It is He who speaks

(An excerpt of the homily of the Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the Day 2 of the 25th National Bible Workshop, Royal Mandaya Hotel, Palma Gil St., Davao City, February 20, 2024.)

Number 7 of Sacrosanctum Concilium, first document of the council, approved and publicized in 1963, one year after the council, the first document, says, “to accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in his church.” To accomplish with Christ, our work, bishops and priests, leaders, keyword is presence. Kon absinos ka, even how great the skills are, presence… “especially in her liturgical celebrations, he is present in the sacrifice of the mass not only in the person of his ministers, but especially under the eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church.”

Like last night our people, what is our body language, do we pay so much attention to this teleserye in our homilies? Are we convinced that when we articulate the words of the Scriptures, it is Christ himself, who speaks? Very challenging… when the Bible, when the Scriptures are read in the Church we are not just echoing, but it is the Lord himself who speaks.

For me, the great, wonderful value of the biblical apostolate is for both ministers, readers, lectors, lay faithful to be so familiar with the Scriptures so that when they are proclaimed in Church, it is easy for them, in their hearts and minds to say, it is the Lord who speaks. Well it is wonderful to re-echo a bit, explain a bit the scriptures, but the document says, the demand, the challenge is to really come across as the Lord speaking to his people.

When people sense that we have our own agendum or agenda, when people sense that may galit, may acts to grind our people sense that this is the mercy and love of the Father speaking through us in the context of their proclamation of the Scriptures. When Scriptures are read in Church, it is the Lord who speaks.