Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo urged Catholics to denounce the “culture of death” propagated by abortion, death penalty and extrajudicial killings during the Eucharistic celebration for the annual “Walk for Life” at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church on Feb. 20.
“Akala ng ibang tao, kamatayan ang solusyon sa problema. Iyong mga gustong pigilan ang kriminalidad, ang kanilang solusyon ay death penalty. Ang problema ng droga, ang kanilang solusyon ay extrajudicial killings. Hanggang ngayon, mayroon mga taong nadedepress dahil sa kalagayan natin, ang tingin nilang solusyon ay suicide. May problema na nabuntis, ang solusyon nila ay abortion. Iyan ang culture of death. Hindi iyan ang solusyon,” Pabillo said during his homily.
“Ang solusyon ay buhay na regalo ng Diyos. Kailangan magtulungan tayo upang isulong ang buhay,” he added.
(The solution is the gift of life from God. We must work together to uphold life.)
Walk for Life is an annual event organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on the Laity, which aims to encourage the faithful to build solidarity and uplift the dignity of human life.
Pabillo said the yearly event was being celebrated to “constantly fight for life because there are those who would encourage the culture of death.”
“Ang buwan ng Pebrero ay ‘di lamang buwan ng puso ngunit ito rin ay buwan ng buhay. That’s why for many years now we have been celebrating the Walk For Life in the month of February,” he said.
Pabillo also called on the faithful to adopt simple lifestyles and avoid petty sins and bad habits: “Sapat lang, hindi sobra. Hinihindian… ang paninira sa ibang tao, ang pagsisinungaling, ang pagmumura… iginagalang ang dangal ng mga tao at nagpapalaganap… ng katotohanan.”
“Nagiging masama tayo kung nahulog tayo sa tukso, kung nagpadala tayo sa pagsubok. Tayo ay magsisi at sumampalataya. Dapat tayong tumugon ng ‘hindi’ sa kasamaan upang makapagsabi tayo ng ‘oo’ sa Diyos,” Pabillo added.
(We sin if we give in to temptation. Let us repent and be faithful. We must say “no” to evil so that we can answer “yes” to God.)
This year’s Walk for Life celebration had the theme “Celebrate as One in 2021.”
Usually celebrated with protests against extrajudicial killings, abortion, death penalty revival and destruction of the environment, this year’s edition was livestreamed on Facebook due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sophia T. Sadang
