Spirit of Easter very much alive despite COVID-19 crisis – Valles
Published Apr 12, 2020 12:00 am
By Antonio Colina
DAVAO CITY – Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Romulo G. Valles said the heroism and sacrifices of the frontliners and other people in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the country has given Filipinos a spark of hope in the midst of a global pandemic.
Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles
(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) In his message for the Easter Sunday, the Davao Archbishop honored those individuals, who have the “courage to offer heroic service and sacrifice with the clear risk of losing their very own lives,” in saving and protecting patients who have been infected with the highly contagious coronavirus, and calling these “moving and heartwarming” gestures as “concrete manifestations of the Easter spirit.” The prelate said he saw “clear sparks of the spirit of Easter in the hearts” of the people despite the extremely grim situation confronting the world. He added that the Filipinos and other people in the world are “bigger than the threat of the coronavirus pandemic” and that their lives are “more powerful than the menace of death that this pandemic brings.” “Together, with hearts filled with goodness and love, filled with deep sense of service and sacrifice, I begin to see the hope of Easter in us, and this hope is stronger when we, together, have hearts like that of Jesus in his sacrifice in Calvary… Together, with hearts inspired by God’s grace, with hearts inspired by the love of the Blessed Virgin Mother, who stood at the foot of the cross in Calvary,” he said. He said the spirit of Easter is very much alive upon seeing the “countless acts of sacrifice and service, acts of kindness and compassion.” “This is a spirit which is born out of faith and conviction that Jesus has defeated death and has risen back to life – for all of us. It is a spirit that springs forth from both convictions, the conviction that the Lord truly and deeply loves us and the conviction that we are a people truly capable of loving and caring for each other in the worst of times,” Valles added.
Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) In his message for the Easter Sunday, the Davao Archbishop honored those individuals, who have the “courage to offer heroic service and sacrifice with the clear risk of losing their very own lives,” in saving and protecting patients who have been infected with the highly contagious coronavirus, and calling these “moving and heartwarming” gestures as “concrete manifestations of the Easter spirit.” The prelate said he saw “clear sparks of the spirit of Easter in the hearts” of the people despite the extremely grim situation confronting the world. He added that the Filipinos and other people in the world are “bigger than the threat of the coronavirus pandemic” and that their lives are “more powerful than the menace of death that this pandemic brings.” “Together, with hearts filled with goodness and love, filled with deep sense of service and sacrifice, I begin to see the hope of Easter in us, and this hope is stronger when we, together, have hearts like that of Jesus in his sacrifice in Calvary… Together, with hearts inspired by God’s grace, with hearts inspired by the love of the Blessed Virgin Mother, who stood at the foot of the cross in Calvary,” he said. He said the spirit of Easter is very much alive upon seeing the “countless acts of sacrifice and service, acts of kindness and compassion.” “This is a spirit which is born out of faith and conviction that Jesus has defeated death and has risen back to life – for all of us. It is a spirit that springs forth from both convictions, the conviction that the Lord truly and deeply loves us and the conviction that we are a people truly capable of loving and caring for each other in the worst of times,” Valles added.