“Christmas is not about decorations, gifts, and money, but about the love of God,” His Eminence Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle stressed as Christians mark the Fourth Sunday of Advent December 22.
“Is every one excited for Jesus this Christmas? It seems not to be the case. What they are excited about is the bonus.
Even if there’s no Jesus as long as there’s a bonus then they are okay,” Tagle said in his homily at the start of the nine-day “Simbang Gabi” at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila.
The cardinal reminded the faithful that Christmas is all about the Birth of Jesus Christ, and not the material things that go with the celebration.
“There will be no Christmas without Jesus. We should set our sights on Jesus and not get too preoccupied with the gifts that we intend to buy. We are also slowly losing the tradition of home Nativity scenes. Instead of the Belen, we just place gifts beneath the Christmas tree. We focus so much on the boxes beneath the Christmas tree,” he said.
“Many would also know where to shop for Christmas sales but forget about the importance of the Gospel. We should give witness to Jesus at all times, even if it’s not Christmas. We should focus on the Good News and not on fake news,” Tagle said. (Christina Hermoso)
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