Rediscovering Our True Identity

(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the Third Sunday of Lent, San Pedro Cathedral, San Pedro St., Davao City)

The great act of salvation in Jesus is passion, His suffering, His death on calvary and His victorious resurrection. A proof and an event that shows us that Jesus has conquered death, misery, tears, and suffering and has given us eternal life in His resurrection. My dear friends, Lent is simply preparing us for the celebration of the kamatayon and pagkabanhaw of Jesus our savior. Now, how do we connect to the kamatayon and pagkabanhaw ni Jesus, that event not idea but that event of salvation that saved us. St. Paul would tell us we die in Christ and rise with Him. Now since the beginning of the church the whole event of Jesus’ death and resurrection is baptism. That’s why ang una nga adlaw for baptism is actually Dominggo sa pagkabanhaw or better Easter vigil kanang Sabado sa gabii ugma Dominggo sa pagkabanhaw mao ning adlaw tingbunyag because in bunyag, in baptism we die into Christ and rise with Him.

Now first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday we are told in one dimension, we are dust, abog kita but the other unspoken truth of Ash Wednesday is that yes abog lang kita but kon mubalik ta sa Ginoo we will have life, one image of the first day of Lent is abog. Remember the abog sa creation sa story, God breathe into the abog, the lapok, and then the dust have life nahimong tawo. So, first Sunday of the Lent we are told bantay ka tawo, yes you are abo, if you forget to connect with the Lord and receive His breath of life you will die as dust, you’re nothing. Remember, man you’re dust and to dust will return but the unspoken truth is that you will live if you allow the Lord to breathe into you. First day of Lent, first Sunday of Lent ang Gospel, temptation ni Jesus, naa siya sa desert gitempt siya, grabe kaayo ang yawa, simply put, that first Sunday of the event tells us not only in the time of Jesus but represented us, Siya ang nagrepresent nato, the devil not only at that time until today would tempt us nga tagaan og laing image, laing posibilidad nga dili original nato.

Ang yawa miadto kay Jesus, ingon ana ka, ingon ana ka, kaon, stone into bread and Jesus kept on saying no, the picture you are tempting me, that is not me. So, Lent is a time to remind ourselves unsa man akong tinood nga larawan, is Jesus my picture of kinsa man jud akong tinood, kutob lang ba ako sa tiyan, kutob lang ba ako sa glory, makaingon ko basta sikat ko kay power, wealth, dominion, is that my image? Very tempting but first Sunday of Lent, Jesus showed us, Jesus said no satan that is not me, sa first Sunday of Lent we are told, review, discover, go deeper, pray a little bit, know who you are.

Then second day of Lent, nindot kaayo we heard the Gospel, transfiguration, again Jesus representing us, siya man atong model, perfect model, we heard the voice from heaven “You are my beloved Son.” Now it’s like a snapshot, we can be like Him, transfigured but the main point in last Sunday’s Gospel was, He is your model, He is the way, He is the truth listen to Him. So, Lent again is very important we are taught who we are and who we are not, tempting kaayo kanang we are not kay murag mao na matintal ta in this world and then we have the model of Jesus, listen to Him and that is difficult because today many voices, matintal ta murag korek, very tempting kaayo but last Sunday, if you want to gain life listen to Him.