Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has called on the Filipino faithful to make the newly elevated National Shrine of Our Lady of Aranzazu in the Diocese of Antipolo, a place of solidarity with people enduring suffering and loss.
In his homily on August 22, the feast of Mary’s Queenship, the cardinal said the shrine’s mission goes beyond honoring the Blessed Mother in devotion.
It must also accompany those who live amid the “thorns” of life — poverty, displacement, violence, and the pain of families still searching for their missing loved ones.
“The Shrine of Aranzazu must be a beacon not only of devotion but also of solidarity with those in suffering,” he said. “The Blessed Mother is there, her Son is there, Aranzazu.”
Tagle drew from the origins of the devotion in Oñate, Spain, where the image of the Virgin and Child appeared on a thorn bush.
He explained that this symbol points to Mary’s constant presence in places of hardship, and to the call for her devotees to also stand in such “thorny” places of society.
Quoting from Scripture, the prelate also reflected on thorns as signs of humanity’s brokenness — from the cursed earth in Genesis to the “thorn in the flesh” of St. Paul that kept him humble, and finally to the crown of thorns endured by Jesus.
Each, he said, reveals both the suffering and the grace present in human struggle.
Among the “thorns” he highlighted are the cries of mothers searching for their children who have disappeared.
“We must help the mothers who until now are still searching for their children, not knowing where they are. Were they abducted? Were they killed?” Tagle said.
His appeal echoed his recent pastoral engagement at the 11th Philippine Conference on New Evangelization in Manila, where he hosted a “heart-to-heart” conversation.
Among them was Mrs. Edith Burgos, mother of missing peasant-activist Jonas Burgos, who has spent years seeking truth and justice.
Tagle reminded the faithful that true devotion to Mary cannot be separated from discipleship in Christ. “Who truly honors Mary as queen? Only those who recognize and follow Jesus as king,” he said.
He added that the shrine’s new status is not simply a recognition of history and devotion, but a call to live out faith in solidarity. “Therefore, the faithful of San Mateo must be present in the thorny places of society,” he said.
For Tagle, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aranzazu will find its true meaning not in titles or ceremonies, but in becoming a refuge where “prayers rise like incense,” the poor are welcomed, and those who carry the thorns of life find companions in faith.
