Cardinal asks clergy: Be flexible, deal with modern ills

Ricardo Jamin Cardinal Vidal

Function: Archbishop of Cebu, Philippines

Title: Cardinal Priest of Ss Pietro e Paolo a Via Ostiense

Birthdate: Feb 06, 1931	Country: Philippines

Elevated: May 25, 1985	More information: www.catholic-hierarchy.org

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Cardinal asks clergy: Be flexible, deal with modern ills
Dec 11, 2007
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal urged priests and the laity to respond to the changes of the times as they continue to reflect on who Jesus is in their lives.

(Sun Star, December 10, 2007) “There are many new things today, especially in the aspect of modern communications. It will be useless if the priests and the laity won’t be flexible in responding to them,” said Cardinal Vidal in yesterday’s homily at the Virgen de los Remedios Parish in Labangon, Cebu City.

The parish celebrated its feast yesterday, the second Sunday of Advent, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“We can’t deny that we are experiencing hard times. It is difficult to live a Christ-like life because of the demands of civil society. But as devotees of the Virgin Mary, we must call on her so that she will pray for us always,” the prelate said.

During his celebration of the 16th anniversary of his Episcopal ordination last month, Cardinal Vidal cited “bomb blasts, passing storms, killings, fires and stand-offs” as concrete examples of these hard times, which have made him “very sad.”

Call for change

He then asked the Catholic flock to follow Mary who “listened and obeyed God’s word” and to make her an example in “the call for change.”

“As woman, mother and wife, Mary is very close to Jesus. I hope that we, too, will make the effort to be close to Jesus through the sacred sacraments He left in the church,” he said.

One of these sacraments is baptism, which the archbishop mentioned should be the start of renewal for priests and the laity. He added that Catholics should demonstrate proof of this renewal in their lives.

“This is why we need to go back to the Bible and renew our interest in studying it, because the Bible contains the teachings for us,” he said. The Archdiocese will celebrate next year its 75th anniversary, with the theme “Contemplating the Face of Jesus in the Bible.”

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