(A homily delivered at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore; on the last day of the Triduum held on October 20, 2012 for the Canonization of Pedro Calungsod.)
·
10:00 A.M. Mass
of the Holy Name of Mary
o
Cardinal
Gaudencio Rosales – Presider
o
Abp. Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I. - Homilist
·
Readings
Your
Eminences, my Brother Bishops; Distinguished Officials of the Philippine Govt,
led by our Vice President (Binay) and the Phil. Ambassador the Holy See (Mercy
Tuason); Rev. Fathers, Brothers and Sisters; my Brothers and Sisters in the
Lord:
Mary – the Star of Evangelization
First, a question. On this
final day of our Triduum, why do we celebrate the Mass in honor of the Holy
Name of Mary?
Because this Mass brings us
back to the Mariana islands of the 17th century, It brings us back to
the time when Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, S.J, and his young missionary
partner, the Visayan lay catechist, Pedro Calungsod proclaimed the Christian faith
to the Chamorros of Guam.
Our Mass this morning reminds
us that Padre Diego had a very strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. He dedicated
the first church in the new mission to the Sweet Name of Mary. By the sweet name
of Mary he hoped that the mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to the
Chamorros would be blessed by God with abundant fruit.
That hope has been realized.
On the original site of the first Church, there now magnificently stands the Cathedral
- Basilica of the Sweet Name of Mary, a symbol of the Christian and Catholic
faith of the people of Guam . Through the veins
of their beloved leader, Archbishop Anthony Apuron who is with us today, flows
the blood of his Chamorro ancestors as well as the blood of his Filipino
grandfather from Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Church of Agana , Guam we see
once again the truth of that ancient aphorism: “The blood of martyrs is the
seed of Christianity.”
Padre Diego passed on his
deep devotion to Mary to the young Pedro Calungsod. These two valiant missionaries,
priest and lay teenager, under the inspiration and guidance of the Blessed
Mother proclaimed their faith with zeal and courage among the Chamorros.
The Mass this morning also
brings us back to the 1st century, to that room in Jerusalem
Driven by the Holy Spirit,
inspired and strengthened by the presence of Mary the Blessed Mother the
Apostles would later go forth to the different parts of the civilized world,
even to distant unknown lands, literally to the ends of the earth. Everywhere
they proclaimed Jesus as the Lord and Savior of all.
As Mary saw the Apostles off
to tell the story of Jesus, her own Son, she prayed for them and was their Mother
from afar. For the Apostles, Mary was the living memory of Jesus, their beloved
Teacher and Lord.
Mary then was present at the
beginning of the Church’s mission to evangelize. She was also present when
Padre Diego and Pedro Calungsod began their missionary work. Mary, indeed, is
the Star of Evangelization, as Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have
said. She is the Star, the brilliant beacon that reflects to others the face of
her own Son. She is the Star that points unmistakably to her Son.
Jesus the Center
of Proclamation
But what did Padre Diego and
Pedro Calungsod really proclaim? What do we proclaim when we evangelize? Do we proclaim an inspired book called the Sacred
Scriptures? Do we proclaim a set of beliefs and rites that we call Christianity
or Catholicism? Do we proclaim an
ideology or a humanitarian program that we call human development?
No, my brothers and sisters,
we proclaim a Person, a Person who has a face and a name. We proclaim Jesus of
Nazareth, Mary’s Son, God’s own Son, Jesus the Crucified One. We proclaim the
mystery of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, that same divine mystery by
which Jesus saved us and all humankind from sin. It is the story of Jesus that
we tell. Jesus is the beginning, the center and the summit of our proclamation.
The Duty to Proclaim
But do we have a duty to
proclaim Jesus? Yes we do. We hear today the poignant words of St. Paul
When you and I were baptized
and became members of the family of faith, the Lord sent us to speak his name,
to tell his story to others. It is through the Sacrament of Baptism that we
become a people of faith – in – mission.
How to Proclaim Jesus – Tell the Story of Jesus
But how do we proclaim Jesus?
Our model of proclamation is Pedro Calungsod. Let us look at his statue. Pedro is
carrying a book entitled, Doctrina Cristiana, It was the Spanish catechism written
in the Philippines
And so by carrying the
catechism book, Pedro Calungsod teaches us that we have first to know our
faith, to know Jesus, to believe in Jesus, and be united with Jesus.
The Doctrina Cristiana of the
17th century has evolved into a new synthesis of the Christian faith
in the 20th century, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. To know
your faith, the sure guide is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. When you
take up the catechism believe what you read, live what you believe, and share
what you believe.
But knowing Jesus is not
enough. We must have, most of all, a passion for Jesus, a love for Jesus so
intimate and so strong that we just have to share him with others. He is the
divine gift that we cannot keep for ourselves. We must want to share him with
others.
But how to share and proclaim
the Lord and Savior? My brothers and sisters, simply tell the story of Jesus to
others. Tell the stories that Jesus told -- about the providence of His Father,
tell others that God is concerned most about the human person even as he cares
for the beautiful lilies of the field and the blithe birds of the sky. Tell
people about the Lord’s mercy and kindness, his love of the poor. Tell others about
how he drove away those who desecrated the house of prayer, why he called some
people hypocrites, how he abhorred those who were greedy and selfish, how he
had compassion on the little ones of society, widows, orphans, strangers and
little children. Tell the stories that Jesus told about love of neighbor, about
forgiveness, and prayer.
