Cardinal Tagle Urges Asian Church Leaders to Find Hope in God's Quiet Work

Christian hope is sustained not by human achievements but by recognizing God's quiet work in everyday life, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle told participants during a one-day retreat held on July 22, as part of the 12th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

The retreat, attended by bishops and delegates from across Asia, was designed to prepare participants spiritually before the assembly's deliberations.

In his reflection, titled "You Will See Greater Things… A Call to Synodal Conversion of Pastoral Leaders," the cardinal said the Church's mission is not primarily to accomplish great things but to recognize the greater works that Christ is already carrying out.

"Scripture does not say, 'You will do greater things.' Jesus says, 'You will see greater things.' It is Jesus who does the great works. Our task is to see them," he said.

Drawing on Jesus' encounter with Nathanael in the Gospel of John, Cardinal Tagle explained that the promise, "You will see greater things," invites disciples to become attentive to God's action rather than relying on their own accomplishments.

He described this as the heart of synodal spirituality. Pastoral leaders, he said, are called to cultivate a contemplative attitude that enables them to pause, listen, and recognize God's presence in ordinary people and everyday events. Without that perspective, the Church can easily fall into the belief that its mission depends solely on human effort.

To illustrate his point, Cardinal Tagle reflected on several passages from John's Gospel. At the wedding feast at Cana, the disciples witnessed Jesus' first sign when He transformed water into wine after what appeared to be an ordinary social embarrassment. Likewise, the Samaritan woman encountered the Messiah during a simple conversation at a well, Mary Magdalene initially mistook the risen Christ for a gardener, and the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Him only in the breaking of the bread.

"The great works of Jesus come through ordinary things," Cardinal Tagle said. "Part of our conversion is recovering our sense of wonder at God's work."

He encouraged Church leaders to preserve a spirit of wonder, saying that the ability to recognize God's presence in simple moments is a sign of mature faith and a source of hope amid today's pastoral and social challenges.

Cardinal Tagle illustrated this with a personal experience in Manila. Stopped at a traffic light, he assumed a street vendor wanted to sell him snacks. Instead, the man simply handed him food as a gift.

"Through a simple street vendor, we saw something greater," he recalled. "He taught us that giving is more important than making a profit."

He also recounted meeting refugees in Lebanon after the Church had provided humanitarian assistance to people of different faiths. A young child approached him and said, "I want to be friends with that Jesus," a moment the cardinal said revealed how simple acts of charity can open hearts to the Gospel.

Concluding his reflection, Cardinal Tagle reminded participants that the "greater things" promised by Jesus find their fullest expression in the Resurrection. The risen Christ continues to work through ordinary people and everyday acts of love, giving the Church enduring reason for hope even amid the challenges of the modern world.