Homily February 14, 2021

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B Lev 13:1-2.44-46 1 Cor 10:13-11:1 Mk 1:40-45 

 Happy Valentine’s Day! Iyan ang mga batian ng mga tao ngayong araw. Ito ay araw ng mga puso kasi ang Valentine’s Day ay Araw ng Pag-ibig. Pero anong klaseng pag-ibig? Kapag pinag-uusapan ang pag-ibig sa Valentine’s Day agad na pumapasok sa isip ng mga tao ay ang Romantic Love, pag-ibig ng magkasintahan. Oo, pag-ibig nga iyan, pero hindi lang iyan ang pag-ibig, ni hindi iyan ang pinakamataas na uri ng pag-ibig. Jesus said: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (Jn. 15:12-13 NAB) Bilang mga Kristiyano ang modelo ng pag-ibig ay ang pag-ibig ni Jesus. Kaya magmahalan tayo tulad ng pagmamahal ni Jesus. At paano siya nagmahal? Sa pagbibigay ng buhay niya sa atin na kanyang mga kaibigan. That is the origin ng Valentine’s Day. It is the Day of St. Valentine, an early Christian martyr. He gave his life for the faith. Kaya habang ipinagdiriwang natin ngayon ang pag-ibig ng magsing-irog, tandaan natin na hindi lang ito ang pag-ibig. Kaya kahit na wala tayong ka-valentine, may pagmamahal tayo na dapat i-develop at isabuhay. 

 Ngayong panahon ng pandemic, hinihikayat tayong magmahal, magmahal sa mga may sakit at magmahal sa mga marginalized, o isinasantabi. Madalas magkatambal ang dalawang ito: being sick and being set aside. Kaya ang mabigat sa nagkakasakit ay hindi lang na masakit at nanghihina ang kanilang katawan, kundi pati na rin ang damdamin na napapabayaan sila at hindi napapansin. Kaya malaki ang insecurity ng mga may sakit at madali din silang magtampo. 

 Itong dalawang ito: physical pains and being set aside or the feeling of being set aside, ito ay tunay na karanasan ng mga may sakit ng ketong, those who are sick with leprosy. Narinig natin ang protocols na binigay ni Moises tungkol sa mga may sakit ng ketong sa ating unang pagbasa. Ang mga pari ng mga Hudyo ang may tungkulin na mag-usisa kung ang isang tao ay may ketong o wala. Anumang sugat na namamaga, may singaw o may pagbabago ng kulay ng balat ay maaaring i-diagnose na ketong. Hindi naman scientific ang kanilang pagsusuri noon. At kapag napasyahan ng pari na may ketong ang tao, siya ay i-kwakwarantin, ibig sabihin, ihiwalay na sa iba. Nakakadiri ang kanyang sugat at nakakahawa. May mga palatandaan upang malaman ng lahat na siya ay may ketong. Magsusuot siya ng sira at maduming damit, hindi siya mag-aayos ng buhok at tatakpan ang kanyang nguso (kung sa atin pa, magsusuot siya ng face mask) at sisigaw ng Madumi! Madumi! kapag lumalapit ang mga tao sa kanya, para siya ay layuan. Kung napalapit siya sa iba, siya ay babatuhin. Kaya ang mga may ketong ay may physical na karamdaman – may sugat na hindi alam paano pagalingin – at may social isolation! Hindi siya maaaring manirahan kasama ng iba. Kaya sa ating panahon madaling ihambing ang may ketong noon sa may Corona virus ngayon. 

 Si Jesus ay dumating upang magligtas. Bahagi ng kaligtasan ay ang pagpapagaling at ang pag-restore ng pagkakaisa. Sa ating ebanghelyo, narinig natin ang ginawa ni Jesus sa isang taong may ketong. Hinayaan niyang lapitan siya nito, hinipo niya ang tao (in a way he allowed himself to be contaminated), pinagaling at inutusan na pumunta sa pari. Ang pari ang magpapatotoo na wala na siyang ketong. Pagkatapos na mag-alay siya ng sakripisyo sa Diyos, makakabalik na siya sa community. Matatapos na rin ang kanyang social isolation. 