Parents and
Children
If you are parents, tell the
story of Jesus to your children. Children love stories, tell them of Jesus’
birth, how Jesus was lost and found in the temple, tell them story after story,
miracle after miracle, parable after parable, tell them his message in simple
ways, how Jesus loved children, how he loved the poor. Tell them about how
Jesus sacrificed his very life on the Cross for them. Share with them your
devotion to Jesus, your love for Jesus. Teach them about the Mass and how to
pray, be their leader of prayer at home. Pray the Rosary with them. You must
love Jesus passionately in order to do these.
Husbands and Wives
Husbands and wives, remind
one another about what it means to be Christian, to be a follower of Jesus.
Remind one another that your marital love is a sharing of the love of Jesus for
you. Tell one another that the love of Jesus for you and for us is ever faithful,
that even when we are unfaithful, He forgives. The love of Jesus for you must
flow to your children. Such love within the family makes responsibilities less
burdensome and is carried over to the fulfillment of responsibilities at work,
at the office. It is a love that works for justice in society, the kind of love
that struggles against social evils, against the lack of integrity and the bane
of corruption so deeply entrenched in our beloved Philippines
Mass Media
Today we have to use the
means of social communications to proclaim Jesus, his life and message. You do
not have to be a radio broadcaster or a TV personality.
So often the internet is used
for evil, for pornography, for scams and crimes. Instead use the internet to
share what is good. Send biblical messages by SMS, by texting. Use twitters and
blogs to share your faith, Chat with others about how your faith has always
been an anchor of hope in the midst of difficulties. Send inspirational
pictures and images by email, youtube, or facebook.
Today the power of
communications, of the internet, email, facebook, is beyond calculation.
Young People
May I appeal particularly to
young people – and for young people. San Pedro Calungsod was only 14 years old
when he went with Padre Diego to proclaim the Lord Jesus in Guam .
He was not too young to be an evangelizer. He is the model for young people to
live and proclaim their faith.
Already in our country, the youth
are at the vanguard of renewing the Church and society. They are active in the
catechetical, liturgical, and social action ministries. They serve in various
transformative small communities of faith. With energetic and enthusiastic
youth, parishes become a communion of communities.
Yet today various forces
compete for the attention of the young. At their most impressionable age, young
people are constantly bombarded by mass media with images and messages of
secularism and materialism that are contrary to the Gospel. The loss of faith
is evident and widespread in the world.
We hope that the ongoing Synod
of Bishops on the New Evangelization can provide answers to the question: How
can we proclaim the faith to young people with “new ardor, new methods and
expressions?” The young are the present and future of the Church. We all need
to be with them.
Overseas Filipino Workers
At this point may I give
tribute to the millions of our overseas Filipino workers in every continent of
the world.
We only think of OFWs as our
country’s economic saviors. But they are more than economic agents. They are
faith-givers. We have heard hundreds of stories about how OFWs are not
embarrassed to show the external signs of their Catholic faith, how they bring
to Mass the children of families that they work for and teach them how to pray.
By doing so they attract the parents of the children to renew their faith and
begin to pray again.
You, our dear OFWs, are truly
the new missionaries and evangelizers of today. We salute and thank you most
deeply. Hold on to your faith. We pray with you and for you as you work, often
in a hostile environment.
Martyrdom and the Daily Witness of Life
My brothers and Sisters, in
all probability you and I might never be asked by God to give up our life for
the sake of our faith. God indeed asked Pedro Calungsod. And he responded generously
and courageously with his life. With his teacher, missionary partner, and
friend, Padre Diego, he went to his death for the sake of Jesus. Now both Padre
Diego and the lay catechist Pedro hold the palm of martyrdom. Look at his
statue -- Pedro is holding that palm. Martyrdom is the ultimate witnessing to
Jesus, the ultimate form of proclaiming the faith.
But as Blessed John Paul II
has said – a faithful Christian life, though silent and unsung, is a most
eloquent proclamation of our faith in Jesus (see Ecclesia in Asia). You are credible in telling the story of Jesus
to others only when your life is lived as a faithful disciple of Jesus, a
disciple who lives the Divine Teacher’s way of valuing, his way of relating
with people, especially with the most needy, his way of doing good.
For in the final analysis, to
proclaim Jesus is really to share you own experience of Jesus, your own
friendship with Jesus, your own following of Christ. This is what the Apostle John said: What we
have seen, what we have heard, what we have touched, this is what we proclaim
to you so that you may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with God
the Father and his Son Jesus Christ! (see 1 Jn.1: 1-4).
When we truly proclaim Jesus
by our daily Christian life, we can also exalt with Mary, the Star of
Evangelization, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!” My very life, my
very being proclaims the greatness of the Lord!
My brothers and sisters, God
bless you!
+Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I.
Archbishop of Cotabato
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