SALUBONG  Devotees watch the “salubong” – the meeting of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary – which was reenacted at the EDSA Shrine on Easter Sunday. The scene was replicated in all Catholic churches nationwide as Filipinos celebrated Christ’s resurrection, the culmination of Holy Week. PHOTO BY MIGUEL DE GUZMAN
SALUBONG
Devotees watch the “salubong” – the meeting of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary – which was reenacted at the EDSA Shrine on Easter Sunday. The scene was replicated in all Catholic churches nationwide as Filipinos celebrated Christ’s resurrection, the culmination of Holy Week. PHOTO BY MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

MANILA Archbishop Luís Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Sunday called on the faithful to be missionaries of peace as the whole of Christendom celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In his Easter Sunday message, Tagle said Jesus’ resurrection and glorification is a glimpse of the eternal life.

“The light from Jesus’ resurrection makes us see more clearly the truth about our complex human condition while urging us toward a glorious future,” he added.

Tagle pointed out that many of the words spoken by Jesus after his resurrection appear to be addressed to existing condition of Filipinos. He cited Jesus’ assurances to his doubting disciples that he was indeed alive.

Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

The archbishop said the Lord’s message is clear that through him nothing is impossible.

“He invites us not to allow worries and cynicisms to blind us to the needs of the poor among us, Let us behold the Risen Jesus in very needy persons and see a neighbor, a brother or sister,” he added.

“Let us go to all corners of our country as missionaries of peace,” Tagle said.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said Easter goes beyond customary greetings and feasting.

“We all yearn for joy. We work for joy. Yet, in this quest we have often failed to find it. We are bundles of shattered dreams; or we are showcases of fulfilled dreams, which leave us empty. We have worked hard, but are frustrated; we have struggled, but feel the weight of disappointment. We are victims of calamities, natural or man-made, or victims of our own coldness in the face of overwhelming suffering,” Villegas added.

What the Lord wants, he said, is to return to the joy that comes from a personal encounter with the risen Jesus Christ, not from joy that comes from a covetous heart or from frivolous pursuit of pleasures and from a blunted conscience.