 Lumapit kay Jesus ang taong may ketong ng buong tiwala. Alam niya na hindi siya itataboy ni Jesus, that is why he dared to come close to him. He also believed that Jesus has the power to heal him. “Kung ibig ninyo mapapagaling ninyo ako.” Ang tanong lang ay: Gusto ba ni Jesus na gamitin ang kapangyarihan niya? At napakaganda ng sagot ni Jesus: “I do will it. Be made clean.” Ang magandang balita ay: hindi nilalayuan ni Jesus ang mga may sakit, mga mahihina, mga isanasantabi. May kapangyarihan siya na magpagaling at ibig niya na ang mga tao ay gumaling! Hindi lang na nagpagaling siya. Tinanggap pa niya ang pasakit na para sa atin, inangkin niya ang ating mga sugat, at dahil sa sugat niya tayo ay gumaling. By his wounds we were healed. 

 Sa ating panahon ngayon maraming mga tao na isinasantabi at tinuturing na madumi. Nandiyan na ang mga may covid. Sa halip na damayan at kalingain, ang iba ay sinisisi pa – pasaway kasi at hindi maingat – at nilalayuan. Nandiyan iyong mga may sakit ng HIV and AIDS, nandiyan iyong mga may mental illnesses. Sila ay itinuturing na mahina, na may sapi ng masamang espiritu, na baliw. Itong being ostracized ay hindi lang naman nangyayari sa mga may karamdaman. Nandiyan iyong pinagbibintangan na drug addict. Instead of seeing addiction as an illness, it is being criminalized, and not just criminalized, already judged as guilty and to be killed. Napapakita natin ito sa karaniwang narininig natin. “Bakit siya pinatay?” “Addict kasi eh.” Teka muna. Totoo bang addict siya? At kung addict man siya, dapat bang patayin? Ganoon din ang nangyayari sa red tagging. Porke ba iba lang ang pananaw niya at siya ay tumututol sa mga kalakaran, siya ay komunista na? At dahil siya ay tinuring nang komunista maaari nang hulihin at ipapatay? So we can stretch the mindset of ostracizing people. Jesus has come to bring healing and harmony. Ito ang pag-ibig na pinakita ni Jesus. Remember what he said: “Love one another as I love you.” This kind of love is not romantic love but it is love, and a more demanding kind of love because it is a love that heals and a love that breaks down barriers. 

 Isa pang uri ng pagmamahal ay pinakita sa atin sa ating second reading. Sinabi ni San Pablo: “Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God!” Paano natin gagawin ito, na magbigay ng papuri sa Diyos? Nagbibigay tayo ng papuri sa Diyos kung hindi tayo galit at may sama ng loob sa iba, bagkus sinisikap natin na masiyahan ang iba. Pinupuri at dinadakila natin ang Diyos kung ang kapwa ay ginagalang at binibigyan ng kasiyahan. Iyan ang ginagawa ni San Pablo. Nag-aadjust siya sa iba. Hindi niya hinahanap ang kanyang kapakanan kundi ang kapakanan ng iba. His life as a real life of service to others so that they may experience the Good News that he is carrying. Iyan din ay pag-ibig. Pag-ibig ito hindi lang sa Valentine’s Day ngunit sa araw-araw. Sana ganyan din ang ating attitude – not to insist on our own way, huwag igiit ang gusto natin, ngunit kung ano ang ikasisiya ng iba. So, love is dying to ourselves to be in harmony with others. With this kind of love we give joy to others and we give glory to God. 

 Nakikita natin na mahigpit ang kaugnayan ng pag-ibig at buhay. Ang tunay na pag-ibig ay nagbibigay ng buhay. Ito ay nagsisikap na magbigay ng kagalingan at ng inclusiveness. Hindi natin isinasantabi ang iba sa buhay natin at sa buhay ng community. Ang tunay na pag-ibig ay nagbibigay ng kagalakan sa iba at umiiwas sa anumang magbibigay ng galit o sama ng loob. Pero kahit sa anong pagsisikap natin, nagkakaroon pa rin ng gusot sa ating relationships – mga di pagkakaunawan, mga pagkakamali, mga bugso ng damdamin. Kaya ang tunay na pag-ibig ay kailangan ng pagpapatawad at paghingi ng tawad. Without forgiveness love will not flourish. Pinakita sa atin iyan ng Diyos. His love for us is mercy. Kaya sabi ni Jesus: Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful. 

 In this Holy Mass, let us thank the Lord for having created us in his likeness. He has created us in love and in order to love. Let us thank the Lord for all our loved ones, that we have others to love. And let us ask him to expand our love not only to the lovable but to those who are sick, who are in need and those who are ostracized. Sana sa lahat ng ginagawa natin mabigyan natin ng papuri ang Diyos sapagkat ang lahat ay ginagawa natin sa kanyang Pangalan, ng may Pag-ibig.

