Radio Veritas Asia unites Asia in prayer for Pope Francis' healing

On February 27, Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) gathered the faithful from across Asia in a special Eucharistic celebration, uniting communities in prayer for the optimal health and recovery of Pope Francis, reflecting the deep devotion and solidarity of Asian Catholics for the Holy Father.

Action matters more to people than spoken words, especially to those going through challenges, said Fr. Victor Sadaya, RVA general manager, in his homily at a mass in Manila for the healing of Pope Francis.

“I recall words from our founder, Saint Anthony Mary Claret, and I quote, ‘People pay more attention to what a missionary does rather than what a missionary says,’” he said.

The saint referred to missionaries when he spoke it, but the words apply to everyone, Sadaya explained.

If a person is not cautious about his speech and his words are not consistent with his actions, he might cause pain in people, the priest stated. 

“And this is the invitation to all of us to be always discerning with regards to the words we speak and the actions that should go consistent with the words we speak,” he said.

Sadaya reflected on the powerful presence of the Pope, whose actions correspond with his spoken words, enabling him to spark hope among people with his mere presence.

“One reason we love Pope Francis is precisely because he is a type of person, a leader at that, whose words reflect in his actions,” he said. “When he speaks about compassion, he does so in his action. When he speaks about love, you see how loving he is.”  

Pope Francis “is a person who delivers the Good News,” Sadaya noted. “Seeing him is reading the message.”

Sadaya shared he couldn’t forget the time Pope Francis visited Tacloban in January 2015 to personally bring his solidarity with the thousands of people ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Whenever the Pope goes, somebody prepares a homily for him to just read, he explained. But after Pope Francis witnessed the condition of the super typhoon survivors and read the prepared homily, he decided to speak from his heart.

“I was paying attention to how he was delivering his homily; he was speaking from his heart,” he said. “And I saw the people in tears when he was speaking. As I followed, I noticed the people's reactions; they had already begun to cry even before he had spoken.

The Pope’s words might not have been that powerful, but his “presence was powerful,” Sadaya observed.

“His presence was a message,” he said. “His person was a message to the people.”

People probably might not have paid more attention to what the Pope had uttered, he said, but by just looking at him, “they could get the hope” that they needed. “They were inspired, and for them, his presence was enough.”

Tacloban was ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, destroying 90 percent of the city and affecting 14 million people in the central Philippines.

Sadaya invited people to reevaluate the presence they have as individuals in communities.

“Our presence, even before we say a word, can already deliver a message to people,” he said. “Our presence can be life-giving, but our presence, on the other hand, can be a destruction to the people. And it's an invitation for us to think about.”

“We have a good example from Jesus, whose presence was life-giving,” he said. “Everywhere he went, he touched people’s lives. We have the example of our Pope; everywhere he goes, he touches people’s lives. What about us? Wherever we go, do we also touch people’s lives?”

During this event, all Radio Veritas Asia staff members, IFF Asia students and staff joined in singing during the liturgy, while religious individuals from various countries and lay faithful participated in the prayer and Mass service