Dawn masses: Faithful urged to share the light, build bridges

On the first day of the nine-day Simbang Gabi or the traditional Filipino dawn masses before Christmas, two leaders of the Catholic Church in the country called on the faithful to "share the light" and to "build bridges instead of walls and fences."

- With Mark Ernest Villeza

In his homily at the Manila Cathedral yesterday, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula likened the Christmas lights, parols and chandeliers filling the churches amid the dark dawn sky to the "light" of Jesus, which is symbolized by the love for neighbor, hope and peace, permeating a "dark" world surrounded by grief, poverty, divisions and conflicts, including in politics.

"In our experience, what is the cause of darkness in people's lives? Greediness, self-centeredness, numbness, indifference and the deafness of our hearts for the needs of others," he said.