Cardinal Tagle: Encountering and sharing the work of Jesus among the peoples of the world

by Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle

Fides Agency publishes the homily delivered by Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle on Tuesday, December 23, during Holy Mass - presided over by him - celebrated with the working community of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches) in the Chapel of the Magi, in the Palace of Propaganda Fide. In his homily, the Cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Missionary Dicastery shared with those present some reflections on his recent visits to Azerbaijan, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.


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Rome (Fides News Agency) - We thank the Lord who has gathered us as a family of the Dicastery for Evangelization around the Eucharistic table as the commemoration of the birth of Jesus approaches. The superiors requested that I share some reflections on three recent events in which I participated: the twenty-fifth anniversary of the missio sui iuris in Azerbaijan last October, the second Asian Mission Congress held in Penang, Malaysia last November and the traditional novena Masses before Christmas of the Filipinos in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates last week. Do not worry. I will not recount every single detail of those events. Rather I will allow the Gospel to guide our reflection.

The son of Zechariah and Elizabeth was born. No one expected that they would still have a child, but here we are - the son has been born. For the circumcision of the child the important question arose: by what name will the child be called? Zechariah and Elizabeth insisted, “He will be called John.” The name John signified “God is gracious”. It was a name that did not exist in the family line but it clearly indicated that the child came from the action of the benevolent God. The name also contained the mission of the child which is to point to a coming gracious act of God. John’s name and mission are intimately connected to the name of another child, Jesus, a name which means “God saves.” Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph, fulfills the prophetic promise of the coming of Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” A name is not just a label. It speaks of a presence, an active presence which becomes a mission. Both John, the precursor, and Jesus, the One who is to come, are bearers of God’s gracious and saving presence.

By what name will I call my experiences in Azerbaijan, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates? It requires a discernment of God’s presence and action among peoples.


Serving the people in Azerbaijan


Come with me to Azerbaijan. The missio sui iuris of Baku, entrusted to the Slovak Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco, is young, only twenty-five years old. With only one parish in the whole country, we do not have the exact number of Catholics. But around 400 regularly attend the Masses on Sundays, most of them migrants brimming with hope amidst their difficult lives. There are catechumens who grew up not practicing any faith, but are now drawn to Jesus and the Gospel, thanks to the friendship and sense of community provided by the Catholics. The Salesians have a center for children and youth in a poor section of the city. They welcome children and youth from any ethnic or religious background for tutoring classes in mathematics, languages, music, the arts, sports. The Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa run a home for sick and abandoned elderly. The parish, the youth center and the home for the elderly are tiny pockets of Christian presence in that vast country, but they touch hearts and lives, they make the eyes of the youth sparkle, they make the elderly smile. The government minister responsible for unity among religions met me in a piece of land which the government had donated for the construction of a second Church. By what name will I call the experience? “God is gracious. God saves. God is with us”.


In Malaysia, the embrace of the Churches of Asia

Now come with me to Penang, Malaysia, the site of the Second Asian Mission Congress. It was officially titled The Great Pilgrimage of Hope, with the theme “Journeying together as peoples of Asia…and they went a different way (Matthew 2:12)”, in reference to the Magi who took a different way going home after encountering Jesus, instead of returning to Herod. Almost 900 delegates from over 30 countries came. It is good to remember that the population of Asia is around 4.8 billion people of which only 3 per cent is Catholic. The 4-day event was a tapestry of languages, national costumes, music, dances, food, smiles, laughter, tears, and hope woven together by the common journey of telling the story of Jesus in Asia, encountering Jesus in the peoples, cultures and contexts of Asia, discovering the new paths indicated by the Holy Spirit, and journeying together in hope towards Jesus and His Kingdom. There were speeches, workshops, conversations in the Spirit and testimonies, moving liturgies and intense moments of prayer, and loud cultural concerts. Bishops, priests, religious women, lay people mingled with each in reflection, prayer, meals and photos. As testimonies from different countries were narrated, each one saw himself/herself in the other. We are neighbors, we are brothers and sisters, we are friends. I was thrilled to meet the only priest in the country of Bhutan, the two Chinese delegates, the delegates of countries that are in conflict eating together, embracing each other, encouraging each other. By what name will I call the experience? “God is gracious. God saves. God is with us”.

The “Simbanggabi” of Filipinos in the “Church of Migrants” in the Emirates

Finally, welcome to the United Arab Emirates, the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, entrusted to the Franciscan Capuchins. Aside from attending meetings with the Vicar Apostolic, the clergy, religious women and men and lay leaders of the Cathedral Parish in Abu Dhabi and St. Mary’s Parish in Dubai, I celebrated the traditional Filipino Masses in preparation for Christmas called Simbanggabi. In the Philippines these masses are usually celebrated at 3;30 or 4;00 in the morning from 16 to 24 December. The Filipino migrants have been continuing the tradition in the Emirates since 2001. In Dubai 30,000 people attended the Mass on 16 December. In Abu Dhabi 18,000 came on 17 December. All far from home, they consider the parish as their home away from home. A Church made up of migrants from the Bishop to the youngest lay faithful, all people on the move, they form a stable Church. A Church on the move, on mission is a vibrant and stable Church. The Church in the Gulf is almost purely a Church of migrants, mainly from India, the Philippines, Nepal, and other Asian countries. They bring the presence of the Church. By what name will I call the experience? “God is gracious. God saves. God is with us”.

Azerbaijan, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates - they resemble the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth with their child John and the manger in Bethlehem of the Child Jesus with Mary and Joseph. A humble but powerful presence of God among the humble and persecuted. From there our Dicastery draws its life and mission. By what name will we call ourselves and each other? “God is gracious. God saves. God is with us”. (Fides Agency 24/12/2025)

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