MARIAN DEVOTION must lead Catholics to open themselves as “churches” for the poor and create a community where everyone can encounter God’s immeasurable love, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula said.
In a country often described as a “pueblo amante de María (a nation devoted to Mary),” Advincula said deep devotion to Mary must be reflected in concrete acts of compassion and solidarity with those in need.
“If we have accepted Mary as our mother, then we must also accept this mission of hope, compassion and care. Let us become a church for the poor, a church open to all so that everyone may experience the boundless love of God,” the Thomasian prelate said.
“Mary challenges us to see Christ in the suffering and to respond with mercy and solidarity,” he added.
Explaining the Church’s preferential option for the marginalized, the cardinal said the poor must be deliberately prioritized because their dignity is often the most threatened in a world marked by inequality and injustice.
Advincula made the remarks during his homily in the opening Mass for the pilgrimage of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday, June 13, at the Manila Cathedral.
Advincula cited the 1531 apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, a poor Mexican indigenous convert, as a sign of God’s closeness to the lowly. He said Mary’s choice to appear to Juan Diego reflects a God who draws near to those on the margins of society.
The prelate said the Church is called to mirror this love by placing the marginalized at the center of its mission, noting that human poverty is not only material but also takes the form of loneliness, anxiety and broken relationships.
According to Advincula, Mary’s deep compassion for the poor was “not abstract” as it came with the intention of attending to the real needs of people. Following this example leads to a faith that upholds dignity and protects the vulnerable, he added
“May we have a heart that rejoices in God like Isaiah’s servant, a heart that seeks Jesus tirelessly when he seems distant, a heart that treasures God’s word in prayerful silence and a heart that beats for the poor, the very same love that God has for the lowly and forgotten of the world,” the cardinal said.
The pilgrim image, a gift from the Archdiocese of Mexico to the Philippines, is a second-class relic brought into contact with the original tilma enshrined in Mexico. It will remain at the Manila Cathedral until June 18 before continuing its six-month pilgrimage to parishes and communities across the country.
The image is expected to be permanently enshrined at the Manila Cathedral following the pilgrimage, which seeks to deepen Marian devotion and inspire the faithful to live out a faith rooted in mercy, solidarity and mission. F
