Annual Requiem Mass Held for the Departed Members of the Order of Malta
The Philippine Association of the Order of Malta honored and prayed for their departed loved ones during its annual Requiem Mass held on 18 November 2017 at the Order of Malta’s chapel in R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila.
Reverend Monsignor Esteban Lo, the Order’s Conventual chaplain ad honorem , started his homily by sharing to the members the epitaph of Blessed Gerard, founder of the Order of Malta. Msgr. Lo then proposed a generic epitaph for everyone — that of being a Christian.
“Can being a Christian summarize our lives?” asked Msgr. Lo.
He then shared that being a Christian ultimately means being anointed, chosen and loved despite our frailties. But precisely because of this fact, he added, Christians are also expected to love each other.
“Because we are loved despite ourselves, we respond by loving others despite themselves,” Msgr. Lo said.
Msgr. Lo then ended his homily by reminding the members that their charity work is not just for their neighbor in need but also offered for the intentions of the dearly departed.
The Requiem Mass ended with a fellowship breakfast and an acknowledgment of those who attended the event.
The holding of the annual Requiem Mass started in 2008 at the request of His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, D.D. “to honor our daily confreres who had been part of the association.”
