MANILA, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle urged Filipinos to celebrate Christmas on Friday, December 25, by helping the poor as the Catholic Church marks a year devoted to mercy.

“As Christmas is about the heavens opening so the Son of God could come to us, so it is also about us opening our hearts and arms to welcome Jesus in the hungry, thirsty, homeless, the naked, the sick, the prisoners, and those who have hurt us,” Tagle said in his Christmas message.

“Mercy keeps the heart of God open for us. Mercy is the key to open our hearts as well,” the cardinal added.

Tagle issued this Christmas message as the Catholic Church marks its Jubilee Year of Mercy from December 8 this year until November 20, 2016.

During this Jubilee Year, the Catholic Church encourages more acts of mercy and opens more avenues, too, for the forgiveness of sins. (READ: Cardinal Tagle opens Holy Door, hits ‘merciless’ corruption)

Noting this year-long observance, Tagle then discussed “one biblical aspect of mercy appropriate for Christmas.”

Tagle said, “Mercy consists in this: that God always has room for each one of us in His heart. 

‘The irony of Christmas’

“In Jesus’ birth, we human beings have been offered a permanent place in God´s sacred ‘space.’ For God, mercy is the assurance that everyone can return to the Father´s house and find a secure dwelling,” he added.

Tagle however said: “The irony of Christmas, the great manifestation of God’s mercy, is that when Jesus was born, there was no room in the inns for him. A lowly stable welcomed the birth of the Messiah.”

Tagle, also the president of Caritas Internationalis, continued in his message: “Christmas therefore is a season to welcome Jesus and to welcome other people into our hearts and lives. Christmas is contrary to exclusion, marginalization, discrimination, neglect, indifference, manipulation, and rejection of peoples, especially the poor and helpless. These manifest the lack of mercy!”

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, for his part, connected Christmas to the Mass, as the Philippines is set to host the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in January 2016. (READ: Cardinal Tagle: Gift of self can overcome hatred)

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, December 23, Villegas said: “The Eucharist is Christmas! The Mass is Jesus’ incarnation and self-emptying, the Father’s Word, declaring his Love, insisting on it, suffering for it, triumphing in it over sin and death: our redemption.”

“In living the Eucharist with integrity and courage, let it move us to invite all peoples in dialogue to the fullness of life in the joy of the Gospel,” said Villegas, also president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The CBCP president added: “Christmas is a mission. Christmas is a mission to be life givers by self-emptying. Christmas is not a holiday. It is a challenging task. As we embrace the joys of Christmas, let us also carry on the mission of the Lord.” – Rappler.com