“WE ARE not only experiencing the horror of the Covid-19 pandemic but also the danger of the pandemic of deception and falsehood in our society. There is now a big challenge for all of us to be vigilant in discerning the genuine truth in our words and deeds.”
Thus, Bishop Sofronio Bancud, chair of the Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, called on the church people to “engage the faithful in appreciating the Word of God.”
This, he added, “can definitely aid every person in refuting all the errors which the society falsely believes.”
Seeing how “…this falsehood…has, very subtly, distorted our way of looking at the world and corrupted our way of responding to the challenges that confront us today.”
The Cabanatuan bishop made the remarks in his pastoral message on the closing of the Year of the Word of God set on Sept. 30. The year 2020 has been declared by the World Evangelical Alliance as the Year of the Bible and by the Catholic Biblical Federation as the Year of the Word of God.
Significantly, Bancud noted, 2020 also marks the 1600th death anniversary of St. Jerome, patron of the Bible study and Bible translators.
“Now is the best time to let the people experience and witness the love of Jesus Christ by spreading His words and deeds to all,” he said. “Instead of spreading negative thoughts and depraved reactions, we are challenged to share the Word of God especially to the hopeless and the needy in this time of the pandemic.”
Bancud also warned the faithful of the “pandemic of indifference and selfishness” amid the coronavirus crisis.
The need for physical distancing, he said, should not be equated to isolation from people “who desperately need love and help.”
“Rather, we should be inspired all the more to live out the gospel of love proclaimed by our Lord Jesus Christ through our words and actions,” he added.
Citing St. Paul – “so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.” (Romans 12:5) – Bancud said: “We are part of one another, even if we are apart from each other. With this, let us invite one another to listen together to the Word of God to have a shared experience of God’s love.”
Concluding: “When we live together in the Word of God, we shall become a beacon of unity for all men and women especially during this pandemic.” With CBCP News