Homily February 7 2021

5th Sunday in Ordinary time Year B Job 7:1-4.6-7 1 Cor 9:16-19.22-23 Mk 1:29-39 

 Kahapon binuksan na sa Archdiocese of Manila doon sa Manila Cathedral ang ating pagdiriwang ng 500th anniversary ng pagdating ng pananampalataya sa ating bansa. Kinuha po natin ang okasyon ng ika-442 anniversary ng pagtalaga sa Maynila bilang isang diocese, ang pinakaunang diocese sa buong bansa. Bago nito ang buong Pilipinas ay nabibilang pa sa isang diocese sa Mexico. Hindi lang tayo natutuwa na 500 years na tayong Kristiyano. Ito po ay isang commitment din, kaya ngayong taon ang paksa natin ay Year of the Mission. We are gifted to give. Binigyan tayo ng pananampalataya upang ito ay maibahagi rin natin. So we say our YES to the mission. 

 Sa ikalawang pagbasa narinig natin ang commitment ni San Pablo sa pagmimisyon. Sabi niya: Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News. Sa Aba ko, kung hindi ko ipangaral ang Mabuting Balita! Para kay San Pablo ang pagmimisyon ay hindi isang option. Ito ay isang tungkulin na ibinigay sa kanya kasi siya ay katiwala ng Diyos, katiwala ng pananampalataya. Sana ito rin ang tingin natin. We are stewards of the faith, not owners of it. It has been given to us so that we may spread it. Sa totoo lang, nabubuhayan tayo sa pananampalataya kung ibinabahagi natin ito. We do not lose the faith by sharing it. Rather it grows strong in us and multiplies by sharing it with others. Kaya malaking pananagutan kung hindi natin ibinabahagi ang Good News. In fact we have to doubt if we have the Good News if we do not share it because it is the nature of the Good News that it be shared. Kung wala tayong ganang ibahagi ito, baka hindi mabuting balita ang mayroon tayo, baka wala pa tayong relationship kay Kristo. Jesus is not exclusive, na tayo-tayo lang ang nakakakilala. He is expansive; the more the merrier! 

 Paano ba ibinahagi ni San Pablo ang mabuting balita? Natuto siyang makibagay sa mga tao. Para maging katanggap-tanggap ang mabuting balita, naging mahina siya sa gitna ng mahihina, naging tulad siya ng mga Hudyo kung mga hudyo ang kausap niya, naging tulad siya ng mga Griego sa harap ng mga Griego. He adjusted himself according to the situation of his hearers. Isa pang ginawa niya, ipinangangaral niyang walang bayad ang mabuting balita. Kaya nga nagpalabas ng liham ang mga obispo ng CBCP na tatanggalin na ang mga bayad sa mga serbisyo ng simbahan, ang tinatawag na arancel, upang ang pera ay hindi maging hadlang sa pagtanggap ng grasya ng Diyos. Papaano ngayon masusuportahan ang simbahan? Sa pagtulong ng lahat ng faithful. Generous naman ang mga tao sa mga pangangailangan ng simbahan. Napatunayan natin ito ngayong panahon ng Pandemic. 

 Bakit ba kailangan magpahayag ng mabuting balita? Sapagkat ito ay kailangang-kailangan ng mga tao. Ito ang narinig natin sa aklat ni Job sa ating unang pagbasa. Dito inilarawan sa atin ang kalagayan ng maraming tao. Hindi lang pera ang kailangan ng tao, although alam natin na sa ating panahon ngayon ng pandemic talagang marami ay nangangailangan ng pagkain, ng trabaho at iba pang material na bagay. Higit pa sa pera, ang mga tao ang nangangailangan ng saysay, ng meaning sa kanilang buhay. Ang daing ni Job ay: Ang buhay ng tao ay sagana sa hirap, batbat ng tiisin at lungkot ang dinaranas. Sabi niya na matagal na panahon na walang layon, walang saysay ang buhay niya. Sapat na lang ba na huminga? Para sa ano ang buhay natin? Ano ba ang inaasahan natin? Makakain lang ba? Magkaroon lang ba ng pera? Makapagtrabaho lang ba? Mapalaki ang mga anak? Hindi mamatay? Iyan lang ba ang buhay? At ang bilis ng takbo ng panahon. Pebrero na. Ano na ang nagawa ko? Ano ang nangyari sa akin noong January? Lalong-lalo na ngayong pandemia, napapaisip tayo ng meaning ng buhay natin dahil sa mga di-katiyakan na ating hinaharap. At dahil sa mga ito, marami ang mga tao ang nadedepressed na. 

