A Surviving Church

Excerpts of the Homily of Most Rev. Romulo Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao, during the fiesta of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in La Verna Hills Subd., last Sept. 17.

The church has survived not because of our goodness but because of the grace and mercy of the Lord.

The Lord makes us survive. The Lord allows us to renew and repent.

“Will you leave the church because of Judas? Will you leave Christ because of Judas?”

I’ve heard this wonderful question in one homily.

So, amid all the issues in this church, I ask you to pray for our priests. Far from perfect, but I’m sure we try our best to cooperate. We are limited, sinful, and frail but we are always struggling to cooperate with the grace and mercy of God.

I am not sharing this because there are problems but this is the tone of the readings today (feast of St. Francis of Assisi).

Fiesta Dates

St. Francis of Assisi, no doubt, gives us priests a very good example and inspiration how to live and carry out our life as priests.

Just recently, I went to Surigao City to attend the invitation of my friend bishop in the Cathedral of San Nicolas de Tolentino.

It’s their 265th fiesta. It was on a Tuesday, a working day. They did not change it and I’m happy for that.

Under my term, as the archbishop of Davao, I would greatly discourage to change the fiesta date. Stick to it.

In Surigao, despite holding their fiesta in a working day, the cathedral was full. For me, it is very important to keep the day, its sacredness, its historical significance.

Let’s take it as it is.

I am thankful that we have sustained this date of September 17 for the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi.

La Verna, I came to know, is an important place in the life of St. Francis of Assisi who was given with stigmata, a mark through wounds with blood similar to Christ in the Crucifixion.

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