Homily of His Excellency Most Reverend Luis Antonio G. Tagle, DD
Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila
My dear friends, sisters and brothers in the Lord,
We are in the holy season of Advent, a time to prepare for the coming
of the Messiah through prayer, penance and good works. A few days ago a
friend told me that my coming into the Archdiocese of Manila as its 32nd
Archbishop is truly Advent. “You are the one who is to come,” he
declared. The remark made me laugh. It also made me think. Is this
occasion really about me? I know many people are asking “who is this new
archbishop of Manila? What is he like? What are his vision and plans?”
But like John the Baptist I am inviting you to focus on the One mightier
than all of us, Jesus Christ, the Risen One and the True Shepherd of
the Church. My Episcopal motto says it plainly, “Dominus Est! It is the
Lord!”
This exclamation is drawn from the Risen Christ’s
appearance to some of his disciples at the Sea Tiberias as recounted in
John 21. In a retreat that I facilitated as a priest, this episode
impressed me deeply. Although it tells of a Resurrection appearance, it
is indeed an Advent experience. The Risen Lord comes to his disciples.
He reveals who he truly is.
Seven disciples went out fishing.
Five of them are named: Simon Peter the recognized head of the band of
the Twelve who denied Jesus, Thomas who doubted the testimony of his
companions about Jesus’ appearance to them, Nathanael who questioned if
anything good could come from Nazareth, the sons of Zebedee known for
their ambition to get the seats of honour in Jesus’ kingdom, and two who
remain unnamed. Doubters and unknowns, they represent the Church at its
infancy. Simon Peter planned to go out fishing and the rest joined him.
Together they were the fragile Church embarking on its mission. Into
the vast waters of mission they traveled together.
But that
whole night they caught nothing. Tired and distraught they returned to
shore. They probably did not notice the early morning light. It was
still night for them. Standing on the shore was a man they did not know.
He asked if they had caught anything to eat. That question could sound
provocative to a group that had laboured all night without success. If I
were one of the disciples, I would have retorted, “Hey don’t you see
that our boats are empty? Don’t you see? Are you blind or are you
insulting us?” But the disciples were probably so tired to argue with
him. Then the stranger issued a surprising command to cast the net over
the right side of the boat. He also promised they would find something.
They followed him and had a catch so bountiful they could not pull it
in. This stranger was not blind after all. He saw where the fishes were.
What the disciples of doubters and unknowns did not see, he saw
clearly.
At this moment the disciple whom Jesus loved
exclaimed, “It is the Lord.” The eyes of the beloved disciple were
opened. His stare moved from the catch to the loving presence in their
midst. This man is not a stranger. He is the loving Lord. The long dark
night is over. Morning has come. It is the Lord!
This simple
story teaches me valuable lessons about the missions of the Church and
my ministry as a bishop. First of all, the mission of the Church should
be wholly directed by the Lord who is always present as Shepherd and
guide. Human efforts should continue but unless the Lord directs the
catch, we labour in vain. We know that the Lord guards His Church. He
keeps watch with us on those long nights of confusion and helplessness
in mission. When in spite of our good intentions and efforts there are
still multitude of hungry people we cannot feed, homeless people we
cannot shelter, battered women and children we cannot protect, cases of
corruption and injustice that we cannot remedy, the long night of the
disciples in the middle of the sea continues in us. Then we grow in
compassion towards our neighbors whose lives seem to be a never ending
dark night. But in our weariness the Lord comes. Advent never ends. He
is the shepherd promised in the first reading from Ezekiel. He will come
to his sheep where they are scattered when it is cloudy and dark. He is
near. He is Emmanuel. But we need to hear his voice and to follow hi
direction. We need to see realities with His eyes. We need faith.
Without faith fueled by love, we cannot truly be a missionary Church of
Jesus Christ. It is only by the vision provided by faith that the Church
could meaningfully casts its nets in the vast seas of the world and
history. They may be murky to human eyes, but the Lord sees where the
fishes are. The new evangelization requires putting in the mind and eyes
of the Lord again, a transformation coming from prayer. Then we see
differently. A child, especially the unborn is no longer seen as a
burden but a gift, the youth are not a problem but a promise, women are
not objects but persons, labourers are not machines but partners, the
poor are not a nuisance but our jewels, and the creation is not an
object of manipulation but a sign of God’s sustaining love. These and
many more comprise the Church’s miraculous harvest from the seas of
mission of only we see with the eyes of Christ. Whenever we see as the
Lord does, there is hope!
Secondly, we need to follow the Lord
in our mission not singly but together as the disciples did. Mission is
an ecclesial event. We will be together in failure, in listening to the
Spirit, in beholding the God’s miracles, and in hauling the nets to
shore. As it was then, so it is today. The ordained, the religious and
the lay faithful, including non-Catholic Christians are called to one
mission, though in various states of life and with a diversity of gifts.
