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A MILLION ROSES FOR THE WORLD
Filipinos at Prayer for Nation
September 20 until December 23, 2016
A nation at prayer is a nation at peace.
We are now a nation wounded and torn by socio-cultural and political issues, divided by opposing, bickering, quarreling and even hating factions. We must stop the hate. We must stop the lies.
We cannot remain this way. We must reverse the tide of hate and confusion and fill the air again with words of peace, truth and love. Let us the resist the culture of terror and fear with the balm of prayer and mercy.
We have forgotten to pray. We have neglected to pray. We have been too busy with ourselves building our towers of Babel.
Let us pray for the whole nation. Let us pray as a united nation.
Together with various lay groups in the Church in particular the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, Live Christ Share Christ Movement, Aid to the Church in Need, Couples for Christ FFL, Family Rosary Crusade, Mother Butler Mission Guilds, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines launch the campaign called A MILLION ROSES FOR THE WORLD, Filipinos at Prayer for the Nation.
Starting September 20, 2016, the Day of Interreligious Prayer of Peace proclaimed by Pope Francis in Assisi, until December 23, 2016, we as a nation are requested to pray the five mysteries of the rosary daily. Every province in the Philippines will be prayed for everyday during the rosary campaign time frame.
The dates assigned for each province will posted daily in the Facebook page “A Million Roses for the World: Filipinos at Prayer for the Nation”. We wish every province to experience the joy of being prayed for by the rest of the country.
I encourage most specially our children in our Catholic schools to participate in this prayer campaign assisted by their school teachers and administrators. The prayers of children are music to God’s ears.
I encourage parents to recover the Filipino pious tradition of family rosary at home specially at this time. The healing of the nation begins at home. As we restore family prayer, let us bring back the joy of the family meal.
I encourage the convents of religious men and women, our parishes and barangay communities to include the various provinces of the nation when they pray the rosary from September 20 to December 23.
Let us not allow the darkness to swallow us. Let us pierce the darkness of hate, lies and division with the light of truth and love. God is Truth. God is love. God is peace.
If my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Onward Christian soldiers! Let us be warriors of prayer using the beads of the rosary as our only weapon! Padre Pio said “The rosary is the weapon for these times!”
From the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, September 19, 2016
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
