At a gathering of approximately 10,000 Catholics last Saturday, October 18, at the event Pista ng Misyon, the Archbishop of Manila in his homily reminded the audience to care for the planet.
In his homily about Mission, His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said, "Part of our mission of charity is caring for creation and caring for human beings."
LITTERING IS ARROGANCE
He then reminded the audience to please make sure to pick up their trash before leaving the Cuneta Astrodome "Nakikita ko may mga bottled water ... Ngayon marami tayo ... Pag alis kaya natin, sana hindi na kailangan ng janitor para maglinis dito, kasi lahat tayo may pagmamahal sa kapaligiran." (Now I see bottled water ... there are many of us ... when we leave, I hope there will be no more need for a janitor to clean the venue ... because all of us have a concern for the cleanliness of the place.)
He reminded the audience to refrain from throwing their trash on the floor. "Kung natutukso ka na ang balot ng kendi na kinain mo ay itapon jan, mag hunos dili ka. Extraordinary mission month pa naman tapos itatapon mo? Bago mo itapon, ilagay mo sa bulsa mo." (Those who are tempted to throw their candy wrappers on the floor should restrain themselves and just put it in their pocket.)
He said that carelessly throwing trash around is equivalent to arrogance; that mindset of thinking that it is ok to litter because anyway someone else would clean up after them. "Ang pagtatapon na ganiyan, kayabang iyan. Nasa isip mo, 'Hindi bale nang mag-iwan ng dumi, meron namang pupulot mamaya."
He added that that this mentality betrays a failure in our mission to care for others.
PISTA NG MISYON
The Pista ng Misyon is a gathering of Catholics of all ages from around the country organized by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila and the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Philippines.
It is in celebration of the Catholics' "Extraordinary Missionary Month" on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Maximum Illud, the Apostolic Letter on mission issued by Pope Benedict XV.
It is a gathering of gratitude, thanking the Lord for missionaries who worked to evangelize and spread the gift of faith. It was also an occasion for Catholics to renew their faith in the Lord.