Cardinal Tagle: “We are journeying toward God’s future, where Jesus Himself waits for us.”

Day 3  (Nov 29) of the Great Pilgrimage of Hope, currently underway in Penang, Malaysia, was marked by a grand Eucharistic celebration at the renowned Minor Basilica of St. Anne—the only Mass of the pilgrimage open to the public.

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle presided over the Mass, concelebrated by Archbishop Christopher Prowse of Canberra and Goulburn, Australia; Sebastian Cardinal Francis, Bishop of Penang; Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, SDB, Archbishop of Yangon and former President of FABC; Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, Archbishop of Goa and Daman and President of FABC and CCBI; and Pablo Virgilio S. Cardinal David, Bishop of Kalookan, Philippines. The liturgy gathered 900 delegates and more than 500 faithful from the Diocese of Penang.

Addressing the over 1,500 participants at the holy shrine, Cardinal Tagle said, “We praise and thank the Lord who has gathered us as one community, as one family of faith. We are called pilgrims to the future, which is our hope.”

He reminded participants that while 2033 marks the 2,000th anniversary of the Paschal Mystery, it is not the final destination. “2033 is set as an anniversary year,” he said, “but the reality is that we are journeying toward God’s future. And Jesus is waiting for us there.”

Reflecting on the prophet Daniel and the Gospel account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, the Cardinal emphasized that confusion, uncertainty, and limited understanding are part of the spiritual journey. Even the wise and faithful, he said, experience moments of alarm.

“We form a community of confused, unknowing people,” he noted gently. “But like Daniel, we ask God to shed light. And God responded. Jesus walks with us in our confusion, opens the Scriptures, and breaks the bread for us.”

Cardinal Tagle warned that the greatest threats to spiritual vision today are distraction, anxiety, and the pursuit of worldly excess. Jesus, he reminded the faithful, calls us to vigilance: “Watch yourselves,” the Cardinal repeated. “If there is no vision of the future, we will not walk now.”

He urged participants to remain grounded in prayer and service, especially toward the poor and the suffering. “When we journey with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the prisoner, Jesus in them is already leading us to the Father’s kingdom. Jesus who is born in the poor is the same Jesus who will welcome us.”

One of the most striking lines of the evening captured the heart of the Christian pilgrimage: “Jesus is not only our companion, but He is also our destination.”

Cardinal Tagle encouraged the faithful to be bold in expressing this hope: “When someone asks you, ‘Where are you going?’ tell them, ‘I’m going to God the Father.’ And if they are shocked, invite them to come along.”

He concluded with a touching story about a woman whose husband was nearing death. She stepped out of the room at his final moment so that, in her words, “Jesus and my husband could enjoy that intimate moment.” The Cardinal explained that this is what Christian hope looks like, trusting the Lord who waits to welcome each one of us.

“Do not be afraid,” he told the assembly. “Our brother Jesus is waiting. He is truly a brother.”

The evening program opened with uplifting praise as The Rexband led the assembly in the opening songs at 8:20 p.m. Archbishop Christopher Prowse, Chairman of the Commission for Evangelisation, Laity, and Ministry, then delivered a powerful talk titled “Be Pilgrims of Hope.”

At 8:40 p.m., the crowd was energized by a concert featuring Fr. Rob Galea of Australia, an internationally acclaimed author, singer, and songwriter with eight album releases, and the founder and executive director of ICON Ministry.