Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo on Sunday urged the Filipino Catholic faithful to show devotion to the Sto. Niño by showing compassion and acceptance toward those who are considered “small people” in society.
“Filipinos’ devotion to the Sto. Niño is a manifestation of their love for children,” Pabillo said in his homily during Sunday’s celebration of the Feast of the Child Jesus in Tondo, Manila.
“Children depict small people … there are small people in our society who are ignored like the weak, the disabled, elderly, street people, those who are in prison, the indigenous people. The path to greatness is to accept these people. Let us not drive them away,” he said.
Pabillo said fighting abortion, death penalty and extrajudicial killings can also be a manifestation of one’s devotion to the image of the Child Jesus.
“That small person inside a mother’s womb has a life already and has a right [to live]. We cannot just eliminate and remove it through abortion. Same reason why we do not agree with the resumption of death penalty even for those who committed crimes. The victims of EJK are the small people, they are those who have less or even nothing in life. They are still humans like us, they should be accepted instead of being sneered at,” Pabillo said.
“Jesus said we should imitate the children’s humility toward the small people; their humility and readiness to obey and understand God. Let us accept the small people in our society. Let’s care for them and let’s learn how to be humble,” he said. —TINA G. SANTOS