 Dito kailangan natin ng mabuting balita na mahalaga ang bawat isa sa atin, ganoon kahalaga na pinadala ng Diyos ang kanyang bugtong na anak upang ipadama ang kanyang pagkalinga sa atin. Kaya sa ating ebanghelyo narinig natin na si Jesus ay busing-busy na nangangaral, nagpapagaling, nagpapalayas ng mga demonyo. Hindi siya mapatigil sa isang lugar lang. Kahit na siya ang kilala at hinahangaan na sa Capernaum, sinabi niya sa mga alagad niya na kailangan silang pumunta sa ibang bayan pa upang ipahayag at ipadama sa mga tao ang Mabuting Balita. Gusto niyang maabot ang mas maraming tao. Sa mga gawaing ito nagbibigay siya ng pag-asa sa mga tao. Parang sinasabi niya na huwag tayong bumitaw, mahal tayo ng Diyos, may lunas sa mga problema natin, our life is worth it. God himself cares for us in Christ Jesus. Kailangan natin ng Good News ngayon, Good News na dala ni Jesus. 

 Si Jesus ang Good News, ang anak ng Diyos na naging tao at nakiisa sa atin. Siya ang may kapangyarihan na magpatawad, magpagaling at magbigay ng pag-asa. Ang gawain natin ay dalhin ang mga tao sa kanya, to promote and facilitate the encounter with Jesus. Ganyan ang ginawa ni Pedro noong ang biyenan niya ay may mataas na lagnat. Sinabi niya kay Jesus at si Jesus naman ay willing na lapitan at pagalingin ang matanda. Ganyan ang ginawa ng mga tao sa Capernaum noong lumubog na ang araw at tapos na ang Araw ng Pamamahinga. Dinala nila kay Jesus ang mga may sakit at inaalihan ng mga demonyo. Siyempre ang mga may sakit ay hindi makapupunta kay Jesus. Hindi ba ganyan din ang ginagawa natin – dinadala ang may sakit sa clinic o sa hospital. Hindi naman natin sinasabi na lang na pumunta sila sa ospital. Ang mga makasalanan o may masasamang espiritu ay hindi naman lalapit kay Jesus, nahihiya ang mga iyan, o natatakot o walang pakialam. Kailangan natin silang dalhin kay Jesus. Iyan ang ating pagmimisyon. Si Jesus lang ang tagapagligtas. Dalhin natin ang mga tao sa kanya. Let us facilitate the meeting of the people with Jesus, the only Savior. 

 May mga tao na sa kanilang sigasig sa pagmimisyon akala nila ang success ng misyon ay depende na sa kanila. Parang sila na ang magbibigay ng solusyon sa mga problema ng tao. Hindi! Diyos pa rin ang kumikilos. Grasya ng Diyos ang kaligtasan. 

 We cannot compare the work of the church to any business venture that we judge the mission by its success, either in terms of numbers converted, money earned, programs done, buildings built. Mission is a work of grace. This is why we need to pray. Si Jesus mismo ay nangangailangan na magdasal. Kahit na busy siya, naghanap siya ng panahon – madaling araw na tulog pa ang iba – at ng lugar – isang tahimik na lugar, upang magdasal - makipag-ugnay sa kanyang Ama. Regular niya itong ginagawa. Talagang madasalin siya, kung minsan magdamag pa. Napansin ito ng kanyang mga alagad kaya minsan, siguro dahil sa inggit o sa paghanga nang makita nila si Jesus na taimtim na nagdarasal, nakiusap sila sa kanya: Panginoon, turuan naman ninyo kaming magdasal. 

 Kaya ang pagmimisyon ay hindi lang pagpunta roon sa ibang lugar o paggawa ng mga activities. In fact, activism, o too much activities, ay sagabal sa pagpapahayag ng mabuting balita. Bahagi rin ng pagmimisyon ay ang pagdarasal. Maraming himala ang nagagawa ng panalangin. Kaya may dalawang patron tayo ng misyon – si San Francisco Javier, isang dakilang misyonero na pumunta sa India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan at namatay nang papasok ng China. Talagang aktibo siya. At ang isang patron natin ay si Santa Teresita ng Sanggol na si Jesus – St. Therese of Lisieux, isang mongha na hindi man lumabas sa kumbento pero malaki ang naitulong sa misyon ng kanyang pagdarasal. 

