Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan said self-centered nationalism and social division are driving modern conflicts, pointing to ongoing war in the Middle East as a consequence of a breakdown in human communion.
Speaking during the Seventh Day Solemn Novena Mass for the Coronation Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag on April 19, the cardinal linked global violence to what he described as a growing “idolatry of self,” warning that “there is no communion that happens… when our worship is no longer directed to God but to ourselves.”
The prelate said the pursuit of power and narrow national interests erodes respect for human dignity and deepens divisions, particularly “when, because of addiction to power, we lose regard and concern for the dignity of every person,” and “when we see as enemies those who are different from us—in thought, in culture, and in religion.”
He added that conflict escalates when “the greatness we seek is only for our own nation, even if other nations suffer for it,” stressing that “this is the root of conflicts that lead to war, such as what continues to happen now in the Middle East.”
Cardinal David grounded his reflection in the Christian understanding of the Resurrection, saying it “means more than believing that Jesus rose from the dead two thousand years ago,” but recognizing that “his Resurrection is not just his story—it is ours.”
He said this shared life in Christ is lived through “communion,” which he described as inseparable from participation and mission in the life of the Church, emphasizing that “communion is not just about receiving Christ. It is about what happens when we receive him.”
Drawing from the Gospel account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, he said recognition of the risen Christ comes in the breaking of the bread, noting that “it was only when the disciples received him that they recognized him.”
He said the Eucharist transforms believers into witnesses, explaining that “we follow Christ, we listen to him, and we receive his body and blood so that we may take part in his resurrected life—already here and now,” adding, “that is how we grow from disciples to apostles, from followers to witnesses.”
“Our calling is not just to be Christians, but to be Christ—his living presence in the world,” he said.
He echoed the message of Pope Leo XIV, who has called on the Church to live out “communion, participation, and mission” as a path toward peace and reconciliation, describing it as “an invitation… to become instruments of peace and reconciliation in a world torn by distrust, violence, and war.”
Cardinal David also pointed to devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag as drawing the faithful toward deeper unity with Christ, saying, “she draws us to her Son” and “reminds us of our calling—to enter into communion… through our participation in the life and mission of the Church.”
He ended with a call for the faithful to recognize Christ in the Eucharist and allow that encounter to shape their lives: “when you come forward… may you recognize the Risen Lord—and allow him to disappear, so that in you and through you he may reappear and continue his work of redemption.”
