POPE FRANCIS’ VISIT (Compiled by B. F. Aquino – for the Jan. 24 Weekly Bulletin) Our country was so blessed to have an immensely successful visit by Pope Francis. He leads a population of over one billion Roman Catholics throughout the world. In his various speeches and homilies, he gave emphasis on the “Poor” at the forefront of his messages of Love, Mercy and Compassion. He pronounced that 2015 shall be the “Year of the Poor”. He touched many lives by his “simple wave”, his “contagious smile” and his heartwarming “messages of love and hope”. His last mass at the Quirino Grandstand on Sunday afternoon was one of the biggest religious celebrations the Philippines had ever seen. People braved the day-long rain brought about by typhoon “Amang” to see the Pope and listen to his message. Here are some of the statistics: 1. 2,000: Priest concelebrants at the Quirino Grandstand mass. 2. 1,000: Choir members. They sang English and Filipino mass songs decorated by the music of local instruments. 3. 200: Orchestra members. Led by Fr. Nilo Mangussad with songs composed from Pope Francis’ fellow Jesuit Manoling Francisco. 4. Filipino languages represented in the Prayers of the Faithful. The prayers were read in Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Ilokano, Cebuano, Bisaya, and Bikolano. 5. 4,622: Members of the Philippine media who were granted credentials to the papal visit coverage. 6. 25,000: Police that were deployed in the Rizal Park for the mass. 7. 17,000: Police that guarded the Pope’s path around Manila. 8. 5,000: Lay ministers who helped out in the mass including the giving out of the Holy Communion. 9. 30: Metal detectors and screening machines placed in the entrances of the Rizal Park. 10. 700,000: People allowed in the fenced areas of Pope’s Quirino Grandstand mass. 11. 18: Minutes spent for the distribution of the Holy Communion. 12. 18: LED screens aided those far from the grandstand to watch the mass. 13. 6,000,000: The MMDAs estimated crowd that gathered during the papal mass and along the motorcade route. 14. 2 hours: Time it took to finish the mass including the entrance songs to the final song. Some of Pope Francis’ messages during his 5-day visit for all of us to reflect upon are as follows: 1. “I admire heroic strength, faith and resilience of Filipinos in the face of disasters.” 2. Filipino virtues are “rooted in hope and solidarity instilled by Christian faith.” 3. “Political leaders must be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to common good.” 4. Essential to nation-building “is the moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human dignity.” 5. The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor. 6. “Philippines plays important role in fostering understanding and cooperation in Asia.” 7. “Filipinos have rich cultural and religious heritage … that could be used for integral human development.” 8. “Just solutions to Mindanao issue must be in accord with nation’s founding principles and respectful of inalienable rights.” Mindanao solution should respect “inalienable rights … of indigenous peoples and religious minorities.” 9. There’s “great danger” for Church of a “certain materialism which can creep into our lives and compromise the witness we offer.” 10. “Only by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able to identify ourselves with the poor.” 11. “It is in the family that we first learn how to pray … to grow into men and women of faith.” 12. “Pressures on family life today many: economic situation, job migration, poverty... materialism and lifestyles destructive of family life and most basic demands of Christian morality.” 13. “Our world needs good and strong families to overcome threats to family life.” “Protect your families … Be sanctuaries of respect for. At his departure on Monday morning, he blessed and left behind an “emotionally high and faithfully charged Filipinos”. We thank our Lord Jesus Christ for the very successful and safe visit of Pope Francis. We admire our countrymen for the discipline that they have demonstrated which made the Pope’s visit as orderly as we have seen on our TV screens. As Filipinos, we take pride by this remarkable act of goodness. It may take many years again before another Pope’s visit may happen. Let us continue to pray for our Pope (as he has always requested) that he may be able to continue working for God’s plans in every life on our planet earth. To God be the glory.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:14:37 +0000
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