'Turn to, and trust in God' as New Year begins – Bishop
Published Dec 31, 2019 12:00 am
By Christina Hermoso
“Be thankful to God this brand new year. Turn and trust in God as the new year begins,” a Catholic Church leader reminded the faithful.
Bishop Ruperto Santos
(CBCP / MANILA BULLETIN) Balanga Bishop Ruperto C. Santos reminded the faithful that all pains and difficulties are surpassed with enough faith and trust in God. “A year has passed and we overcame all difficulties and surpassed all trials. Yes, there was pain and some problems, yet we triumphed over them. How? It was because of God. It was through God’s goodness. Everything is possible because of His grace. So let us be thankful to Him. Let us acknowledge His kindness. Let us give Him our gratitude. Let us glorify Him,” the bishop said. Santos urged the faithful to trust the Lord amid life's uncertainties. “This new year, let us first think of God. Turn to Him and always trust Him. We don’t know what lies ahead of us, but we confidently rely on His mercy and grace. With our plans, we think of Him. With our projects, we trust Him. Despite the natural calamities and personal problems that test our faith, we just have to trust that He will deliver us and lead us to safety and prosperity,” he said. “Our blessedness and our successes are because of God. Our 2020 will be truly happy and prosperous because of God. Not by the sound of firecrackers nor by 12 round fruits. Not by noise. It is only of God, by God. And so let us on this new year think, turn, and trust in God,” Santos stressed. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church observes the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God and World Day of Peace on the first day of every year. The Holy Father Pope Francis traditionally celebrates a Holy Mass in commemoration of the two significant religious events at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. Manila time, at the Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. The faithful are encouraged to offer novena prayers, special prayers, and to recite the Holy Rosary in honor and in celebration of the divine motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Also known as the “Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” the title Mary, Mother of God was accorded the Blessed Mother during the Council of Ephesus in the year 431 to celebrate the fact that Mary, being the mother of Jesus, who is God, was to be called Mother of God. In memory of the event, Pope Sixtus III built in Rome the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the four major basilicas of the Catholic faith. The observance of World Day of Peace is meant to give honor to the part played by Mary in the mystery of salvation. “It is meant to exalt the singular divinity which this mystery brings to the Holy Mother, through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of Life,” said Blessed Pope Paul VI who instituted the event in 1967.
Bishop Ruperto Santos(CBCP / MANILA BULLETIN) Balanga Bishop Ruperto C. Santos reminded the faithful that all pains and difficulties are surpassed with enough faith and trust in God. “A year has passed and we overcame all difficulties and surpassed all trials. Yes, there was pain and some problems, yet we triumphed over them. How? It was because of God. It was through God’s goodness. Everything is possible because of His grace. So let us be thankful to Him. Let us acknowledge His kindness. Let us give Him our gratitude. Let us glorify Him,” the bishop said. Santos urged the faithful to trust the Lord amid life's uncertainties. “This new year, let us first think of God. Turn to Him and always trust Him. We don’t know what lies ahead of us, but we confidently rely on His mercy and grace. With our plans, we think of Him. With our projects, we trust Him. Despite the natural calamities and personal problems that test our faith, we just have to trust that He will deliver us and lead us to safety and prosperity,” he said. “Our blessedness and our successes are because of God. Our 2020 will be truly happy and prosperous because of God. Not by the sound of firecrackers nor by 12 round fruits. Not by noise. It is only of God, by God. And so let us on this new year think, turn, and trust in God,” Santos stressed. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church observes the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God and World Day of Peace on the first day of every year. The Holy Father Pope Francis traditionally celebrates a Holy Mass in commemoration of the two significant religious events at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. Manila time, at the Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. The faithful are encouraged to offer novena prayers, special prayers, and to recite the Holy Rosary in honor and in celebration of the divine motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Also known as the “Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” the title Mary, Mother of God was accorded the Blessed Mother during the Council of Ephesus in the year 431 to celebrate the fact that Mary, being the mother of Jesus, who is God, was to be called Mother of God. In memory of the event, Pope Sixtus III built in Rome the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the four major basilicas of the Catholic faith. The observance of World Day of Peace is meant to give honor to the part played by Mary in the mystery of salvation. “It is meant to exalt the singular divinity which this mystery brings to the Holy Mother, through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of Life,” said Blessed Pope Paul VI who instituted the event in 1967.