Thursday, April 05, 2007 Siete Palabras Friday tackles renewing social life
THIS year’s reading of the Siete Palabras or the Seven Last Words will focus on social concerns and the responsibility of the Catholic faithful to act upon these concerns as stewards of God.
Selected priests will explain the seven last words of Jesus Christ tomorrow afternoon at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, in the light of the theme “Deus Caritas Est: Living the Spirituality of Stewardship in the Year of Social Concerns.”
The social concerns include the renewal of culture and social life; transforming political life; empowering women in society; empowering the poor; transforming economic relations; renewal of work; and renewal of the environment.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cadinal Vidal earlier explained the theme, saying that “it means that our Christian life, our Christian living must be under the requirements of being a good steward…. Be faithful to God, be clean, be transparent and be able to give an accounting of what you are doing.”
Thrust
The theme is also the pastoral thrust of the Archdiocese of Cebu this year.
The Siete Palabras is one of the highlights of the Easter Triduum. It will run from noon to 3 p.m. tomorrow, Good Friday, which Catholics believe is the time when Jesus Christ died on the cross.
Archdiocesan media liaison officer Msgr. Achilles Dakay earlier said that new speakers are picked every year.
Fr. Dennis Villarojo, coordinator of the archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Board, will give the introduction, while the cardinal will give the summary of the three-hour activity.
Auxiliary Bishop Emilio Bataclan will discuss the first words: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
“We are now in hard times. Is it not because we ignore the voice of God and run after so many things? In the process, we forget the essential things in life and ignore God,” Bataclan said.
He will be followed by Cebu Archdiocesan Episcopal Vicar Esteban Binghay.
The third words will be delivered by Auxiliary Bishop Julito Cortes, followed by Perpetual Succor Hospital Chaplain Fr. Joseph de Aquino.
St. Therese Parish co-pastor Fr. John Jonah Orat will read the fifth words.
He said he will emphasize each Catholic’s accountability for what God gave him.
With the May 14 polls coming, the priests will also touch on the elections in respect to the social concern they are assigned to, Dakay said.
Fr. Carmelo Diola, convenor of Barug Pilipino and coordinating steward of Dilaab Movement, said he will incorporate facts concerning the elections in his discussion of the sixth words.
“When Jesus said ‘It is finished,’ his mission is accomplished but he passes the mission on to the Church. We are tasked to continue it, so our work as Catholics has value and significance—a work that cannot be monetized,” Diola said.
The last words will be delivered by Tito Soquiño, Parochial Vicar of Mojon, Talisay, who will present the status of the coral reefs of Talisay City as an entry point of his discussion.
He said the environment is the responsibility of the Catholics as its stewards “so we must take care of it because it is our responsibility to return the environment, whole and complete, to God.”
After the Siete Palabras tomorrow, Cardinal Vidal will celebrate the veneration of the cross.
Today, he will celebrate the Mass of the Last Supper. Both will be held at the Cebu Cathedral. (NRC)
