Walk in the Way of the Cross

(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the Closing Mass for the 45th Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao Convention, Feb. 16, 2023 at San Nicolas Cathedral, Mati City)

I would like to point out from the liturgy, two things. As frontliners, we carry two things from today’s gospel reading and first reading, especially from the book of Genesis, the first thing is: when we go out to serve, it’s good to be reminded from the first reading today, the sign of the rainbow, ang bangaw human sa lunop. That whatever we do, people would sense, that we are men, we are priests of the promise. Even unsa ka hopeless, unsa ka lisod ang situation or even when people are blinded by success and money for example, the rainbow is the promise of God to be with us, to walk with us.

Today’s first reading reminds us of the heart of God and the heart of Jesus, the heart of mercy and compassion. Therefore, the picture, the image of the rainbow, let it be for today, an overarching reminder, that with the memory of Jesus we come across, even in that time as men who hold with a bit of a smile, the promise of God in the image of rainbow.

But the gospel would tell us, that keeping the promise of the rainbow, as we move forward, the gospel tells us also, “as you hold your heads, imong ulo confident of the promise of God, the convenant of God, that to keep that promise, to trust that promise, the only way is the way of the cross. In today’s liturgy, there are two icons: the icon of the rainbow and the icon of the cross. In the gospel, ang mga apostoles dunay on the spot exam, nakatubag sila, “you are the Messiah.” But this Messiah will walk the way to calvary. Men of the promise, with the symbol of the rainbow but we are also priests and men of the cross. Maybe consciously and unconsciously, but I would like to believe unconsciously, we try to evade the cross. We keep the rainbow but somehow, rationalize, evade the cross.

DCM moving forward as frontliners of the faith, yes we move forward, making sure that we have the memory of Jesus and making sure that the people that we serve would sense and see somehow that we are men who truly believe in the promise of God but also we are men, priests, bishops, we believe that the only way to keep that promise it to walk in the way of the cross.