Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo on Ash Wednesday urged the Catholic faithful to repent not only for sins committed but also for keeping mum against the issues confronting the country.
Pabillo stressed that the faithful should also ask for forgiveness for things that they should have done but failed to do.
鈥淢ost of the time when we think of sins, we think of the personal sins we committed, like lying, cursing 鈥� but we also commit a sin for not doing what we鈥檙e supposed to do. It鈥檚 called the sin of omission,鈥� said Pabillo during his homily at the Arzobispado de Manila in Intramuros, Manila.
鈥淎nd one of the greatest sins of omission we commit as Filipinos is when we neglect our country, we do not protect or watch over it,鈥� he said in Filipino.
鈥淚t seems okay for us that there are corrupt people. It seems okay for us if there are killings all around us, we鈥檙e not involved anyway. It seems okay for us when people curse, we don鈥檛 do it anyway,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e just keep mum, we don鈥檛 do anything, that鈥檚 why we became the laughing stock of other countries,鈥� the prelate lamented.
鈥溾�橶e thought you鈥檙e a Christian nation? Why is there a lot of extrajudicial killings? Why are human rights not given importance? Why do you let your leaders curse?鈥� Nobody鈥檚 talking, nobody鈥檚 opposing it that鈥檚 why they continue doing what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� Pabillo said.
The prelate said it is the Filipino people鈥檚 social responsibility to speak up against these issues.
鈥淭hat is one of the things we should be sorry for especially in this time of Lent,鈥� he said.
鈥淣ilalapastangan na tayo sa kanilang Charter Change. Alam nyo ba nakalagay don? na sila鈥檡 mananatili sa poder, na magiging bahagi ng Konstitusyon ang pork barrel, na tatanggalin ang mga limitasyon at mabubuksan ang ating bansa sa mga dayuhan,鈥� he added.
Pabillo also urged Filipinos to know and get involved with what鈥檚 happening in the country 鈥渂ecause we can only speak if we know the issues.鈥�
Catholics had their foreheads applied with ash during Mass on the first day of Lent as a reminder of human sinfulness and mortality and as a sign of mourning and repentance.
The ash came from burned palms, which priests blessed on Palm Sunday last year.
Lent, a season of fasting, reflection and prayer, culminates in the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter.