CEBU’s top prelate has urged Sto. Niño devotees and the Christian faithful in general to appreciate their family.
“If not for our family, we would not be here... We thank the Lord for our family,” Archbishop Jose Palma said in his homily during his pontifical mass at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, the day of the fiesta in honor of the Sto. Niño.
He said the journey in Christian life starts within the family.
The pontifical mass for the 459th Fiesta Señor started at 6 a.m. and lasted for two hours.
First time
Palma thanked the Augustinian friars for having the entire Holy Family — St. Joseph, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Sto. Niño — in one boat for the first time during the seaborne procession last Saturday, Jan. 20. In the past, only the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sto. Niño were included.
Reflecting on the Holy Family, the archbishop urged the faithful to be obedient to their parents, just as the Holy Child was to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.
He praised parents for bringing their children to the novena masses from Jan. 11 to 19, saying this is one way of inculcating the Christian faith into the young ones.
Fiesta Señor, he said, celebrates the youth who are crucial in spreading the faith.
Wars
Palma also urged the faithful to include people affected by wars in other countries in their prayers.
Two major wars have been raging in the world: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Europe, which started in 2022, and Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza in the Middle East that started last October.
Palma also touched on the challenges that the faithful faced over the years, including the earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda in 2013, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and typhoon Odette in 2021.
Despite experiencing natural calamities and the generational global health emergency, Palma commended Cebuanos for remaining steadfast in their faith.
The prelate also commended people who are taking care of their environment and those who value their work. (HIC)