We Glow with Jesus

(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and World Day of Religious and Consecrated Men and Women, San Pedro Cathedral Parish)

But today, the church asks us, requests us, inspires us, to focus a bit our attention to people in consecrated life in the church; mga madre, mga brothers, mga pari with special promises to the Lord, special vows of obedience, of chastity and poverty. Very explicit ang ilang kinabuhi, their movements, their style, their whole persons in the midst of the church, may special sparkle sila, may special ingredient that makes our life together, quite easy if I may say so, to see the light of Christ. Mao na we are simply thankful, we praise the Lord for the presence of men and women in consecrated life here in Davao.

Now we proceed in the readings today, especially in the gospel we have many actors, but the main ones, the three would be: the Lord, the child Jesus, Mary and Joseph (carrying the Lord). I hope I am correct or it is alright if I may see, si Joseph and Mary can be our model in consecrated life, in the scene of the gospel because in a special way ang challenge nato mga madre, mga religious, mga pari is to hold Jesus in a particular way. Everyone, every baptized is supposed to do that. We are supposed to give an example how to hold lovingly and closely and intimately the child Jesus. And so what are the good things, beautiful reminders for us in consecrated life in today’s liturgy especially the gospel?

I would like to propose a major one, like Mary and Joseph in today’s reading bringing the child to the temple, if I’m correct they did not say anything, no words and yet they listen to Simeon and Anna. So I would continue maybe today a good reminder for us: priests, sisters, religious the beautiful call today, we are with the church, with people, with the Lord in the posture of listening. Joseph and Mary holding the child, they listen to those around them most especially people of faith like Simeon and Anna. And if we read the gospel closely, what are the things, the truths as it were, that they (Joseph and Mary) heard? I think very important to point out that Simeon, Joseph and Mary listening with the child Jesus, Simeon said, “He is the light of peoples.”

We too, we hold Jesus, that’s a given. People are supposed to cling to Jesus but we ought to be explicitly among our people so clearly, and a very attractive way unta, we hold Jesus and we hold Jesus, the light. And if I may draw it, when we have the light, we will also glow with the light of Jesus, not fire, fire is a different image but light, that gentle light that would guide us, not burn us; light that would comfort us and guide us in darkness. We hold the light closely and we glow with the light of Jesus so that people watching us may see, “aha, in her, in him, now we see the light of the world.”