Catholics told: Live in hope

MANILA, Philippines —  Catholics should live with “pag-asa” and not in “paasa” or be “palaasa.”

This was the New Year’s message of Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula as he encouraged Filipino Catholics to live with hope and to cling to Jesus as a source of hope.

“Let us live with hope. Let us not give false hopes or depend on others. Paasa are people who do not know how to fulfill their promise. Palaasa, on the other hand, are people who do not know how to stand on their own two feet. They have given up on life,” Advincula said.

“A Christian lives with hope, and does not give false hopes and depend on others. It is not because they can do everything or they know everything. A Christian who lives with hope believes that in the center of all challenges, the Lord is with them,” he added.

The Manila prelate said that hope is not just a concept or idea for Filipinos. It is a behavior that is innate in every Filipino who believes in the saying, “Habang may buhay, may pag-asa. Habang may pag-asa, may buhay. Sa awa ng Diyos, maitatawid natin ang lahat.” (As long as there is life, there is hope. As long as there is hope, there is life. By God’s mercy, we can go through anything.)

The cardinal also encouraged everyone to help strengthen the celebration of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope by organizing pilgrimages to the Jubilee churches in the Archdiocese of Manila.