MANILA, Philippines — Devout Catholics should kneel at mass with humility and in thanksgiving to Jesus Christ, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula said yesterday.
“Let us walk away from darkness and sin. Let us resist the Herods who mercilessly destroy our future. Let us journey toward Bethlehem,” he said.
“Kneeling at the proclamation of the incarnation of God is not merely an external sign of reverence. It is also an act of thanksgiving and an opening of ourselves so that Jesus may truly dwell among us,” he noted.
Recalling the story of King Herod, Advincula pointed out, “If obsession with wealth and intoxication with power rule our society, how can we ever set right our distorted systems and the unceasing abuse of the public trust?”
The Philippine government is probing widespread corruption involving state officials, public works engineers and contractors, wherein billions of pesos have been stolen through kickbacks from anomalous flood control deals.