“Huwag kang magnakaw! (Don’t steal!)”
This was the message of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle as he urged Filipinos to reject corruption during the culmination of a penitential walk at Manila Cathedral on Good Friday.
Hundreds of Catholic devotees echoed the statement as they wore white shirts with the message “Huwag kang magnakaw.”
During his talk, Tagle urged the faithful to “walk humbly with God.”
“Lumakad kayo at ipahayag na si Kristo ay nabuhay. Ang Kristiyano ay hindi lumalakad na parang patay (Walk and proclaim that Christ has come back to life. Christians don’t walk like they’re dead),” he said.
“Ang lakad Kristiyano ay lakad na may buhay. Lumakad tayong may misyon (The Christian walk bears life. Let’s walk with a mission).”
Tagle told the Filipinos especially the youth to reflect on where their lives were heading.
“Saan ka pupunta? (Where are you going?)” he asked the faithful.
The archbishop added that everyone should lead his fellowmen to the right path where goodness thrives.
“That’s the way. Don’t cheat. Lead your friends not to ways that can destroy lives,” he said.
Now on its second year, the seven-kilometer penitential walk started at 4 a.m. in Pasay City and ended before noon at Manila Catherdal in Intramuros, Manila.
The theme of the penitential walk was “Deliverance from Calamities and for Peace.”
Hundreds of devotees joined the walk as part of their Good Friday penance.
The walk was done while performing the 14 Stations of the Cross, which started at San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay City.
Fr. Anton Pascual, president of Radio Veritas, said the Church’s advocacy of “Huwag kang magnakaw” was aimed to promote “moral regeneration” among Filipinos.
“We are promoting moral regeneration. Let’s be honest in leading the country, to our families, in our lives and at work,” Pascual said. RC