Instilling a sense of God

(Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao during the Region XI World Teachers’ Day Celebration at SMX Convention Center, October 3, 2023.)

St. Paul says, “I thank the Lord because of you,” that thought today comes to mind, simply because we thank the Lord for that extraordinary work that you do for our young people… So today with happy heart I offer this mass, for you and with you in thanksgiving of your work as teachers.

What would be a kind of translation to that joy? Thanking God because of your work. A gentle reminder, the young boys and girls that you teach in school, just a reminder, with the eyes of faith, they are God’s children, they are made according to the image and likeness of God and therefore in your work of molding them in the early years you are in fact instruments of God to let it grow fully, not only as fruitful citizens of the country but I think I would add to be fruitful citizens of heaven, to be future citizens of heaven. In your own way, you can start forming in the minds and hearts of these young girls and boys the sense of the transcendence, I would be sad if the tone that you give to these children is that they’re only citizens of this world but in your…inculcating in the young girls and boys a deep sense of God, long range, pang langit, to be God-fearing and ultimately to be able to choose things, according to the desire and will of God.

You are with these young boys and girls, most hours of the day and therefore inculcate, inspire in them that sense of God in their lives, that first and foremost each one must act out his life, his plans, his desires, his ambitions according to the divine plan, this deep sense of God. But many times in today’s Gospel reading when your patience is tested, I would like to apply a little bit of today’s Gospel reading, when there’s gahi’g ulo sa classroom, very sincere you are teaching and you would think like the Gospel reading, the apostles observed that and said, “Lord can we ask fire from heaven, para kilatan ni sila?” How many times have you thought of that? Lami kumuton, this is on the ground experience, but I hope you don’t do that, because ma pulis kita, but I hope you will pray always from the Lord, patience beyond patience.