The resurrection of Jesus Christ brings a message of hope that better days are coming, Manila Apostolic Administrator Broderick Pabillo said in his Easter message.
“Jesus is the guarantee that a new and better day is coming. Let us not lose hope. We continue to strive because we know, with God’s help, that we shall overcome,” he said.
Pabillo called on the faithful to show “acts of love and sacrifice” amid the pandemic to spread hope.
He also praised medical workers, who, despite being “tired, in danger and not adequately compensated,” bring “new life” with their service.
“All of these efforts and goodwill join in the victory of the resurrection. Jesus; new life shows us that God rewards all acts of love and sacrifice,” Pabillo said.
“God blesses all the good that is being done.”
‘Leave your comfort zones’
Sacred Theology Dean Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P. urged Catholics to go out of their comfort zones and start hopeful lives in his homily during the Easter Vigil Mass at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.
“How can there be a resurrection in their lives? To be out of our shells or tomb is to await with deep Christian hope,” he said.
Echoing Pope Francis, Aligan said that even in isolation amid lockdowns, “thought and spirit can go far with the creativity of God’s love.”
The Easter Vigil commemorates the resurrection of Christ and marks the end of the Holy Week Triduum.
Easter Sunday this year coincides with the opening of the jubilee for the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.
