MANILA (LiCAS News): Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, who leads Caritas Philippines, urged Church workers to slow down, pay attention to the “hidden cries” of marginalised communities, and remain committed to long-term accountability.
At the National Social Action General Assembly [NASAGA] 2026 in Tagaytay City, Bishop Alminaza said the gospel calls the Church to listen past urgency and noise, especially to the hidden suffering of marginalised communities.
“God’s saving work is not rushed, but it is attentive,” the bishop said, reflecting on the account of Jesus stopping to heal a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years while on his way to the house of Jairus.
He pointed out that Jesus did not rush, even when the crowd pressured him and a child was dying. This, he said, is a model for Church social action today.
“Jesus is not listening to noise. He is listening for a cry of faith,” he said. “Not just hear what is loud, but attend to what is hidden.”
Reflecting on when Jesus called the healed woman ‘My daughter,’ the bishop said true discernment restores dignity and relationships, not just immediate problems
Bishop Alminaza said that in 60 years, the Church has learned that the most important voices are often the least heard. He named “the poor, the displaced, the workers, Indigenous communities,” and “even the wounded earth itself.”
The bishop said, “These are the fractures that cry out for healing.” He described today’s suffering as “broken land and wounded waters,” undignified labour, and communities strained by injustice.
He cautioned against focusing only on outputs and targets in social action, though he recognised they are sometimes needed.
“The heart is whether dignity is restored, whether people are seen not as beneficiaries, but as partners in their own liberation,” Bishop Alminaza said.
Reflecting on when Jesus called the healed woman “My daughter,” the bishop said true discernment restores dignity and relationships, not just immediate problems.
“Hope—‘Pag-asa’—in the gospel is never passive,” he said. “It is faith that becomes concrete care.”
Jesus is not listening to noise. He is listening for a cry of faith, Not just hear what is loud, but attend to what is hidden
Bishop Alminaza
Addressing social action workers who feel tired or discouraged, Bishop Alminaza said faith requires perseverance, especially when change is slow and there is strong resistance.
“Faith here is not denial,” the bishop said. “It is the courage to continue even when hope seems unreasonable.”
He said Church social action has often faced voices saying “It’s too late” or “It’s impossible.” But he added that “‘Pananagutan’ means we stay, even when results are not immediate.”
The bishop also urged workers to distinguish between reacting and responding. He said that reactions driven by panic can undermine lasting change.
“Reaction is driven by panic. Response is shaped by faith,” he said, describing transformation as “not abstract, not ideological, but personal, embodied, life-giving.”
Bishop Alminaza highlighted a symbolic detail in the gospel: the woman suffered for 12 years and the child was 12-years-old.
Faith here is not denial. It is the courage to continue even when hope seems unreasonable
Bishop Alminaza
“What bleeds in one story is raised in another,” he said. “If suffering is ignored, it continues. If faith responds, life rises.”
As NASAGA celebrates 60 years, the bishop said the Church stands “between long-standing wounds and new possibilities.” He reminded participants that “no wound is too old for resurrection.”
He summed up the Church’s approach to social action as “Listen. Discern. Respond.” He said this reflects both how Jesus acts and how a synodal Church lives.
“Social action is not a parallel ministry,” he said. “It is how the Church listens with the poor, discerns with the Spirit, and responds together as one body.”
Bishop Alminaza emphasised the need for ongoing care after moments of transformation. He recalled Jesus’ instruction after raising the child: “Give her something to eat.”
The bishop said, “Sustaining life means building systems that protect the vulnerable, accompany communities over time, and form leaders who choose service over power.”
Sixty years of Church social action, he added, is “not only something to celebrate,” but “something to carry forward, with humility, courage, and renewed faith.”
