OUTGOING Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle urged Christians to thank the Lord even in times of inconvenience during his thanksgiving Mass at the Manila Cathedral last Jan. 27.
“Don’t give thanks according to your criteria and norms. Kapag tayo lang ang namili kung kailan magpapasalamat siguro mas maraming reklamo kaysa pasalamat,” Tagle said in his homily.
(Don’t give thanks according to your criteria and norms. If we were to decide when to give thanks, there would have been more complaints than gratitude.)
The Vatican-bound Cardinal told the faithful that the mercy of God is the reason for thanksgiving.
“The object of thanksgiving is [to] behold the Lord who is always good. The God that we may not always understand, but in faith, we know God is good,” Tagle said.
Tagle encouraged the faithful to be in “Eucharist” with one another by giving up oneself.
“The moment of death was the supreme moment of thanksgiving. A thanksgiving at the darkness, at the horror of death…Let every action be Eucharistic, this is me, this is my body for you God and you, my neighbors,” he said.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said separation is a painful conclusion, as it was a privilege for the Archdiocese of Manila to have Tagle as its “shepherd.”
“Every departure, every separation brings pain. [W]e appreciate your ministry very much, you can always count on our support, dear Eminence, [because] you have a home among us here in Manila,” Pabillo told Tagle.
During the latter part of the Mass, several bishops, priests, nuns, and lay people prayed over Tagle as he prepared to leave for his new Vatican post.
In December 2019, Pope Francis appointed Tagle to lead the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, one of the leading departments in the Roman Curia.
There is still no word from the Vatican on who will replace Tagle as archbishop of Manila.
