Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo has urged the Filipino faithful to be on "missionary mode" in spreading the word of God as the country celebrates the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.
“We open today the Year of the Mission. Let each of our community enter into the missionary mode,” said Pabillo during his homily at the Manila Cathedral on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Pabillo said that the faithful should not be discouraged in spreading the word of the Lord even amid the threat of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“To leave the comfort zone is difficult. We would rather stay in our cozy and familiar situations, but COVID-19 has pushed us out of our comfort zones, whether we liked it or not,” he said.
“Now that we have the initial push to get out of our comfort zones and to reach out to the peripheries, let us continue on this missionary mode,” he added.
Pabillo urged members of the clergy “to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities.”
“Yes, let us be bold in striking out new grounds. Naturally, There will be expenses. We will make mistakes. There will be criticisms but move on,” the prelate said.
Pabillo said that the clergymen should use digital technology to reach more people.
“Let us invest, let us improve, let us learn to bring God’s word in the world of the internet. Let us recruit people, and many of them the young, for this mission,” he said.
“Let us not say that I am too old for this. The internet is not only for techies and for the young. It is also for us seniors. And let us not be afraid of this technology. It has great potentials for the good,” he added.