‘Me first’ attitude behind social ills – Cardinal Tagle

MANILA— A ‘me first’ mentality lies at the root of social problems, and could prove “deadly”, said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

Preaching during Mass to mark the 48th anniversary of Radio Veritas 846 and Radio Veritas Asia, the prelate lamented how selfish behavior has taken its toll on the country.

“People have this feeling of needing to be first all the time and not being left behind,” Tagle said in his homily during a Eucharistic celebration attended by hundreds of people at a mall in Quezon City.

“That kind of attitude is the mentality of the corrupt, thieves, and greedy. They cannot say ‘you first’,” explained Tagle.

A very basic example, he said, is the attitude of some people who are scrambling to enter the mall as soon as it opens.

“Why do they have to enter ahead of everyone else and push one another when the products sold will not run out immediately?” he asked.

“Such mentalities are those that, while trivial, are deadly,” added Tagle.

Reflecting on Easter Sunday, the cardinal called on the faithful to imitate the selflessness of the risen Christ in their daily lives.

He said these include giving the young, the old, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) preferential treatment in public transportation, or letting others enter an establishment first.

“This is a sign of the resurrection. The capacity to withdraw and allow others to come first,” he stressed.

“The resurrection is about God preparing a place for us and God telling us ‘that is for you, you first’,” Tagle also said. CBCPNews