- 23 July, 2026
Jakarta, July 23, 2026: Archbishop Marco Tin Win of Myanmar has called on Church leaders in Asia to cultivate hearts receptive to God’s grace, saying such openness is essential for the Church to become a credible witness to the Gospel and a builder of bridges across the continent.
He made the appeal during the Eucharistic celebration marking the opening of the fourth day of the 12th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) at Hotel Mulia in Jakarta on July 23.
Archbishop Marco was the principal celebrant of the Mass, concelebrated by Archbishop Khalid Rehmat of Pakistan and Bishop John Baptist Lee Keh-Mien of Taiwan, along with cardinals, bishops and priests attending the assembly.
Reflecting on the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, the archbishop focused on the disciples’ question to Jesus: “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He said Jesus used parables not merely as a teaching method but to lead people into the mystery of God’s Kingdom.
“Parables communicate divine truth by touching the human heart. A story often speaks more powerfully than analysis and remains in people’s memory long after it is heard,” he said.
Archbishop Marco stressed that the Gospel’s call to see and hear goes beyond physical sight and hearing, pointing instead to the need for an interior openness to God.
“Seeing, listening, and understanding demand a receptive heart, a heart attuned to grace. When the heart is attuned to grace, the mind becomes capable of perceiving life from God’s perspective,” he said.
He highlighted wisdom as one of the key gifts of the Holy Spirit, enabling believers not only to acquire knowledge but also to discern divine truth and allow God’s Word to transform their lives.
Describing Jesus’ parables as “sacred veils”, the archbishop said they simultaneously conceal and reveal the mysteries of God. For those who humbly seek the truth, they become “windows into God’s heart”, while for those whose hearts remain closed, they offer an invitation to conversion.
Referring to the prophet Isaiah, whose words are cited by Jesus in the Gospel, Archbishop Marco noted that people can become spiritually insensitive. Yet, he said, Christ continues to sow the seed of God’s Word regardless of the condition of the human heart.
“Jesus is not condemning; He is lamenting. Even so, He never gives up. He continues to teach and keeps sowing the seed of His Word into every heart, no matter how hard the soil may be,” he said.
The homily resonated with the central concerns of the FABC Plenary Assembly, which is reflecting on synodal conversion and the Church’s mission of building bridges across Asia. Archbishop Marco suggested that this mission must begin not with strategies or structures but with hearts transformed by God’s grace and attentive to His Word.
The Eucharistic celebration set the spiritual tone for the day’s plenary discussions. The sessions included an address by Msgr. Tomáš Halík, professor of sociology at Charles University in Prague, on global geopolitical shifts, and a presentation by Dr. Choong Pui Yee, lecturer in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Malaya, on Asia’s changing realities.
The discussions also focused on the Church’s call to become a missionary and synodal community committed to dialogue, reconciliation and communion across the diverse societies of Asia.
By Catholic Connect Reporter
Read More from the FABC 2026 Plenary Assembly:
Cardinal Tagle: Synodality Begins by Learning How to Walk Together
Cardinal Gracias Urges Asian Church to Become ‘Bridge Builders’ for Peace
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