasan ng ating mga krus sa buhay, nangangako ang Panginoon na hindi ito madali, pero sasamahan niya tayo,” the parish priest said in his homily at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.
Just like the Christian martyrs and the persecuted, there will be a reward to those who carry their cross until the end, which is peace and salvation in God’s kingdom, he said.
“Sa gitna ng mga problemang ating nararanasan, sa bawat pasakit, lungkot at iyak na nararamdaman. Tuwing tayo’y sumusunod sa Panginoon, makikita natin ang mukha ng Diyos,” Gamboa said.
The priest urged the faithful to see the positive side of problems and challenges, so that they may realize that God has a reason for their trials.
“Kaya pala ganoon ang mga nangyayari sa [ating] buhay. Because there’s a reason, it will change [us] and will bring [us] closer to [Him]. The Lord uses our weaknesses, our pains, to transform our lives, to make them better,” he said.
Gamboa challenged the laity to manifest God’s justice by caring and loving the poor, depressed, anxious and lowly.
“That, they too, may experience God’s love, God’s mercy, [dahil] karapatan din nilang maging masaya sa pamamagitan sana natin,” he added.
A candlelighting ceremony took place in front of the parish church after the Mass.
The façade of the Santísimo Rosario Parish Church, the Thomasian Martyrs’ Monument, the Main Building, and the Arch of the Centuries were illuminated in red as a symbol of remembrance for persecuted Christians.
The Carillon Bells also tolled in honor of the martyrs of the Christian faith.
Red Wednesday is a global campaign initiated by the pontifical foundation and the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The commemoration was initiated by the ACN in 2016 to raise awareness on Christian persecution. Alexandra Gabrielle C. Mansineros