 Mahalaga ang pagdarasal para sa misyon. Kaya kahit na ngayong pandemic na hindi tayo makalabas ng bahay, we can say our Yes to the mission. We all can pray for the missionaries and for the spread of the Good News. We all can pray for people who are losing meaning in their lives, people who are suffering from sickness and material needs. Kahit na anumang kalagayan natin ngayon, pinapadala tayo ni Jesus na maging bahagi sa pagpapalaganap ng Mabuting Balita. Let us all be missionaries. Let us start now in this Holy Mass by praying for missionaries and for their works.

Homily at the Opening of 500th anniversary

February 6, 2021 Rom 10:9-18 Mt 10:6-15 

 We belong to a local church with deep historical roots. Today we are celebrating the 442nd anniversary of our being elevated to a diocese, the first in the country, having under its jurisdiction the entire country. This was decreed by Pope Gregory XIII. That was in 1579. Think about it, 1579! 442 years ago! 16 years later, in 1595 Pope Clement VIII raised Manila to an archdiocese, its suffragan dioceses being Nueva Segovia in the Ilocandia, Nueva Caceres in Bicol, and Cebu in the Visayas. This tells us that all the dioceses in our country came from Manila. The expansion of the Church in the Philippines started from Manila. This is a source of pride for us, but also a big challenge. So it is very appropriate that here in the archdiocese of Manila we open our 500th anniversary of the coming of Christianity in the Philippines on this day. However, we will also join in the national opening activities on Easter Sunday on April 4 with the opening of the Holy Doors all over the country. 

 The theme of this year is MISSIO AD GENTES. May this celebration spur us on to continue this expanding mission of Manila to which we are all heirs to. The word expansion has a negative connotation. It smacks of colonialism; it brings in the idea of domination – yes imperial Manila! It gives the taste of accumulation of wealth, of prestige, and even of primacy. But we are speaking not of expansion itself but of expansion of the mission. St. Paul tells us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. “But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” Let all hear that Jesus is Lord. Let our voice go forth to all the earth and our words to the ends of the world. This is our ever pressing mandate from the Lord himself. 

 For anything with deep roots in history, there is the danger of becoming a monument. In fact, we glory in our artifacts, in our old churches, in our antique images. We may have these, but let us not, as church, be just antiques, museums and artifacts whose main concern is preservation and conservation. This is why Pope Francis calls us to get out of the maintenance mode. Instead we should be in the missionary mode. He clearly wrote, “I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are. ‘Mere administration’ can no longer be enough. Throughout the world, let us be ‘permanently in a state of mission.’” (EG 25) 

 Being in a state of mission is not optional. It is the necessary condition if we want to be renewed as a living church, and not just be a museum that is visited once in awhile but could not change lives. Pope Francis took the words of St. John Paul II which he spoke to the bishops of Oceania : “All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion” (EG 27) 

 In this vein Pope Francis continues: “Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the “peripheries” in need of the light of the Gospel.” (EG 20) 

 To leave the comfort zone is difficult. We would rather stay in our cozy and familiar situations, but Covid 19 has pushed us out of our comfort zones, whether we liked it or not. We have to adapt to the new realities if we are to survive. Let us not just wait till things get back to “normal.” The normal will not be where we were in 2019 and before. It will be something new! The virus has also pushed us to the peripheries. Many of us went to the poor to distribute the Gift Certificates and ayudas, and we have realized that there are many pockets of poverty in our areas that we have not yet reached. A sense of solidarity among parishes have also been formed. We have parishes helping fellow parishes. This experience has bonded us more together as an archdiocese, not just as individual parishes. 

 Now that we have the initial push to get out of our comfort zones and to reach out to the peripheries, let us continue on this missionary mode. Pope Francis again tells us: “Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: ‘We have always done it this way.’ I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities.” (EG 33) Yes, let us be bold in striking out new grounds. There will be expenses. We will make mistakes. There will be criticisms but move on. When St. John Bosco was being criticized by his fellow priests in Piedmont Italy for going out to collect street boys from the streets and even playing with them – a thing that was unheard of during his time, a priest running races with children in the streets, he just shrugged his shoulders and said: “Let the birds chirp, let us go on doing our mission.” Yes, let the birds chirp. 

