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Archbisop Tirona and Bishop Oliveros urged delegates to become witnesses of God’s mercy on the fourth day of the World Apostolic Congress of Mercy held at the Parish of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy on January 19, 2017.
In his talk entitled “Witnessing to the Mercy of God as the Church of the Poor”, Nueva Caceres Archbishop Rolando Octavus J. Tria Tirona mentioned the importance of witnessing in the life of believers. He emphasized that mercy is God’s gift as the word came from the Biblical Hebrew hesed, which refers to God’s “enduring fidelity” to men.
He mentioned that the Church is meant to be one in this mission for by being commissioned by the disciples themselves, we ought to “testify to the mercy and compassion of God”. Noting the importance of Christian witnessing he said, “Christian witnessing is more than the acts of charity that we do. It is a way of life. It is formed by inspiration and commitment and that is what it means to be a Christian witness. Let us not turn Christian witness into a one shot deal. It has to be lived every day.”
Also focusing on the mission of the Church in the Philippines as the Church of the Poor, Tirona emphasized on what it is all about. He said, “The call of the Church of the Poor is to feel at home. The poor participate in the Church. The poor are not slaves of the Church.” Inviting the poor to be one with Jesus mentioned, “Be intimate with Jesus – the source of your witnessing will be your relationship with Jesus. The heart of the Father is a merciful heart, full of love for us.”
At the celebration of the Holy Eucharist led by Nigerian Bishop Martin Uzoukwu, Malolos Bishop Jose F. Oliveros shared the experiences of mercy he witnessed as bishop. He mentioned how an artist who lost his sight was healed of blindness after praying intimately to the Divine Mercy, inspiring him to paint images of the Lord, which the Bishop even presented to Pope Benedict XVI in Rome.
He also stressed how important it is for the Holy Father to remind the faithful that with the Fourth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, “God’s mercy never ends! We are continually reminded to show mercy to others.” He emphasized the need for the local Church to help in the mission of mercy, expressing the sense of establishing “houses of mercy”, 15 of which have been visited by the delegates within the Diocese the morning of that day.
Yet most importantly in his recent experience was his illness to which he attested: “Lately the Lord is asking me to trust more in His mercy. You know I am not feeling well, that is why I am not present in the first 3 days of our congress. And even now as we start the mass, I feel so weak but I trust in God’s mercy. Next week we will start a new round of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, but I trust in the mercy of God. Please pray for me.”
The two bishops have served the Diocese of Malolos as local ordinaries. Tirona became its third bishop from 1996 to 2003 and Oliveros as fourth bishop from 2004 up to present. Tirona also heads the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (CBCP-NASSA). Oliveros once led the CBCP Office of Bioethics and was Vice Chairman for the Episcopal Commission on the Laity.
Other highlights of the fourth day of WACOM hosted by the diocese of Bulacan was the visitation of the international delegates to 15 places of mercy where they witnessed the corporal and spiritual works of mercy offered to the beneficiaries and the unveiling of the tallest statue of the Divine Mercy.
