Prayer and Silence!

Another call for prayer from incoming CBCP President
Archbishop Socrates Villegas

SAMA SAMA TAYO!
Archbishop Socrates B Villegas
This is the time for charity, urgent charity. This is the time for lighting our small little candles together to fight the darkness and gloom. This is the time to spread inspiration, to dig for more hope and to send off more positive vibes in the air.

The government cannot do the relief and rehabilitation alone. The NGO’s and communication companies cannot do this alone. The engineers and social workers cannot do this by themselves. We need to help one another. Those who want to help must help together. 

Name calling and blame passing and finger pointing will just increase the damage and add to the confusion. This is the least we need. Let us celebrate what is right. Let us do what is right, the right that we can do no matter how small. Let us not allow the magnitude to overwhelm us. Feed one by one. Help one at a time.

I encourage every church group or religious association to directly adopt one parish community in the Diocese of Borongan. There are thirty two parishes that may be adopted as sister communities. The Archdiocese of Palo in Leyte has sixty four parishes. We can adopt one parish and directly help them with relief now and rehabilitation later on. 

In the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan, we have established links with Saint Mary’s College in Guiuan, Eastern Samar. All our relief goods will be repacked and dispatched by the Religious of the Virgin Mary in Guiuan. Hunger and sickness cannot wait. Do not wait for government. We must open all possibilities rather than get stuck at dead ends or road blocks or broken bridges. We must be aggressive and creative in sending charity.

On November 23, 2013 at six o clock in the evening, let us call for a national three minute of silence all over the nation. Let us pause. Pray for the dead. Pray for the living. Atone for our sins. Commit to give. Promise before God to help Samar and Leyte rise up. 

Spread the prayer appeal. November 23 Vigil of Christ the King at 6:00 pm let us pause from our concerns and ask God for His blessing. It has been so long since we last prayed as a nation. Let this calamity wake us up to the truth that the city of man is weak and passing. We must set our hearts on the CITY of GOD…

Prayer works. We cannot rebuild our nation without God. We cannot rebuild without prayer.