Home 
Rain fell hard and winds blew strong just before Holy Communion. But the Archdiocese of Cebu?s Eucharistic celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King, which marks the church?s last Sunday of the liturgical year, proceeded as planned.
During the Mass held at the Cebu City Sports Complex, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal asked the faithful to aim for peace, truth, and love, which Jesus Christ considered as the foundation of His kingdom.
?Let us all be prayerful. Let us pray for peace that Christ the King has said must be made if we want to be blessed and called children of God,? Vidal said during his homily. ?Let us make peace by telling the truth by being just even if others are not, by loving even our enemies and respecting the freedom that goes with responsibility. Hinaut magmalinawon na kita, por lo menos, wala nay away, wala nay patay (Hopefully, we will have peace, if possible, no more fights, no more killings).?
?Midaog, nagdumala, og nagmando Siya kanato diha sa Iyang pagsangyaw og pagsaksi sa kamatuoran nga angayan nato pamation, tun-an, og sabton aron makasubay kita sa Iyang dalan, og makapuyo kita sa Iyang kinabuhi (He conquered, reigned, and commanded us by proclaiming and bearing witness to the truth that we need to hear, study, and understand so that we can follow His way and live His life),? Vidal told the congregation, which filled the grandstand and field of the sports complex.
Noting the large crowd that attended the celebration, Vidal said their presence was not a show of force but a ?show of faith that is alive as symbolized by every lighted candle that each one of us holds up high.?
Yesterday?s Mass was concelebrated by bishops, monsignors, and priests, some of whom got wet as rain started to pour in the later half of the Mass. The altar was located on an open stage.
Aides covered the Cardinal and some members of the clergy with an umbrella as he proceeded with the Mass. Others too shelter in tents located to the sides of the stage. Some braved the rain and stood on the stage without protection.
Some among the congregation had the foresight to bring umbrellas, which they promptly used when the downpour started. Others, how ever, found shelter by raising up plastic tables and hiding underneath these. Most got drenched.
Despite the rain, the Mass continued to its conclusion.
After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was loaded onto a pickup truck, on which Vidal also rode. The vehicle then led a parade that brought the Blessed Sacrament to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
The feast of the Christ the King was started by Pope Pius XI, the same Pontiff who declared the elevation of Cebu from a diocese to an archdiocese.
