Bishop urges Catholics to seek forgiveness for Lent

MANILA, Philippines — The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday urged Filipino Catholics to use this Lenten season to repent and ask for forgiveness of sins that they have committed.

In an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas, CBCP president Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles asked the faithful to be one with the Church in observing the season of Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6, as part of preparations for the coming Easter Sunday.

During the 40 days of Lent, the faith­ful remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

Catholics are required to observe fast­ing and abstinence to atone for their sins.

“My brothers and sisters, let us avail of the season of grace during Lent so that we would be really prepared for the joyous season of Easter,” said Valles.

He added, “This is a season that would prepare us deep in our hearts for the coming celebration of Easter, the Paschal mystery, the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus that brought us salvation.”

About 1.2 billion Catholics around the world are expected to participate in the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday.

“The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday reminds us of the need for conversion, the need to go back to the Lord, the grace of conversion and the grace of forgiveness and mercy of God,” Valles said.

He also reminded Catholics to take part in corporal works of mercy such as feeding the poor, visiting the sick and those in prison and to give drink to the thirsty.

In a related development, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle asked the faithful to perform even small acts of charity such as Hapag-Asa Inte­grated Nutrition (Hapag-Asa) program that aims to reduce hunger and malnu­trition among the two million Filipino children based in the poorest and most remote places in the country.

“We Filipinos have a deep relation­ship with our faith. The season of Lent is another opportunity for us to re-center our lives by helping those who are most in need,” said Tagle, who is also the head of Caritas Internationalis.

Hapag-Asa appealed to churchgoers to practice fasting and to donate the money they save from their sacrifice to the Fast2Feed program, wherein as little as P10 a day could give a child a Manna Pack-based meal.

A Manna Pack-based meal consists of a rice meal formula fortified with proteins, vitamins A, B, C and D and calcium that is mixed with vegetables and is commonly used for nutrition feeding programs.