Advincula: Emulate Mary’s trust, confidence in God amid uncertainties

MANAOAG, Pangasinan — Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula urged Catholics to emulate the Blessed Virgin Mary’s trust and confidence in God amid the uncertainties in life, as the coronation of Our Lady of Manaoag marks its 100th anniversary.

Advincula said the current world is “full of trouble and uncertainty,” so the faithful must ask for Mary’s faith in God.

“Fortunes change, people change. We ourselves change. Everything changes. Let us ask for the faith of Mary, that we may also cling boldly to the Lord's assurance, ‘Do not be afraid, I am with you’,” Advicnula said in his homily.

“Let us imitate Our Lady in her total trust and confidence in God and her perseverance in following God's will,” he added.

The cardinal also called on the faithful to put their faith in God in action in helping the marginalized.

“In a world torn by war, poverty, and indifference, let our Marian devotion bear fruit in Marian action. A concrete care for the poor, a tender attentiveness to the vulnerable, and a steadfast commitment to justice and peace,” Advincula said.

The cardinal concelebrated the enthronement and reenactment of the coronation of Our Lady of Manaoag and Mass with the papal nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown.

With the theme “Inan Maria: Crowned in Grace, Calling Us to Jesus,” the celebration honors the Blessed Virgin Mary and her call for the faithful to follow the teachings of her Son.

It also recalls the Marian image’s origin story, where the Blessed Mother is said to have appeared to a local farmer from a tree and instructed him to build a church on the site so devotees could seek her intercession.

The Marian image was crowned on April 21, 1926 by the apostolic delegate to the Philippines, Monsignor Guillermo Piani on behalf of Pope Pius XI.

READ: 5 must-know facts about Our Lady of Manaoag