When we take different boats and even compete against each other to get
the better portion of the catch for our own teams, we are not engaging
in mission. Divisiveness and destructive competition will only help sink
the boat. Let us look to the one Shepherd who gathers his sheep instead
of scattering them. It is the Lord!
Finally, let us turn to
the beloved disciple, the disciple whom Jesus loved. He was the one who
recognized the Lord who had loved them by laying down his life on the
cross and now as the Risen On who could turn nights of despair into
dawns of hope by the power of His word. We realize that the beloved
disciple does not occupy any known rank among the disciples. Peter was
clearly the leader and spokesperson of the group. This episode teaches
me that merely assuming the position of Archbishop of Manila does not
guarantee that I will recognize the Lord. If I am not careful it might
even blind me to the Lord and others. It is rather by being a humble
disciple content with love of Jesus that I would see the advent of him
whose love propels us to mission. Notice that at this moment the beloved
disciple taught Peter. Later Jesus would ask Peter three time if he
loved him more than the others. Love makes one a true shepherd, not
position. I pray that my Episcopal ministry and all ministries in the
Church may be rooted in humble and loving discipleship. I tell myself as
though it were the Lord telling me, “Chito, do not think you have
become great because of your new position. Be great rather in being a
beloved and loving disciple of the Lord.”
The narrative we
have reflecting on serves as a good description of the mission of the
Church: Discerning the Lord’s presence, following his word, celebrating
his love and proclaiming “It is the Lord.” The Church cannot stop
proclaiming the Word of God as the second reading says. In season and
out of season, we direct people to the person of the Lord. Even if it an
inconvenient truth that we are proclaiming, it is always the Lord.
“Love your enemies” is inconvenient. “Share what you have with the poor”
is inconvenient. “Bless your prosecutors” is inconvenient. But through
these inconvenient words, the Lord comes. He speaks. He brings true
light.
As I embark on my new ministry as Archbishop of Manila,
I feel deeply united with the many beloved disciples who have taught me
to recognize the Lord: my loving parents Manuel and Milagros and
brother Manuel Jr. They have always provided a haven of love and
commitment for me; my aunts, uncles, cousins, and clan who never fail to
nurture me; my self-less and caring teachers and mentors in St.
Andrew’s School, the Ateneo de Manila University, the Loyola School of
Theology, the Catholic University of America and San Jose Seminary; the
dedicated people of the commissions that I have been a part of in the
CBCP, the FABC, and the Vatican; my former students, seminarians, the
religious and the poor who have taught me to be more sensitive to the
presence of Jesus who calls me to mission. Your love has enabled me to
see the Lord. Thank you. I remember in a special way Bishop Artemio
Casas, Bishop Felix Perez, Bishop Manuel Sobrevinas, the clergy, the
religious, the seminarians and the lay faithful of the Diocese of Imus.
You have loved me. You have directed me to the Lord. Please remember me
as loving you.
Now I face my new mission in this great
Archdiocese of Manila that is rich in tradition, culture, history and
religiosity. I tremble before the love that calls me to lead the people
to the Lord. But my poor sinful person finds rest in Him who is the
Church’s true Shepherd. I am also consoled to know that we would be
building on the legacy of loving service of 31 bishops, notably those of
the recent past: Archbishop Gabriele Reyes, Cardinal Rufino Santos,
Cardinal Jaime Sin and my immediate predecessor, Cardinal Gaudencio
Rosales. As I look at the clergy, the religious and lay faithful of the
Archdiocese, I feel humbled. There is much that I will learn from you.
Teach me. Be patient with me. Let us love one other at all times. Extend
your love to all, especially the poor and to the Churches in Asia. As
one Church we will journey together even if the night is long and
wearisome. We will welcome the ever new dawn who is the Lord, the light
and shepherd of the Church. Everyday will be an advent of the Lord.
We are strengthened by the maternal love of Mary who 480 years ago
appeared to the lowly Juan Diego in Guadalupe. She is the Advent woman
who comes to the poor; she walks with them in dark paths; she brings
hope. We rejoice to hear again her words to Juan Diego, as though
addressed to us, “Do not let anything afflict you and do not be afraid
of any illness or accident or pain. Am I not your mother? Are you not
under my shadow and protection? Do you need anything else? Do I not hold
you in the folds of my mantle, there where my arms meet together and I
can keep you close?” To you dear Mother I entrust the Church of Manila,
the Church in the Philippines, the Churches in Asia, the entire Church
and my Episcopal ministry. You come to us, as I have experienced so many
times. Bring Jesus to us. Take us to Jesus. In the never ending advent
of life and mission, help us to see your Son coming to us as our loving
Shepherd to dispel all fear. We hope for the day when the Church and the
whole creation would joyfully declare with one voice, “It is the Lord!”
Amen.
Canonical Possession
12 December 2011
Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
(Manila Cathedral) Intramuros, Manila
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