With love, we can be great

(An excerpt from the Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao during 5th Philippine Visit of the Pilgrim Relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, San Pedro Cathedral, San Pedro St., Davao City, March 22, 2023)

St. Therese is very special. Matod pa sa Santo Papa, “the greatest saint in modern history.” So, we welcome her relics, then we brought her to the center. And then somehow, we left her and somehow don’t pay attention to her and we turn our focus to the altar, to Jesus and she would be happy, very happy that somehow we don’t pay attention to her as it were because the main thing that she would like us to rediscover is the closeness to Jesus.

Two things related to our saint, St. Therese of the Child Jesus. The first at the end of the long reading from Isaiah is the famous paragraph from that great prophet, “can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb?” Difficult to imagine, nga usa ka mother makalimot sa bata nga iyang giasabak, nurtured in her womb. Impossible to imagine matod ni Isaiah. But if ever humanely, that terrible thing, that a mother would abandon a child in her womb, the reading today says, “even if it should happen, I will never forget you.” I, the Lord will never forget you, what a beautiful picture.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus kept so intensely, that faith of the love of God for us. Great difficulties but what sustained her, kept her truly faithful is this particular truth proclaimed to us, the love of God for us, the love of God that she felt intensely in her life.

In the end the gospel reading tells us, “all I have is to do the will of the one who sent me.” “I have come not to do my own will, the Lord says but I have come to do the will of the one who sent me.” Meaning Jesus is so united with the Father, unsay mind and heart of the Father that is what I will do, complete surrender, offering, let me be the voice, the hand, the feet, the heart of the one who sent me. That is what St. Therese was and is, she was so confident of the love of the Father, first reading that she totally was opened, was empty so that ang musulod, ang presence of the Lord in her life, so that every move that she made was already doing, the will, ang gusto, ang tinguha, ang dream of God for her. Ang lesson for us, with the relics of St. Therese for us in Davao, unsay take home for us in these special days in Davao?

To rediscover again, the love of God that will never fail. From now on, St. Therese help us, we will do the will of God in our lives.

Two things for Davao and for us, these two things are wrapped within whole truth of Catholic faith, communion with the saints, wonderful Roman Catholic faith. Saint Therese would help us to proclaim the love of Jesus, St. Therese would help us move everyday according to the will of God. Communion of Saints, St. Therese be with us as you are to all peoples in the world.

Even how small we are, because of the love of Jesus, we can do great. Here the relics of a great saint, make her your model, start early; allow the love of God to permit your lives and you will do great.

As a family, parents, we are instruments of God’s grace to promote holiness. The family, no doubt is a channel to make people holy in the presence of the Lord and the church.