10p Pope Francis with Cardinal Tagle
10p Pope Francis and Philippine Flag
10p
Man with Child, Pope Francis in Background
10p Pope Francis Portrait
Stamp Designs:
Winning entries from the On The Spot
Stamp Design Contest:
Dave Arjay Tan and Salvadore
Banares Jr., both natives of Valenzuela City;
Don Michael Bryan Bunag and Mark Leo
Maac, both from Bulacan.
First Day Covers: Manila
Pope Francis Visit to the Philippines
The Theme of the
Apostolic Visit: Mercy and Compassion
The Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines from January
15 – 19, 2015 will have for its theme “Mercy and Compassion”.
Pope Francis will visit the Philippines primarily to comfort
Filipinos devastated by the typhoon and the earthquake that hit the
Visayas.
This visit calls to mind what Jesus did as recounted in the Gospel.
In Matthew 9:36, Jesus after “seeing the people, felt compassion
for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep
without a shepherd.”
And like the Good Shepherd of Whom he is the Vicar here on
earth, the Holy Father saw the suffering of his flock. He felt
compassion and comes to us bringing “the joy of the gospel” to
revive our “drooping spirit” and to lead us to greener pastures
(cf. Psalm 23).
The message the Holy Father brings with him challenges us to imitate
Christ, the Good Shepherd, who is Mercy and Compassion.
In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis
proclaims that “the Church must be a place of mercy freely given,
where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to
live the good life of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium 114). Thus, the
Holy Father’s visit is to bring Christ’s compassion for our
suffering people still struggling to rise from the devastations
wrought by the earthquake and the typhoon that hit the Visayas last
year.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president and
Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, said the most
distinctive way to prepare spiritually for the coming of Pope
Francis is for the country to become “a people rich in mercy.”
“Our compassionate shepherd comes to show his deep concern for our
people who have gone through devastating calamities, especially in
the Visayas. He comes to confirm us in our faith as we face the
challenges of witnessing the Joy of the Gospel in the midst of our
trials. This is an eloquent way of showing mercy and compassion,”
Archbishop Villegas said.
Filipinos as a preparation for the papal visit resolve to make an
act of mercy everyday, such as giving food to the hungry, helping
build homes for the disaster victims, visiting prisoners or patients
in the charity ward of hospitals, drug rehabilitation centers, homes
for the elderly, and orphanages. It is a time to re-learn and live
the Spiritual and Corporal Acts of Mercy. Further, the bishops
encourage us to meet Christ, Mercy Himself, in the Tribunal of
Mercy, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There, in the person of the
priest, He awaits us with open arms to show us His mercy, compassion
and love.
“Let us make mercy our national identity. Trust in God’s mercy is
part and parcel of our traditional Filipino Christian culture. Let
us make the practice of mercy our gift to the pope when he comes to
visit us,” the CBCP president said at that time.
http://papalvisit.ph/the-theme-mercy-and-compassion/