CANDLE LIGHTNING during the Litany of the Saints after the closing mass of the 3rd Philippine Conference on New Evangelization on July 17.

Text and photos by Whitney Nagasan

The recently-concluded 3rd Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE) urged Filipino Roman Catholics to embody God’s mercy in our daily lives.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle frontlined the gathering of more than 5,000 people for the 3-day series of talks and prayer sessions on "the merciful Filipino."

“The two aspects of the mission of mercy that we receive from Jesus are: (1) Mercy as the healing of betrayal through the gift of self and (2) Mercy as binding and loosing,” Tagle said during the closing mass.

“Let us be careful. The person we want to discredit might be a gift from God. You don’t throw away gifts. Gifts are treasured,” he added.

PCNE was held from July 15 to 17 at the Quadricentennial Pavilion of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, bearing the theme, “Awa, Unawa, Gawa: The Filipino Experience of Mercy.”

The event was aimed at exploring the appreciation of mercy, the primary attribute of God (based on Chapter 24 of Saint Luke, which is often called the “Gospel of Mercy”); facilitating a deeper reflection on Jesus as the face of the Father’s mercy; initiating concrete manifestations of the joyful call to become a merciful Church in the age of high technology; and reigniting the sense of missionary discipleship among the Christian faithful.

PCNE organizers used the framework of “Awa-Unawa-Gawa” to mine the richness of God’s mercy in the Filipino context. The first-day activities were about awa (mercy), the second day was about unawa (understanding) and the third day focused on gawa (action).

CHURCH LEADER. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle delivers his homily before a crowd of over 5,000 people during the last day of the 3rd Philippine Conference on New Evangelization at the University of Santo Tomas. 

“Hindi sapat na tayo’y makaranas ng awa ng Diyos. Dapat maging misyonero tayo ng awa,” Tagle reminded the crowd. "May isang bagay na hindi lilipas, mahal tayo nang Diyos."

(It is not enough that we experience God’s mercy. We must become missionaries of mercy. There is one thing that does not fade, God loves us.)

Joining Tagle during the plenary session, Fr Manoling Francisco SJ discussed “The Scandalous Mercy of God,” a theological and musical reflection on the parable of the prodigal son, while Loyola School of Theology instructor Fr Albert Alejo SJ talked on the Filipino anthropological view of mercy.

Naga Parochial School director Fr Rex Alarcon also shared on how teachers can cultivate mercy among the young during the concurrent session.

PCNE forms part of the celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy of the Universal Church. The event was recorded in the Vatican as an official activity for the Holy Year of Mercy.

In line with the same celebration, this year’s Xavier University Community Retreat, held from July 27 to 29, carried the theme “#MercyMatters.” A Catholic and Jesuit academic institution, Xavier will also hold the forum, “A Lampstand of Mercy: Pope Francis on the Family as the Joy of Love” on August 2 at the XU Little Theater. ∎