MANILA, Philippines — Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Manila archbishop, who was recently appointed by Pope Francis to a top Vatican post, appealed for prayers for the success of his new mission as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide).
“I ask for your prayers,” Tagle told churchgoers who attended the anticipated Mass on the second of the nine-day Simbang Gabi (dawn Masses) at the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord in a mall in Mandaluyong City.
“Everything is still unclear … but when is life clear? It’s not always clear,” said an emotional Tagle, his voice cracking.
“That’s why the advent is good because we have Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist all operating in the darkness of faith in the hope that the light will come. So let us all pray together,” he added.
Referring to his new post, Tagle said: “[People at the Vatican] … they could not believe that evangelization can happen in commercial centers. They could not believe that every first Friday there are Masses being held in offices and banks. They probably want to understand why this is so … this was probably the reason why [I was appointed].
“This is all your fault.” he added in jest, eliciting laughter.
It remains unclear if Tagle would have to leave his post as archbishop of Manila since members of the Roman Curia are usually based in Rome.
In his homily, Tagle urged the faithful to use the dawn Masses and the Christmas season to get to know Jesus better.
“The readings for [this day] bring us back to the mystery of the person of Jesus Christ. The coming days in preparation for Christmas should be spent asking the question, who is Jesus?” he said.
“Take these novena masses and the celebration of Christmas season as an occasion to deepen our knowledge of Jesus, our acquaintanceship with him and familiarity with him, so we can really fall in love with him and follow him,” Tagle added.
According to the archbishop, Jesus’ humanity was real. “We hope the genealogy of Jesus continues through us. He assumed human genealogy, he assumed us,” he said.
“Let’s pass on Jesus. Huwag natin siya ikahiya. For all parents, make it a point to pass on the faith in Jesus Christ,” Tagle said.