Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, lead convenor of the Inter-Religious Leaders Council for National Transformation (IRLCNT), urged Filipino faithful and public officials on Sunday, June 28, 2026, to always place God and others before themselves. Delivering his homily at the Edsa Shrine in Quezon City, Bagaforo emphasized that true discipleship requires rejecting self-centeredness.
Homily at Edsa Shrine
"The true disciple of Jesus is not those who are self-centered. The true Christian is not 'me' first," Bagaforo said. "The true Christian is 'God is first and others before myself.' True life is not found in self-centeredness. It is found in giving oneself for God and others."
Root Cause of Evil
Bagaforo highlighted self-centeredness as the deeper root cause of evil in society, surpassing poverty, lack of education, and limited opportunities. "If we really look at it, there is another root of sins and troubles. Self-centeredness. Me. Me. Me. When a person only thinks about himself, his interests, his power, his benefits, he gradually loses concern for others," he explained.
"When 'me' becomes the center of everything, the problem starts. It is easy to lie. It is easy to cheat. It is easy to abuse power. It is easy to engage in corruption. This is what we see in society," the bishop added.
Inter-Faith Prayer Rally
The Holy Mass at Edsa Shrine marked the beginning of an inter-faith prayer rally against corruption. Following the Mass, hundreds of participants from various faiths and groups gathered outside Edsa Shrine and marched toward the People Power Monument, according to Anton Banal of SunStar Philippines.
