AMID the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Pope Francis yesterday called on the Filipino faithful to continue passing on the “infection” it received 500 years ago — the Christian faith.
In his homily for the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, Pope Francis urged Filipinos continue to evangelize others.
“Dear brothers and sisters, 500 years have passed since the Christian message first arrived in the Philippines. You received the joy of the Gospel: the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people. We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers. In the joy with which you bring your faith to other lands,” he said.
“I have often said that here in Rome Filipino women are `smugglers’ of faith! Because wherever they go to work, they sow the faith. It is part of your genes, a blessed
`infectiousness’ that I urge you to preserve. Keeping bringing the faith, the good news you received 500 years ago, to others,” he added.
The Pope urged Filipino Catholics “to persevere in the work of evangelization — not proselytism, which is something else.”
The Christian proclamation that you have received needs constantly to be brought to others,” he added.
Present in the Mass were members of the Filipino community in the Vatican as well as Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, current prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Tagle, in his message, thanked the Pontiff for officiating the liturgical celebration dedicated to the Filipino faithful and assured him Filipinos will take to heart his call for them to spread the Good News further.
“By God’s mysterious design, what we have received is being shared by the millions of Christian migrants living in different parts of the world,” said the former archbishop of Manila.
“The gift must continue being a gift. It must be shared. If it is kept for itself, it ceases to be a gift,” he added.
The Pontiff said no nation can help the Christian faith continue to grow around the world better than the Philippines because of the presence of Filipinos in various countries.
“I want to thank you, then, for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities. I think, as I mentioned, of the many beautiful experiences in families here in Rome — but also throughout the world — where your discreet and hardworking presence became a testimony of faith,” said the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church.
