Cardinal Tagle hits those

who take advantage of

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. PHOTO BY ROY LAGARDE

By Roy Lagarde
September 11, 2020
Manila, Philippines

A Vatican official has criticized those who are taking advantage of the global health crisis to make
hefty profit.

Cardinal Luis Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, said it is
“saddening” that some people prioritize personal gain over human lives.
“As many people are suffering and getting poorer, there are some businesses and probably
individuals who are taking advantage of the situation,” Tagle said.

“And they know how to capitalize on the sorrow and the needs of others for their profitability,” he
said.

The cardinal, who is also the president of Caritas Internationalis, made the comment during an online
recollection for Filipino Covid-19 recollection on September 8.

Dubbed as “Kaunting Pahinga (A Little Rest),” the initiative was organized by Caritas Philippines
and the Dilaab Foundation with Tagle as recollection master.

The cardinal noted that the pandemic has already caused so much poverty in many parts of the world.

In fact, according to him, the health crisis increased the demands for assistance from Caritas to more
than a hundred percent.

“But while many are suffering, there are those who are getting even richer,” he said. “And that adds
to suffering that adds to death.”

Cardinal Tagle expressed hope that through faith in Jesus, the pandemic would lead people to “a
lifestyle of compassion and solidarity”.

“No one should be left alone. This gives hope to many people,” he said.

Source: https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/cardinal-tagle-hits-those-who-take-advantage-of-pandemic/
Laoag bishop assigns new
shrine to charity

Bishop Renato Mayugba of Laoag presides over a Mass to declare the San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in San
Nicolas, Ilocos Norte as a diocesan shrine on September 10.

By CBCP News
September 10, 2020
San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte

Bishop Renato Mayugba of Laoag has asked the diocese’s new shrine to serve not only as a place of
devotion to God but also “devotion to people”.

Speaking during Mass to declare the centuries-old San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church as a
diocesan shrine on Thursday, he said that charity is central to its mission.
“A shrine is not only a place where people pray to God but a shrine is a church that is always ready
to give and to share,” Bishop Mayugba said in his homily.

“If there is no ‘caritas’ program, it is a failure. A shrine can only be a shrine if it has an outreach
program,” according to him.

The prelate said the shrine in Ilocos Norte’s San Nicolas town must be the “oasis” of mercy and
service to the people, particularly the poor.

“May the parish continue that charitable dimension of devotion that completes the double
commandment: love of God and love of neighbor,” he said.

The official declaration came nearly two months after the bishop approved a petition to elevate the
parish to a diocesan shrine status.

It is the diocese’s second shrine after the La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc Church, which is now a
minor basilica.

The ceremony also took place during the feast of the town’s patron saint.

The church was first constructed in 1584, the same year the town, formerly known as Caluntian, was
founded by the Spanish Augustinian friars.

In 1617, it became independent and the friars placed the town under the patronage of San Nicolas,
the first Augustinian saint.

Its current edifice was built in 1811 and completed in 1830.

While churches are all places of worship, Bishop Mayugba said that a shrine “is a place where the
liturgy is particularly celebrated with greater devotion”.

“A shrine that does not celebrate a beautiful liturgy betrays its calling,” he said.

Source: https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/laoag-bishop-assigns-new-shrine-to-charity/
Formation under the new
normal
We know that our need for formation is a continuing one. It’s a never-ending affair. That’s because
not only do we have to pursue the ideal of the fullness of our humanity, let alone, our Christian
perfection—already a formidable, overwhelming task—but we also have to contend with the
changing circumstances as we go along, which can be very tricky to us. And some of these changes
can be drastic and radical!

We can imagine, for example, how things will be after this pandemic we are having at the moment.
We cannot anymore do things the way we used to do them. There will be new challenges in many
fronts—personal, professional, social, etc. The need for adaptation is going to be very exacting.

But we just have to find ways to adapt to the new or the next normal. Remember Christ saying, “No
one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the
garment, and a worse tear will result. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do,
the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine
into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Mt 9,16-17)

We have to take time to study how we can pursue this indispensable task of our continuing formation
given the drastic changes and the new challenges of our times. It would be advisable to consult with
some people who may give us new ideas and techniques, especially in the area of the new
technologies.

Of course, it is important that we are very clear about what are truly essential in our formation—that
God is the source and end of everything, that we have been created in his image and likeness, that we
are meant to sanctify ourselves usually in the middle of the world and to help in the work of human
redemption through our personal apostolate, that God meets us in all the circumstances of our life
and invites us to love him and everyone else, etc.

For all these, we are supposed to be strong and stable humanly and spiritually, knowledgeable about
the doctrine of our Christian faith that gives us the global picture of things. We have to learn how to
pray and do the necessary practices of piety given the likely scenario that our days will have more
things and more challenges.
We have to learn how to deal with our weaknesses, limitations, failures, temptations and sins. Of
course, we also have to learn how to properly deal with our successes and achievements and the other
good things in life that can spoil us if not handled well. Yes, we have to learn how to strike a good
balance between the new and the old, our immediate requirements and our ultimate necessity.

We can imagine that the new or the next normal will require of us more resilience, patience and
humility, since it is most likely that we will have to study new things. We may even have to change
profession, not to mention our social and economic status. We should be ready to strengthen our
spirit of sacrifice, otherwise we will likely fall into depression and the like.

In all this, we should try to maintain a calm and cheerful bearing and outlook, knowing that God
takes care of everything, and that everything will work out for the good if we are with God. (cfr.
Rom 8,28) We just have to learn how to be sport and game, considering these new challenges as
some kind of a divinely-directed adventure.

Although we may not be able to avoid worrying completely, let us consider these worries as an
occasion to get closer to God, begging him for some help, asking for some miracle if we want it, etc.
Our spirit of divine filiation, that conviction that we are children of a good father who takes care of
us in everything, should remain strong!

Source: https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/formation-under-the-new-normal/