Catechist sowers of the seed

Excerpt from Archbishop Romulo G. Valles’ homily during the DADITAMA Catechists’ Gathering last September 22, 2018, 2018 at Regional Major Seminary, Catalunan Grande, Davao City.

Pasalamatan ta ang Ginoo for the grace of catechetical ministry, being catechists for the past years. Our past record will help us to go forward sa pagpadayon with the new evangelization and with new vigor, we come out again as vigorous, lig-on, smiling, enthusiastic catechists to bring the good news to our people.

I am very proud to see you, pagkanindot ninyong tan-awon. Hopeful kaayo ko… uban sa grasya sa Ginoo in the years ahead, ang catechists of DADITAMA will go forward, renewed vigor, new self-knowledge knowing our strength and weaknesses, we go forward with the grace of the Lord.

Asa man gyud padulong ning catechetical work? I think, there can be many approaches. What is the goal of catechetical work? The goal is in first reading karon (1 Cor. 15:35-37, 42-49); Nga mamatay ta nga maayong liso, that we see to it that our being seed, dili ma corrupted along the way, ang catechists mutabang nga ang seed, ang liso sa matag usa would be protected, would be nurtured, will be healthy so that when the time comes for that seed to be planted with the end time of that liso, it will go to the ground, that seed is guaranteed to rise up again as new life, life eternal.

The catechetical ministry of the church has a big role, mao ng ingon ni San Pablo karon, unta pag sure gyud bisag in the eyes of faith that you are a liso that so confident to go to the ground to face death at the end of the day and because of the nurturing of catechetical work that seed of each one will blossom forth into eternal life. That’s one. Target sa catechetical work, when we face death.

The only goal is to die being confident to gain eternal life. Another lesson today from the gospel reading (Luke 8:4-15), sowers of the word. Catechists are sowers of the word but we sow seeds like the parable in the gospel today.

In the end, my dear catechists, we are not the chief sower. The mind of the owner of the seeds for eternal life is so, so loving, so confident, so overflowing with desire that each and every patch of the field would receive the seed of eternal life. You are here… We will always have difficulties but a good catechist would enter into the mind of the Lord, the great sower. We try our best again and again. We have our weaknesses, we have our shadows.

Lastly… I thought of choosing the mass of our Blessed Mother because before we go balik sa Digos, Tagum, Davao ug Mati, one important truth or disposition of the Blessed Mother mao nga siya gyud mapaminawon, a listener. To be a good catechist I think first and foremost like the Blessed Mother dili mudiretso og adto aron paminawon but first and foremost, siya ang maminaw. And always maminaw and always going to the Lord. Always, again and again, a good catechist, becoming a disciple, a disciple who listens like the Blessed Mother and after listening to the Lord with open hearts, pag opening sa school year, muingon na pud ta: Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord! Marefresh ta, muadto sa source nga mao ang nagduso kanato. Kay kung kita lang ang saligan, kung kita lang ang muadto on our own, dali lang ta masaput, malagot, kapoyon ug sa unsa pang very human limitations. But if we listen first like Mary, we come close to the Lord and we would feel that this work is bigger than ourselves but never mind, usa lang ko ka sulugoon sa Ginoo. At the wedding of Cana, Mama Mary said: Do whatever he tells you.

In this mass, in the end my dear friends, in our catechetical ministry there would be difficult moment, no answer with many problems… There are good Fridays in our work as catechists but Mama Mary stood by Jesus, she was there in difficult times… You have been there, special moments in your life as catechist, you have stood without much explanation being a companion of Jesus and in our difficulty, still a source good news to our people.