CARDINAL ADVINCULA UNDERSCORES VALUE OF PRAYER IN PRIESTLY LIFE
MANILA, Philippines — Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula reminded priests on Maundy Thursday to keep prayer central to their lives.
Cardinal Advincula said prayer is a part of priests’ lives and will be detrimental to their vocation without it.
“As we prepare to renew our priestly commitment for this year of prayer as designated by Pope Francis in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year, pilgrims of hope, let us take this opportunity to remember the value of prayer in our priestly lives,” Cardinal Advincula said in his homily.
He said that God should be intimate with priests and that prayer is how to do this.
“Ibig ng Diyos na malapit siya sa atin. Malapit sa puso natin, nasa mismong kalooban natin. God wants to be intimately close to us,” he added.
(God wants to be near us, near our hearts, in our hearts and minds. God wants to be intimately close to us.)
Advincula also joked that the priest who has no prayer life has no love life, and the person who does not have a love life has no life.
“My dear brother priests, prayer is the way of intimacy with God. For as priests, our prayer life is our love life. Kaya ang paring walang prayer life, ay paring walang love-life. At ang taong walang love-life ay taong walang life (That is why the priest with no prayer life is a priest with no love life. And the person with no love life is a person with no life.),” he added.
The archbishop made the statements at the Archdiocese of Manila’s Chrism mass on Maundy Thursday, where all priests within the diocese attend to renew their priestly vows.
Filipino Catholics follow other religious traditions during Maundy Thursday, which is part of the larger Holy Week observance.