Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of Manila, called on the faithful to translate the message of Easter into acts of love and sacrifice for others, especially during the pandemic.
“Any act of love and sacrifice for others will bring new life,” he said in his homily during Easter Mass on Sunday, April 4.
“We need this message in our time when so many acts of love, service to others, and prayers are being offered,” he said.
The Manila prelate said Easter is the “assurance of victory” over sickness and death.
He expressed admiration for the sacrifices of frontline medical workers who he said are already “tired, in danger, and not adequately compensated.”
The bishop also praised daily wage earners “who continue to work, putting themselves to daily risk, to support their families” despite the restrictions due to the pandemic.
Bishop Pabillo said the Church needs to convey the message of hope that Easter brings to the people who seem to lose hope in the midst of the pandemic.
“We truly need this message now…. The coronavirus becomes more deadly, it continues to mutate but the response of our leaders is the same — lockdown and curfew,” he said.
The prelate criticized the government for “mandating the same measures that brought us to this sorry state” to quell the resurgence of the coronavirus disease.
“And [government officials] expect things will get better,” he said.
He told the faithful “not to lose hope for God … will not allow sickness and stupidity to have the last say.”
Authorities have announced the extension of the effectivity of the “enhanced community quarantine” in the national capital and neighboring provinces as COVID-19 cases continue to surge.
On Saturday, the Philippines recorded 165,715 active COVID-19 cases as the Health department added 12,576 additional infections.
Of the active cases, 96.5 percent are mild, 2.2 percent are asymptomatic, 0.5 percent are critical, 0.5 percent are severe and 0.30 percent are moderate.
There were 599 new recoveries and 103 additional deaths, bringing the total to 604,905 and 13,423, respectively.
Source: Licas Philippines
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