The coronavirus pandemic is an opportune time for people to reexamine their lifestyle and to make a change, a Vatican official said on Sunday, as reported by CBCP News.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, said it is high time to mend wrongful ways because “we may be wasting too much”.
“During these moments of crises, when resources are scarce, when some people have even lost jobs, we are being asked to review our lifestyle, our priorities,” Tagle said.
The cardinal presided over a Mass at the Manila Cathedral on Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of ecology.
The celebration also coincided with the closing of the Season of Creation, a month-long period themed “Jubilee for the Earth”.
It was his first public appearance since returning to Manila for a vacation on Sept. 10 when he tested positive for Covid-19.
He remained asymptomatic the whole time in quarantine and was declared negative from the virus on Sept. 23.
Echoing Pope Francis’ call to stop the “throwaway culture,” Tagle, who is also the president of Caritas Internationalis, reminded the faithful that “what we throw will go back to us”.
“Let us heed the call of the Season of Creation. Let us be grateful, open our eyes to how God loves us especially through other people, through creation,” he added.
“I hope that we will never say again ‘what a waste’ because we will all learn to value God’s presence and love,” the cardinal said.
