We Prepare

(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the 1st Misa De Gallo for 2022 at the San Pedro Cathdral Parish, San Pedro Street, Davao City, December 16, 2022.)

Why is it that we are fascinated with Christmas? Perhaps the wonder of God above, God who is not like us, totally different from us. He is the beauty, the power, all goodness, here below we are all darkness, very imperfect, tanan pag-antos, very sinful, sigeg away, marites, dili magsagol, yet we know, common words, He is our savior, He will come. And the wonder is, even if seemingly we are different, He will come and become like us and we become like Him. In Jesus, we see … the fullness of us. In Him unta, sana, we see even the hidden mga pangandoy.

But yet in Christmas we know that God sent His son to be like us and to show us the way. In other words my dear friends…our desires in our hears, kana ang mas importante ang atong mga damgo sa kinabuhi. In Jesus and with Jesus, that will be fulfilled and that would bring us the usual greeting, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Blessed Christmas, joy and peace! Every year when Christmas approaches, mao nay trabaho sa simbahan to remind us that the true source of peace and joy is in the Lord and for us to be ready to receive Him. It’s a time to purify what are our expectations of Him. Makaila ba ta Niya when He comes? Basig mga frustrated ta. So we prepare for Christmas and we better know who He is. Because Siya man ang atong Ginoo kaha? Siya man ang atong manunubos.

Today’s first reading from the Book of Isaiah from the Old Testament this first day, first dawn of the Misa de Gallo has a very telling example…the first reading tells us, be happy He is coming mura gani siya’g code of conduct; you behave this way kay He is coming, you conform to Him. The first reading tell us, He is coming, we behave accordingly…but it’s a good example we would say “andam ba kaha kita, what’s in His mind?” The Jews…were very careful of their purity that sila gyud, way masagol, because understandable that they were trying to be pure because and ilang mga silingan, pagans, they had many gods. Sila (Jews) they are beginning to believe in one true God therefore they’re very careful to be pure nga dili sila ma contaminate by their neighbors. So therefore, may klaro kaayo nga bias, discrimination; they don’t want foreigners in their village, in their circle, lagi they want to keep their faith in God. But, in the first reading today says when He comes, foreigners will come close to Him…what example can I give you?

Suppose the Lord will come to you and He will be with your kalaban? Kadtong imong kalabang nga sige kag ampo, “di unta kapasar sa exam na, di unta dawaton sa trabaho na, mamatay pa unta nag COVID kay kalaban kaayo nako na.” Suppose this Lord nga imong gipaabot, amigo man sila sa akong kalaban, amigo man siya sa foreigners, “abi nakog di ta muduol sa mga foreigners kay kita lang, uy! Migo man lagi sila sa foreigner?” Now we begin to understand in the first reading, this Ginoo, this Lord na atong gipaabot, His desire is for us to be brothers and sister. Therefore one blunt, sharp lesson today, “O come, O come, Messiah, yes musimba ko,” yet in us, dili ta maka accept ug foreigner, dili ta maka reconcile sa kalaban. “Kining salvation is just for me, my friends, my circle, my barkada, kana sila way labot,” Wrong, ma frustrated ta because He is not like that and we are challenged that, that child who was born in Bethlehem, this Jesus in the altar is the Lord for all. Kita kay halos di ta mutan-aw sa atong kalaban kay mapungot ta, madaot, “my day will be destroyed.” The Lord, He sees everyone as a child of God…he wants us to be gathered together, both friends and enemy.

A good preparation for Christmas, a good Misa de Gallo requires us to understand who that God is.