Last month, the Filipino community throughout Northern Virginia was honored with a visit by the Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. For most Masses that I cover, I usually don’t have to show up nearly an hour before, but this time I had to. The parking lot was nearly full and the bishop himself hadn’t arrived at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Vienna, VA. This place was going to be packed, but that’s to be expected when he was on the short list of potential popes last year.
I don’t know much about Filipinos or the Filipino culture, but Cardinal Tagle comes across as a “Filipino’s Filipino” — a cheery, down-to-earth, and robust. Behind his smile and liveliness I could tell that he is a very, very sharp and intelligent man. Experiencing the way he celebrates Mass and his homily, I understood why he was tapped as a potential successor to Pope Benedict XVI and why so many Filipinos enjoy him.
During his homily, Cardinal Tagle used great stories and humor to challenge his people in Virginia to become alive as people and as Catholics. It was one of the more memorable homilies I’ve heard in a long time. Even a month later, I still remember some his key points. He started his homily with a question, “Who here wants to be Jesus Christ?”
Everyone raised their hands.
“Very good! Who wants to be with Jesus Christ tonight?”
I counted like two hands that came up.
Everyone laughed, but it was a good lesson that showed our own hesitation — perhaps even selfishness — to serve Him and each other in order to be ready to be with Christ. He left the congregation with a lot of food for thought as to the hang-ups we have individually and as a society to be ready tonight.
