Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Excerpt from Archbishop Romulo G. Valles’ homily during the Holy Mass of the 71st Fiesta celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, Lanang, Davao City last July 16, 2018 in celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, we thank the Lord for this another occasion when we are allowed, this moment of grace and blessing. We join the whole Church in celebrating this wonderful solemnity honoring our Blessed Mother under the title, our devotion “Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” Viva Maria Viva!

These difficult times… is an opportunity for us to revisit our faith, to go back and take possession, appreciate not just doctrine but your experience of faith maybe one would say, in the past, that is the best basis… your experience of faith that you had in the past… real undisputable experience of a living God, our God, the God that we believe… that our Catholic faith is such a wonderful faith… so dear to us… many of us would not be able to explain that faith in words or write an article about that faith… But to ask ourselves, is that faith powerful? Is that faith beautiful? Is that faith really has been the foundation of my life? Many of you I guess would say yes. And so, with a smile, we have reasons, we have basis to keep our faith.

We have this wonderful feast in our faith… what a wonderful mother, woman she is. When she was given the news by the angel that she would be the mother of our Savior, she said a few words “Yes, I am the handmaid of the Lord…” But this time, woman you’re the mother of this son, no words, but the eyes of Mary said yes. Another mystery of being a mother to us, poor little children. Many times, unfaithful, many times, unbelieving and many times, hardheaded. But indeed, our Savior, her Son asked her to takes us also as her children and without words, she said yes. And you are witnesses to that, you come to this Church, many times, many times, you felt the presence of the Lord through the intercession of our Mother. That is our faith.

In Calvary, “woman take care of them, your sons and daughters” And then we realized that Jesus, as the source of life, he took us, gave us the spirit into our hearts that would allow us to cry out now and then… “Abba Father” And not only that, our inheritance, heirs, our real destination brothers and sisters is the kingdom prepared for us.

And so today, if we come to this feast… anhi ta diri para mangayo pero maayo unta usahay dili ta muanhi diri mangayo lang, intercession. We come here with a smile, that we are sons and daughters of God through Mary and Jesus. And that, bisan pa sa kalisud niining kinabuhia; our security, our confidence, our comfort is the Lord.