Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu warned against what he described as the “culture of comfort” that makes people forget the sacrifices of saints in the Catholic Church.
“I’m afraid the world has become a world where we seek the culture of comfort,” said the prelate as he reflected on the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the sainthood of San Pedro Calungsod.
“If it’s no longer comfortable, if it’s no longer easy, if it’s no longer enjoyable … as if it’s no longer an obligation,” he said. “As if we do not have the duty to do it,” he added.
Archbishop Palma cited the example of San Pedro Calungsod who sacrificed his life for God and the Church.
“We may not be a martyr, but please do not conform to the culture of comfort,” said the prelate.
He said it is important for the youth the strengthen the foundations of their Christian faith.
Filipino Catholics will mark the 10th anniversary of the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod on October 21.
San Pedro Calungsod was an acolyte and trusted assistant of Jesuit priest Diego Luis de San Vitores who established the Christian mission in the Ladrones Islands, which he renamed as Islas Marianas.
The priest and Calungsod were martyred by the natives of the islands on April 2, 1672.
Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2000, by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on October 21, 2012.
