MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has reminded the faithful that Christmas is a time to be “life givers by self-emptying” and not just a mere holiday.
“It is a challenging task. As we embrace the joys of Christmas, let us also carry on the mission of the Lord,” Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop and CBCP president Socrates Villegas said in the Christmas thoughts he posted on his Facebook account.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle also said yesterday in his one-page Christmas message that in line with Pope Francis’ declaration of the Year of Mercy, the entire Christendom is reminded that everyone can return to the Father.
“What is the mercy of God? This rich and complex reality defies human schematization. But allow me to focus on one biblical aspect of mercy appropriate for Christmas. Mercy consists in this: that God always has room for each one of us in His heart. In Jesus´ birth we human beings have been offered a permanent place in God´s sacred ‘space.’ For God, mercy is the assurance that everyone can return to the Father´s house and find a secure dwelling,” the cardinal said.
He added that Christmas is also “a season to welcome Jesus and to welcome other people into our hearts and lives.”
Villegas said the mystery of Christmas is best celebrated by remembering the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary, pointing out that Christmas and Calvary are inseparable.
With 2016 marked as a special Year of Eucharist and the Family, the CBCP president also called on people to “let the Eucharist bring us deeper into the Paschal mystery, nourish us in our discipleship and sustain us in our mission to pursue what the Eucharist commands: the common good in justice.”
Tagle is hoping the faithful would take the opportunity to do the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead.
“As Christmas is about the heavens opening so the Son of God could come to us, so it is also about us opening our hearts and arms to welcome Jesus in the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the naked, the sick, the prisoners and those who have hurt us. Mercy keeps the heart of God open for us. Mercy is the key to open our hearts as well,” the Manila prelate added.
In a related development, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) said Christmas also speaks of reconciliation.
“The Christmas story is about “peace on earth.’ God is reconciling Himself to people who have sinned against Him and offers peace that transcends human limitations. God took the initiative by sending His only begotten Son Jesus, who paid the penalty of sin, that all who trust in Him may be forgiven and have new life with God. This is the peace of God,” said PCEC national director Bishop Noel Pantoja.
He also urged Filipinos, as they choose their leaders next year, to be guided in the Bible teaching that says, “Our national leaders must be wisely selected, capable, transparent, God-fearing, trustworthy, hates dishonest gain, efficient and effective.”
Meanwhile, World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) secretary general Bishop Efraim Tendero said Christmas is a time when nobody can become somebody, citing the shepherd in the story of Jesus Christ’s birth as example.
During that time, shepherds were considered the lowest working class in society, deprived of civil rights and whose testimonies were even inadmissible as witnesses in the courts of law.
But “these outcasts in society were transformed as they were chosen to be the first persons to receive the news of the birth of Christ, and having believed such message, they also turned out to be the first heralds of this Gospel message. That message is that everyone has reason to rejoice because Jesus, the Savior of the world, was born on that day,” Tendero said. – With Evelyn Macairan