The National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians was chosen as one of the pilgrimage churches for this special year dedicated to Saint Joseph, and at the same time it was indicated by the diocese of Parañaque as a church where it is possible to celebrate the Jubilee for the 500 years of Christian presence in the Philippines.
The Gospel of the day spoke of Jesus visiting his disciples, bringing them peace, and of the need to believe even without seeing. The archbishop's homily touched on these themes, while also focusing attention on the event that was celebrated in the shrine. In fact, Msgr. Panfilo invited us to "reopen our doors to receive God's mercy." He made a parallel between the apostles who, full of amazement and fear, received peace and forgiveness from Jesus, and those present at the celebration, who too now have at their disposal the forgiveness and mercy that are offered to them through the Jubilee.
“The words that Msgr. Panfilo said in the homily really struck me, as they reminded me of the great gift we can receive: the plenary indulgence by crossing the Holy Door of the Sanctuary in the grace of God. We have been truly blessed to have it in our parish, as if the Lord was telling us to return to His grace, so that we can be forgiven and loved by Him,” commented Maria Patricia Prahinog, a faithful young woman present at Mass.
“It is truly a great blessing and opportunity, especially for us young people in the parish, as we experience this once in a lifetime event. We may never know when the next time our parish is chosen as a Jubilee church. Furthermore, as we know, not many Filipinos know the title of Mary Help of Christians, and this is a way of evangelizing and spreading her devotion,” she adds.
The event was also broadcast live on the shrine's Facebook page
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