THOMASIANS must strive to give hope to others amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said during the University’s Easter Recollection, “Bearers of Easter Hope,” on Friday, April 23.
“Become agents of hope, agents of the risen Lord. Give others a sense of hope. Be the presence of the risen Lord. Tell them they are not alone. Encourage them to start again,” said Tagle, the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The former Manila archbishop said that the Covid-19 pandemic could be causing people to despair, but “the light of the risen Lord is a sign of hope.”
“Hope is being able to see the future that is opened up by God for us, not the future that is fabricated by us. It is possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus,” he added.
Tagle assured Thomasians that it was normal for them to encounter problems in life.
“A problem-free life is just an illusion. It leads to more despair,” he said.
But thanks to Jesus, he said, all pain and suffering could become self-strengthening agents.
“The Lord changes the meaning of what we’re going through. Pain will remain, but there is hope in the recognition of the risen Lord who is always with us. Let us trust in His promise to be with us until the end of the ages,” he said.
In the Eucharistic celebration following the recollection, Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P. said that the faithful should always be willing to offer themselves to others.
“Incredible is this pandemic and yet far more incredible [and] infinitely mysterious is the love of God for us,” Tiong said during his homily at the Santisimo Rosario Parish.
“Wala nang mas magandang iaambag pa kung hindi ang ating mga sarili. We offer what we can,” he added.
The online recollection was streamed live via the University’s official Facebook page. A.N.C. Cruz
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