Each One Of Us Is Always In Mission

(Excerpts from the Homily of Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Opening mass of the Gallery of Saints, October 23, 2022 at SM Annex, SM City Davao, Ecoland, Davao City.)

Why do we go to mass? One could be, we are used to come to mass and we’re used to it because somehow in our childhood when we were young, when we were just getting to be conscious, mao nani ang buhat ni papa, mama. We used to go to church, so it can be a little of what we know, and a little of habit. I would say that is good. But allow me this time to say something more; we come to mass, [because] we are obliged, it is the law of the church, commandment of the church, that we must, [we] should attend mass, celebrate mass on Sunday, that’s also very compelling “kahibalo ka o wala attend ka”. But really allow me as a bishop to tell you, law or not, what is so compelling is this; since the beginning of the church, without any law, without any compulsion, all those who believe in Christ, in Jesus what they call the disciples, they come together to REMEMBER, mark that. The Mass, Holy Mass, Sacrifice of the Mass, Holy Eucharist is also described as the great remembering, great anamnesis, the ring of the word, amnesia, walang remembering, makalimot. Great anamnesis, the great remembering, we know very well that in our minds and in our hearts, today, lalo na ngayon, we are bombarded with other memories, other agenda, other items, well-advertised, very compelling, that the memory of Christ is eased out. It can be the husband and wife medyo long distance kay ang husband tua sa Saudi, ang wife sa Pilipinas; wala nay chat, wala nay text, wala nay email, ang memory of one another will be eased out and other memories would come in, very logical. The early Christians, the early church upto today, we gather especially on a Sunday. Every Sunday, very compelling that has been the batasan of the church to come together to remember because in its essence the memory of the person is like the brain of the computer that would help you charter your actions, but if that memory of Jesus is corrupted you know what happens so we come every Sunday to refresh our memory. But if you come seldom, you don’t know unsa maning gisulti sa computer, you come every 3 months, di ka kabalo mu access sa memory, lalo na kung naa pay competing memories, nabuang nani, di naka kasabot. Sikat nga teleserye di pud ka musubay, inig tan-aw nimo sa teleserye di man ka kagets kay talagsa raman ka mutan-aw. That’s why it is very important, kutob sa mahimo, very logical to come to mass; like today, to make sure that our memory of who God is, is kept alive and I become repetitious by saying ..especially today because of competing memories. Today is the 30th Sunday of that section of that calendar of the church, of worship, ang paghan-ay sa mga menu, mga topic when we remember Jesus, 30th Sunday in ordinary time but also for us who believe, ang church nagproclaim on this Sunday, remember also the nature of the church World Mission Sunday, when we remember Jesus in ourselves to keep our memory, important aspect of that “being full of the memory of Jesus”, is we are missionaries, that the church is always in mission, each one is always in mission.

World Mission Sunday is telling us today that the church and everyone is always in mission. To remember that this Sunday, we are on mission. And simply, that to believe and to be refreshed in the memory of Christ is also a moment to be convinced, to proclaim Jesus, to proclaim Jesus is always an act of mission…consciously you do things in life… always saying that in every action I do, I do with the memory of Jesus, I tell the world who He is.