 As I have mentioned before, one mission field, a very vast mission field, in fact a world-wide space that we have to reach, is the digital continent. The digital way of connecting to people and evangelizing will be with us to stay, even with the coming of the vaccine. Let us invest, let us improve, let us learn to bring God’s word in the world of the internet. Let us recruit people, and many of them the young, for this mission. Let us not say, that I am too old for this. The internet is not only for techies and for the young. It is also for us seniors. And let us not be afraid of this technology. It has great potentials for the good. 

 Missio ad gentes for many of us is not going to Papua New Guinea or to China. Missio ad gentes is going to the peripheries. These peripheries are not just out there. Many times they are around us, yet they are people whom we do not yet reach. They can even be those selling flowers outside our churches, those who sleep in the streets, those people for whom the church is just a building among so many buildings in the neighborhood. How can we reach them? How can we make the church relevant to them? We have done a bit of this by the ayudas that we give, and this should continue as more people will be in need. 

 In our online CBCP plenary meeting 10 days ago we have approved a pastoral statement on stewardship which has been forwarded to you a week ago. There we have reiterated PCP II’s decree to remove the arancel. We have started this process in the archdiocese even before the pandemic. Now we have more reason to pursue it, so that we can become more comfortable with the words of Jesus that we have heard in our gospel today: “What you have received without pay, give without pay.” Let us not give the reason that we are in the pandemic and we have little collection. It is not only we who are in the pandemic. Also the poor are in the pandemic, and they suffer all the more. In the 500th anniversary of Christianity we give this gift to the people – that they can avail of the services of the Church for free. Let us not doubt the generosity of the people. This pandemic has demonstrated to us that even in times of hardship such as this one, people give to the church, if they see that the church has programs for the people. Ang pagtanggal ng arancel ay hindi pakiusap. Itinalaga na ito ng simbahan sa buong bansa. The recent instruction from the congregation of the clergy (July 20, 2020) The pastoral conversion of the Parish community in the service of the evangelising mission of the Church states: “The Lord taught his disciples to have a generous spirit of service, to be a reciprocal gift for the other (cf. Jn 13:14-15), and to have a special care for the poor. From this derives the need not to “commercialise” the sacramental life, and not to give the impression that the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, along with other ministerial activities, are subject to tariffs.” (40) 

 Another aspect of evangelization that we have to stress to go out of the maintenance mode is how we present the word of God. People need the word of God – let us present to them the Word of God, and not just our ideas or our thoughts about it. This means that we need to be more immersed in God’s word and be captivated by it so that we can proclaim it to others. I always say that it is very presumptuous to expect that people will find the Good News, if we ourselves do not find it as Good News. My fellow priests, we always preach, we always speak to the people. Do we speak because we have to speak, or because we have something to say, and something meaningful to say? 

 God’s Word, however, is not only for individuals. There is a social dimension in God’s word. The Bible does transform society. Let us bring out the social implications of God’s word. There are so many issues in society now that need to be enlightened by God’s word, which is a message of justice, of truth, of peace and of love. When St.John Pau II said “Do not be afraid” he did not only mean do not be afraid to follow the Word but also do not be afraid to preach the Word. Speak the Word in season and out of season, and with care to instruct. Pag sinabi nila na namumulitika ka na kasi binabanggit natin ang social implication of the Good News – and they always say that when they do not want to hear our message – let the birds chirp and move on with the mission. 

 We open today the Year of the Mission. Let each of our community enter into the missionary mode. We go out of our comfort zone to reach out to the peripheries. The internet is a means to reach out to countless people in the digital continent. A gift that we offer to our people this year is to offer the services of the Church for free. We take out the arancel as our bishops are telling us. Our mission is to shout out the good news – this is what evangelization means – to all. Our product line – the Good News of salvation – is always needed and always relevant. Let us present it to the people. So we have to be enthused with the message so that we can attract people to it. The message of justice, peace, truth and love is needed not only by our souls, but also by society at large. So we preach out the social implications of the Good News. From the local church of Manila the Christian message has reached all over the country. May this renewed missionary zeal from us, the unworthy heirs of the expansion of the mission, enkindle the fire of love for Jesus in the whole country.