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Cardinal Ricardo Vidal leads the National Thanksgiving
Mass for St. Pedro Calungsod.
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Around a million people celebrated with
thanksgiving and bustling enthusiasm the gift of its homegrown saint— Pedro
Calungsod.
Devotees coming from all over the country and
abroad filled the expanse of the 27-hectare business development area at South
Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City during the National Thanksgiving Mass held
November 30 for St. Pedro Calungsod.
Leading the celebration was Cebu
Archbishop-emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who called on the faithful to live
an integrated life, stressing that ‘duality’ has no place in the life of a true
Christian.
Faithful Christian, faithful
citizen
Speaking before the vast crowd of devotees, Vidal said
a true Christian can be faithful in living his Christian faith and be a
faithful citizen of his country at the same time.
Fidelity to the Christian faith should not run
counter to one’s observance of the law, he said. “If we have to be Christians,
let us be good citizens as well, observing every just law, practicing justice,
in all our affairs being honest in word and deed.”
“Let our citizenship be empowered by our Christian
faith, seeking to apply God’s will in the public and private life,” the
cardinal said.
Delivered alternately in English, Cebuano and
Tagalog, Vidal’s homily was punctuated with applause from the public as he
addressed the mammoth crowd with a personal touch, as that of a father to his
children.
“Let our gratitude this day be sustained by the
daily conduct of our lives. Let our faith empower us to be faithful followers
of Jesus and beautiful citizens of our country. Let us no longer live dual
citizenship. Good Christians but bad citizens.”
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| Part of the vast crowd that attended the celebration. |
He urged for consistent laws that would form people
to become good citizens not only for the country but ultimately for the next
life.
The country’s laws should be in place to serve the
public good, he said—starting from “individual human body, to the human
community, to the wider environment.”
He said the essence of sainthood is nothing less
but consistency in living one’s Christian life, because “any inconsistency will
ultimately lead to the breakdown of human society.”
“In regard to the self we must exercise self
mastery, in regard to others, justice, in regard to environment, care and
respect. In every level, we exercise restraint, for that is the nature of
rational beings,” he added.
No shortcut to holiness
Reflecting on modern day’s take on love, the
cardinal noted that present generation’s idea of love is rather selfish and
self-seeking.
“It seeks the easy way out, it seeks fulfillment
without facing consequences. It does not assume responsibility,” said the
diminutive cardinal, his voice booming.
He said the real meaning of love—a love that
edifies and purified by faith—must be taught to the young of today.
“This is the love that we must teach our young, not
the love that is self-seeking, not the love that sets no limits to the self,
not the love that robs lovers of their soul, but the love that gives dignity,
the love that edifies, the love that ennobles,” he said.
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| The Templete where the Thanksgiving Mass was held on Nov. 30. |
He acknowledged that following the right thing is
not always easy. But emphasizing on the life of the young saint, he said the
love that St. Pedro has shown “can point us to the future because it is
timeless.”
It is a love that is patterned after than of
Christ, he said.
“Other forms of love make a semblance of sacrifice,
though they are merely acts of despair. Others give no value to sacrifice at
all because they are merely acts of self-seeking. True love, pure love flows from
the heart of Jesus crucified,” the cardinal stressed.
Vidal also urged the people to exercise patience
and perseverance as they strive to live faithfully their Christian life, saying
“there is no short cut to holiness.”
“We all have to learn to wait, to be patient, to
strive our best every day, to have faith in God” as lack of patience and
perseverance can only lead us to infidelity, he said.
Joining Vidal in the Eucharistic celebration were Cebu
Archbishop Jose Palma, CBCP president; Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, apostolic
nuncio to the Philippines, Cebu-born Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, apostolic
nuncio to Korea; Manila Archbishop-emeritus Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Manila
Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agana, Guam and hundreds
of bishops and priests from all over the country and abroad.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, Vice
President Jejomar Binay and some Cabinet members and Senate officials were also
around during the Mass.
Cebu local officials led by Governor Gwen Garcia
and Mayor Michael Rama also attended the celebration.
The Eucharistic celebration was preceded by a foot
procession of devotees that began at 1 p.m. going towards SRP and a fluvial
procession of the image of San Pedro from Mandaue City to the Templete.
The National Thanksgiving Mass capped the more than
a month’s festivities following Calungsod’s canonization in Rome on October 21.
(CBCPNews)
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