In the month of Our Lady, Filipinos follow Pope Francis against the "culture of indifference"
Manila (AsiaNews/CBCP) – Filipino Catholics have welcomed Pope Francis’ timely prayer intentions for May, rejecting the “culture of indifference" by taking care "of the suffering of others" and promoting initiatives in favour of the poor.
Their devotion to Mary drives them to be one with the less fortunate in a world becoming numbed to the pains of others. Indeed, “The Holy Father’s [universal] prayer intention is just what the world needs now, especially here in the Philippines where many suffer because of corruption and the culture of indifference,” said Fr Joel Saballa of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Novaliches, Quezon City.
In view of this, the priest calls on the faithful to step out of their comfort zones retreat and reach out to brothers and sisters in need.
Similarly, Professor Nestor Limqueco of the Company of St Dominic (CSD) believes that overcoming an indifferent society challenges all to respond to the needs of others, particularly those in the margins. For him, in order to resist the growing culture of indifference, Christians need to analyse in depth their behaviour and find ways to share the fruits of contemplation.
As a Catholic educator, he rails against growing secularism, especially among “young minds” who become “aloof and insensitive to the world in which they live”.
"Today’s challenge is to evangelise the local culture,” Limqueco explained, by drawing inspiration from Mother Mary, in whose honour the whole month is dedicated.
The Blessed Lady, he noted, is her Son’s first disciple, the first to receive the Word during the Annunciation, and the first to bring the Good News during the Visitation to Elisabeth.
Meanwhile, Brother Martin Francisco of the Blessed Sacrament Missionaries of the Poor (BSMP), who serves Dumagat communities in the Sierra Madre, blamed the culture of indifference on the propensity of many to acquire more and the desire for physical comforts at the expense of their prayer life and relationship with the Lord.
“Most of us forget to see Christ in the faces of the poor, the sick, and the indigenous people,” said the Filipino missionary. For this reason, he urges the faithful to turn to the Blessed Mary and pray her rosary in keeping with her requests in Fatima, Portugal.
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