MANILA — Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula on Thursday urged the faithful to share their blessings with others as Catholics celebrated the Feast of Immaculate Conception.

In his homily for the fiesta Mass at the Manila Cathedral on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Advincula said God’s grace did not only refer to God’s blessings but God’s presence as well, asking the faithful to share this with others.

"How often it is that when you receive God’s graces, we tend to keep it to ourselves? Madalas kapag may natatanggap tayo, mas pinipili nating sarilinin at ipagdamot sa kapwa," Advincula said.

(When we receive blessings, oftentimes we choose to not share them with others.)

"Brothers and sisters, we are all gifted to give and blessed to bless. All graces come with mission. The graces that fill our lives are meant to also fill the lives of others. Otherwise, they cease to be gifts," he added.

"Like Mary, let us allow God to take over our lives so that the kingdom of heaven may be fully revealed in this world and His gracious will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

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Advincula reminded the faithful to love God just as Mary did, rather than focus only on material wealth.

"We tend to turn more to created gifts rather than the Creator, Giver, Himself. Madalas mas hinahangad natin ang mga binibigay ng Diyos sa halip na mahalin ang Diyos na nagbibigay," he said.

(We often look forward to the blessings God gives us and forget to love Him who provides.)

"People who tend to accumulate only created graces are not really full of grace. They are actually just full of themselves. They fill their lives with fleeting matters and so their lives become empty and meaningless," he added.

"Mary is full of grace not because she has accumulated for herself all possessions, powers, and privileges. Rather, Mary is full of grace because only God occupies her heart, her mind, her body, her whole being."

After the Mass, the faithful were allowed to get near the sanctuary and pray near the image of the Immaculate Conception.

The Act of Consecration and Entrustment to the Immaculate Conception was prayed in churches today in honor of Mary as the Principal patroness of the Philippines.

The feast celebrates the conception of Mary without sin.

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