We ask for grace

(Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao during the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples Mindanao Conference, MIC Retreat House, F. Torres St. – October 12, 2023.)

What can I say this evening to welcome you and this opening Eucharist? I would like to pick up three things: the first comes from the collect, the opening prayer that says, “may your grace O Lord, we pray, at all times, go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works.”

It is simply the prayer of today’s mass, the opening prayer and I think it’s a fitting prayer for opening this mass because at this moment, maybe later we look at each other, we listen to one another, we inspire one another, lateral, horizontal but in this time, we raise our minds and hearts to the Lord, begging for his grace to go before us, and after us, to make us determined to do the good work of the IP apostolate.

…I think that what is distinctive of our apostolate, we rely first and foremost not on the budget but we need that, but rely on his grace, that’s why we have this beautiful prayer, to go before us and after us, to make us more committed, make us strong, inspire us to do good works but in particular as we gather today, the particular work of the IPA, atleast we say in Mindanao.

Our apostolate very expressed, manifest, component sa atong mga plano is always to be moved by the grace of the Lord. Say we are around this altar signaled by simply this liturgy that we are simply instruments of the Lord; that brings us to the second point from the first reading, letter of St. Paul to the Romans, “through him, we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith.” So, it is a reminder again that it is good to realize, yes, we rely on the push from our realization of the need to serve our brothers and sisters in the IP communities but over and above I think in this first reading today, that it is also a call, being sent out. So it is good also to realize that it is not only our own doing, not our own desire, good enough but we are called to go, we are sent by the Lord and to realize that it is really Opus Dei (the work of God), when we engage in this apostolate.

It is a very important distinctive mark, and perhaps an inspiring mark that we go to these communities to serve as if we are powered by the grace of God knowing that we do things according not only to our plans but to the plan of the Lord.

And thirdly, as I welcome you, the Gospel Reading tells us, niingon ang Gospel Reading this evening, “you are a wicked generation.” Because still as if, wala silang nakita nga sign, seeking for signs, meaning they find signs. Can we convert the Gospel Reading into the fact that, unta we are not that wicked, we are men and women who somehow have given the gift of faith, who somehow have seen the sign who is Jesus?

Are we heading the correct way? Are we progressing? Are we giving benefit? Sometimes it’s one step forward, three steps backward.

…In deep faith, victory’s assured if we keep our faith in Jesus, that he is the sign of victory.

…We become the signs if people ask, seek for signs, then our faith in the Lord when we become signs in their midst; signs of love, justice, signs of honesty, signs of decency, signs of respect for human being, of culture, of tribal ways, we become simply signs badly needed in many parts of the country, in many communities especially IP communities.

We beg for the grace of the Lord before us, after us, yes Lord we are sent as apostles, the grace of apostleship, yes Lord we become signs, there is that challenge to become signs, but also, we see ourselves especially that many times we have our own failures, we have our own frailties, we have our own limitations.

Yes, we clamor, we beg the Lord as in the opening prayer for the grace before us and after us, we are enlightened that we are gifted to be apostles, yes, the possibility that we become signs among peoples who seek for signs but we ourselves know that we have limitations and faults and shortcomings. We come to the mass, as the pope has said that “Eucharist is food for sinners,” and that food will strengthen us, make us strong ang go back again to our apostolate because knowing that really this is not our work but this is the work of the Lord.