Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick

(An excerpt from the Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao, February 11, 2022 during the live streamed mass of the 19th Parochial Fiesta of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Bangkal)

Unsay kalabutan sa among pagtoo karon, unsa may truth nga angay namong hinumduman, ma-capture? Simple, my dear friends, but truth diha sa gospel reading ni St. Mark, gipakita si Lord ang sentro sa atong faith, Lord Jesus Christ. Healing that particular person deaf and the mute, bungol matud sa pagbasa and amang. And that is just one example you can find many stories in the Gospel of Jesus simply doing that.

Naay pay grabe, dili lang healing ang anak sa byuda iyang gibuhi, gikan sa patay iyang gibuhi. Of course we remember, Lazaro who died of sickness and Jesus let Lazaro stand up again. Therefore, Archbishop what is the Good News today? The Good News is, remember my people, mga taga Bangkal, that Jesus, our Lord, heals. Jesus, our Lord, does not want us to suffer. That Jesus is light, that is the good news. So, nindot na nga mensahe, so real kay ang background pandemic, dili lang thousands, millions nang namatay today. So, the Good News bisan pa almost contrary to evidence people asking hain man ang Dios para sa pandemya? Today, in faith the church reminds us, Jesus is the source of true light, Jesus is comfort, Jesus is healing.

Today is the Feast of Lourdes, World Day of the Sick, Jesus heals in Lourdes. Our Lady of Lourdes for years and years and years through the Blessed Mother Our Lady of Lourdes well known. Though dili siya source but through, via the Blessed Mother, will come to know without doubt, that the Lord through the Blessed Mother, many cases truly diay gyud, through Mama Mary, Jesus heals us. Viva Maria!

You know nakaadto ko kausa, kauban mi, ni then Fr. Tonel, the Bishop of Ipil now, taga Davao, mga estudyante pa mi. Didto mi nanglingbawot among balahibo, daghang mga aspects nga makapanglingbawot sa balahibo. But one thing that I could not forget especially those nakaadto na, akong judgement dili kaayo advertise pero moadto ka sa mura’g cave actually dili gyud na cave nga taas mura ba’g bato nga nagdung-aw unya naay bangag, naa dinha ang statue sa Mama Mary kay diha siya mi-appear. Kung moadto ka didto gipangbilin, gikuha na gani ang ubang wheelchairs, mga crutches, mga pictures of those who were heard in Lourdes. Mura ko’g natandog, dili lang words, evidences, proof naay mga crutches gipang attach sa bato, gibilin.

In Lourdes through, our Lady, what we have in the Gospel is that Jesus will never abandon us. Jesus knows our suffering and Jesus will take care of us. That is the Good News. Karon gani pain, suffering, naminaw sila karon, duna ko’y close nga ig-agaw, second degree but very close, magulang naku kaayo but as small boy kaila ko niya, tua karon sa Bohol karon gihaya. Si Manang Genoveva namatay pero gipili nila karon siya ilubong being Diosnon pa kaayo I have no doubt gipili karong adlawa nga ilubong tungod kay they know bisan namatay si Manang Genoveva there is no power over her and that is the message for us. But what are the implications, if we believe that, unsa man na sa atong kinabuhi? If we believe that, unsa pay command o impulse from the inside, unsa may duso on what to do?

To concretize, number one niingon si Maria sa mga sulogoon, bantay mo sa Cana ingon niya sa mga tawo didto, “do whatever my son tells you”. So today, Jesus is the center, the anchor of faith like what Mama Mary said “do whatever He tells you”. Unlike Him in today’s Gospel and many instances, any particular way ang tatak sa taga Lourdes kita mga devotees is to go out mura’g specialty na. Daghan tang mga problema sa katilingban but ang taga Lourdes socialized sa caring for those who are ill. Ug mo inspire mo sa ubang mga tawo sama sa mga devotion, gwapo kaayo. Moduol ta sa Simbahan sa devotion but as a result of that mura ba’g dunay specialty ang mitoo sa Birhen sa Lourdes to care for the sick. Maybe and most likely di nato maayo, hope ta nga maayo, ang daghan pud dili siguro maayo gyud. Sad to say siguro atong gibenditahan mamatay but for sure kanang mga tawhana nga atong giduol would become less hopeless. Kanang mga tawo nga atong giatiman would be hopeful, would be strong in their hearts. And tingali sa atong Christain faith you will become believers, telling themselves nga even if cancer ni, even if grabe nga diabetes ni, medyo naglisod ang mga doctor, I know that Jesus is the source of true life. And therefore, kanang atong giduol nga masakiton, sa kapobre, sa kalisod, medyo desperate, hopeless in their sickness, in their hearts they can smile na, and they become strong.