FORMER UST Secretary General Tereso Campillo, O.P. urged Catholics to give importance to the sacrifice and service of frontliners of during the Eucharistic celebration of the Lord’s Supper at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City.
Campillo drew a parallel between Jesus’s humility when He washed the feet of the apostles and the service of medical professionals and other frontliners amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Not everyone can solve the problems of the world, not everyone can stop evil no matter how much we try. Not everyone can feed the hungry but you could always serve a brother or a sister in need in humility. Rich and poor, you could serve one another,” Campillo said.
UST Parish Priest Fr. Paul Talavera, O.P. emphasized love that Jesus put in his sacrifice and service to mankind.
“[E]ven those who are serving as frontliners, this is what Jesus is trying to tell us especially during this time. This love, which is expressed in sacrifice, which is expressed in service,” said Talavera in his homily at Santisimo Rosario Parish.
Talavera also urged priests to reflect on their mission as disciples of Christ during the pandemic.
At Manila Cathedral, Apostolic Administrator Broderick Pabillo reminded the faithful that living a life of service fulfills the essence of the Eucharistic celebration.
“[Ang pagsasabuhay ng Misa] ay kapag nagse-serve tayo sa isa’t isa kahit gaano man kataas ang posisiyon natin, kahit gaano man kababa ang ating pagse-serve. Lowly service is the way we live the Mass,” Bishop Pabillo said during his homily in the evening Mass for the Lord’s Supper at Manila Cathedral.
Pabillo said the Eucharistic celebration is not a souvenir left by Jesus but a memorial of His suffering, death and resurrection.
“Hindi lang ito isang alala. Ito’y pakikiisa sa Kaniyang kamatayan tungo sa bagong buhay na binigay Niya sa atin… Ang buod ng ating pagiging Kristiyano,” said Pabillo.
(This is not just a memory. This is being united with His death towards the new life He gave to us. This is the essence of being a Christian.)
As a precaution amid the Covid-19 outbreak, only four people represented the 12 apostles in the Washing of the Feet ceremony at the Manila Cathedral.
The Chrism Mass was postponed following the guidelines released by the Vatican and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The ceremony of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed the Holy Mass in the parishes.
Maundy Thursday marked the first day of the Paschal Triduum, which commemorates the Lord’s trial, death and resurrection. with reports from Joselle Czarina S. de la Cruz
