By Devin Watkins
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday joined the Church in the Philippines in commemorating 500 years of Christianity in the Southeast Asian nation.
He celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with several representatives of the Filipino Church, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, formerly the Archbishop of Manila.
Missionary disciples
In his homily, the Pope said Filipinos received the joy of the Gospel half a millennia ago, “and this joy is evident in your people.”
“We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers,” he said. “I want to thank you for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities.”
Recognizing the witness of faith Filipinos offer through their “discreet and hardworking presence”, Pope Francis also urged them to “persevere in the work of evangelization.”
He said the Gospel message of God’s closeness must be constantly proclaimed to others, so that none might perish.
As the Church in the Philippines celebrates the quincentenary of her birth, the Pope urged Filipino Catholics to walk courageously along the path of missionary discipleship.
“Never be afraid to proclaim the Gospel, to serve and to love,” he said. “With your joy, you will help people to say of the Church too: ‘she so loved the world!’”
‘God so loved’
Pope Francis said that “God so loved” that He came to seek us out when we were lost and raise us up.
“He has always looked at us with love, and for the sake of love, He came among us in the flesh of his Son,” said the Pope. “In Jesus, God spoke the definitive word about our life: you are not lost, you are loved. Loved forever.”
He added that sometimes we prefer a “glum, sorrowful, and self-absorbed religiosity”, even though the Gospel should “enlarge our hearts and make us grasp the immensity of God’s love.”
