Your excellency, the most reverend Charles John Brown, apostolic to the Philippines, Your grace, the most reverent Rex Andrew Alarcon, archbishop of Caceres, your excellency, the most reverent Luisito Occiano, bishop of Virac, your excellency, the most reverent Manolo de los Santos, bishop Emeritus of Iraq, dear brother bishops of the Philippines, dear brother priests and deacon, persons in consecrated life, government officials, church lay leaders, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, maray na hapon saindo gabos.
A burning heart in the golden year. This is the theme that you have chosen for your jubilee celebration. By using this image, you have placed yourselves in the disposition of the 2 disciples who were accompanied by Jesus on the road to Emmaus. They said to each other, were not our hearts burning within us? While he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us.
When the 2 disciples started their journey, they were confused and disappointed. They could not make sense of what happened in Jerusalem. But when they listened to Jesus, they began to understand. To have a burning heart, we must first have a listening heart. Abraham, in our first reading, listened to the word of the Lord to him.
Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk to the land I will show you. Abraham was 75 years old, but he went as the Lord directed him. Mary, in the Annunciation, listened to the message of the angel. She did not fully understand everything but she was listening intently. She was pondering in her heart what sort of greeting it was that she has just heard.
To have a burning heart, we begin with a listening heart. Sometimes, our hearts can be so fired up by our big dreams and projects, by the many grand things we want to do for the church, for our parish, for our diocese. But we lost fervor in the end. We grow tired and weary because we are met with unfavorable results. When we go back and assess our pastoral plans and strategies, we realize we did not properly listen.
If only we had listened more and did not presume that we know everything, we could have served better. We could have loved better. For the past 3 years, as a universal church, we have tried to form ourselves into a synodal church of communion, mission, and participation. This synodal journey will not take off if we do not train ourselves to listen. As the diocese celebrates her golden jubilee, I humbly suggest to all of you in the diocese of Virac, be a listening church.
Listen to the Holy Spirit. Listen to the cry of the poor. Listen to the cry of the Earth. Of all the dioceses in the country, you are the first one to hear the groaning of the seas and the mountains when a devastating typhoon is coming in. Be at the forefront of listening to the cry of our common home.
Listen to the voices that are never heard in your pastoral assemblies. It is good to have a burning passionate passionate heart, but it will burn itself out if it does not know how to listen to the signs of the times and how to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit, the protagonist of synodality. Listening is an initial step in the synodal journey. Listening leads to a concrete response. A listening heart is an obedient heart.
Abraham packed everything he had and set out for the land of Canaan. He took with him his family and his possessions. He took the risk. Mary said yes to the angel. Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word. Mary knew very well what this would entail for her. But in faith, and going beyond her fears, she courageously obeyed. As you celebrate your 50 years as a diocese, Let the example of Abraham and Mary give you the inspiration to be more daring in your response to the Lord. Do not settle for the old ways that are no longer responsive to the needs of the people of God.
We move from a maintenance church who is afraid to go forth to a synodal church in mission. This means that together with listening, dialogue, and discernment, We explore new ways to preach the good news of Jesus to all our brothers and sisters, especially those who feel that they do not belong and those who have been hurt by our lack of witnessing and charity. Let us have the faith of Abraham and the docility of Mary. Our golden jubilee calls us to be grateful for all the good things that the Lord has given to us. It also prompts us to be humble and accept that we have not always been faithful to Jesus.
In this gathering, let us make our confession pecati. Our confession of sins against the Lord and one another. This golden jubilee is at its core a jubilee of mercy. We have walked the wrong path so many times. But Jesus, in His boundless mercy and love, still comes to us, walks with us, and patiently guides us to the way, the truth, and the life.
In the Olympics, the gold medalists are given their medals and monetary incentives. They become instant heroes and multimillionaires. In the church, the golden jubilarians, like your diocese here in Virac, are given more challenges and mission. Gold is not about riches or wealth. Gold represents gifts.
Gold is one of the gifts of the magi to the newborn messiah in Bethlehem. Gold is a gift to the king who came to serve and not to be served. May your golden jubilee be your gift to Jesus who has also gifted you with so much. In turn, be gifts to one another. Gifts that are more precious than gold because You are giving your heart and your love, your compassion and your mercy.
Everything is a gift. We thank the Lord for the gift of 50 years. We remember those who have started this journey in a special way. We remember our first chiefers, Bishop Jose Sorra and Bishop Manolo De Los Santos. Our presence here together with archbishop Charles Brown, the apostolic nuncio, and the other bishops is our humble way of acknowledging and celebrating the gift that you are, Diocese of Iraq.
We are praying for all of you, especially for your shepherd, Bishop Louisito Occiano. May the gift of gold that you have received today be the gift of charity and hope to all of humanity. Mary, our mother, our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, our Ina, always keep this great diocese in her mantle of protection. Amen.
