Pastoral Letter in preparation for Pope Francis visit

Dearly beloved in Christ: The Lord and ruler is coming; kingship is his, and government and power!
For us Filipinos, the words of the Entrance Antiphon of today's Mass are doubly evocative. Indeed, Christ has come on Christmas Day and today he shows himself to the nations as represented by those wise men from the east. But for us, these words also allude to the visit of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis. He comes not a celebrity - although he is one, having just been named Man of the Year by Time Magazine. Neither does he come as a mere spiritual leader - although he is that too, as head of the largest religious denomination in the world. Much more than these, for us he comes as the Vicar of Christ or as St. Catherine of Sienna would say: "Il dolce Christo in Terra", the Sweet Christ on earth

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples. The words of the Prophet Isaias, which we heard in the First Reading of today's mass, should help us even more to realize the importance of this occasion. For several days, we shall Peter among us. He who stands in the shoes of the fisherman stands in the shoes of Christ. To hear him, to be with him to pray with him, and to attend or con-celebrate Mass with him would be tantamount to be with Christ as he walked among us.