By His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we praise and give thanks to God, who is merciful and generously graces us. He has brought us together to form a community, a big family of faith, to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Macau Diocese together. Congratulations to the Macau Diocese! I bring you the warm and fatherly greetings of Pope Leo XIV. The Pope also thanks everyone who has prayed for him and continues to do so. He especially told me: 'Please thank everyone on my behalf.' Next week when I see him again, can I tell him that the faithful in Macau are still praying for him and promise to continue praying for him? Holding this solemn Eucharist on the eve of All Saints' Day is truly a sign of God’s care. What a beautiful coincidence! The anniversary of the Macau Diocese falls at the same time as All Saints’ Day. Let me share two points for us to reflect on together.
Point one: We are celebrating the establishment of the Diocese of Macau.
In what year was the diocese established? I thought all of you were math wizards! 1576. However, even before 1576, the Gospel of Jesus had already reached this region. So, we can say that the Diocese of Macau, both then and today, is the fruit of the mission of Jesus and the Holy Spirit; many brave and fearless missionaries have continued this mission.
Our ancestors in faith, men and women alike, came from different parts of the world, bringing the Gospel of Jesus. Since the Diocese of Macau is a fruit of evangelization, it can only continue to bear fruit if it becomes active, creative, and brave in spreading the Gospel itself: bringing the Gospel not only to many peoples outside Macau but also to those who come to Macau from all over the world. If you cannot reach out to the world, the world will come to you.
Look at these priests, not all of them seem to be local to Macau. What a wonderful thing! But I have a question: what exactly is a diocese? We say we’re celebrating the anniversary of a diocese's establishment, but what really is a diocese what is a diocese?
A diocese is part of the people of God, entrusted to a bishop and shepherded with the help of the priests. This part of the people of God relies on their pastor and, through the bishop, is gathered in the Holy Spirit by the Gospel and the Eucharist, forming a local Church. Within this Church, the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Christian Church truly exists and acts.
A diocese is not just an organization, not just a structure, and not just some offices; a diocese is a living community. It is a living community because it is part of the people of God—it is the living people of God, that is, the Church. Part of this living Church is entrusted to a bishop to be shepherded by him. The Pope entrusts the diocese to a bishop.
He carries out this duty in collaboration with the presbyteral council. I say this to tell everyone: when someone invites young people—or those who are no longer young—to study the Gospel, to study the Word of God, just go and join! What unites us is the Word of God. A diocese is the local church in a specific setting and place, and when a local bishop is in communion with other bishops, it shows the unity of various local churches within the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We are united in the same Gospel, in the same Eucharist, in the same Lord, in the same baptism, and in the same Holy Spirit, and this unity is guaranteed by the bishop through the same apostolic ministry. This is what we are celebrating. That's what a diocese is about. The same word of God proclaimed here is also proclaimed in Djibouti on the same day. Do you know where Djibouti is? It's also proclaimed in Hong Kong. Do you know where Hong Kong is? It's also proclaimed in Papua New Guinea, in India. It's the same Gospel, and it's the same Eucharist. And the same apostolic ministry that is safeguarded by the bishops. We thank God for the Macau Diocese, and we also thank God for its unity with the universal Church; this unity is clear throughout its history. We invite the Macau Diocese to never forget this wonderful gift, to continuously cherish and renew its deep identity: as the living Church of Jesus on this land, while always staying in communion with churches in other parts of the world, sharing their joys, sorrows, hopes, and even their failures.
Therefore, we can say: 'Macau Diocese, you are blessed!' Can you repeat that once? 'Macau Diocese, you are blessed!'
Point two: 'Macau Diocese, you are blessed!
Wow! Very good! This brings me to my second point, which is also the last one: 'Macau Diocese, you are blessed!' What does this mean? Blessed—what does it really mean? We are celebrating the eve of All Saints' Day. Therefore, the Macau Diocese is in communion with the entire Church around the world, together remembering the saints who are known. We also believe that there are many unknown saints, unrecognized saints, and even other saints who are still alive.
Let's turn to the Gospel and let it guide us to understand the true meaning of being blessed. What does it really mean to be blessed?
In daily life, when would you say, 'You are truly blessed!'? When someone wins the lottery, we might say, 'You are truly blessed!' Or, if a woman has been abandoned by her husband, her friend might say to her, 'Ah, you are truly blessed!' We have many strange ideas and imaginations about 'being blessed.' So, when we say, 'Macau Diocese, you are blessed!' what exactly is this blessing about? The term 'blessed' means fortunate, happy. 'You are lucky! How happy you are!' The first reading from Revelation also tells us: 'These are the ones who are truly blessed, for they stand in the presence of the Lord.'
The second reading tells us: You are blessed because you are children of God, yet you are hated by the world. So, in Jesus' eyes, who are the blessed ones? They are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness, and those who are insulted, persecuted, and falsely accused because of Jesus.
This is true blessedness in God, happiness in God. They will inherit the kingdom of God; they will receive God's comfort; God will have mercy on them; their reward in heaven will be abundant. So, their true blessedness and happiness are not the results of personal achievements. What they do is follow the way of the Lord; and from a worldly perspective, this path may even end in disaster.
However, their happiness lies in what God promises to do for them, and in what He will surely accomplish for them. Just as in the first reading where St. John saw the vision: who are those standing before the Lamb’s throne? They are the ones who have gone through great tribulation and trials; they have been purified by the blood of the Lamb of God and wear white robes.
But the blessing lies here: even if the world rejects you, God still sees you as His own children. Dear brothers and sisters, this virtue, this holiness, this true blessing, is a gift from God, an act of God. However, we must receive it. So, the question is: do we find happiness in God? No matter what situation we are in, are we finding happiness in God? Are we walking the path that we know aligns with God’s blessings? Are we avoiding everything that goes against God’s will? Do we rely more on power, money, and personal gain, or do we rely on God’s protection, God’s presence, and God’s purification? These are questions that every member of the living Church in the Macau Diocese must answer. You just said, ‘Macau Diocese, you are blessed!’ So, are we ready to walk the path of true blessing and seek happiness in God?
Diocese of Macau, you are blessed! Please follow the path of the Beatitudes and be in communion with the saints, both known and unknown. These saints have gone through trials and persecution, faced danger, confronted difficulties, and at times felt weak and helpless. But they found comfort, strength, and peace in God, and only in God. They are happy, eternally happy. May the Diocese of Macau share in the joys and sorrows of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, and those who, even when persecuted and insulted, still rely on God’s justice and reward, thereby showing what true blessedness is. Diocese of Macau, you are blessed! May more people be blessed because of you. Amen.
( Editor’s note: The above was sourced from transcribed copy of the original homily of the cardinal; this version was edited and shortened)