HOMILY OF BISHOP LUIS ANTONIO G. TAGLE
DURING THE HOUSE BLESSING OF THE
URSULINE SISTERS AHJ
(May 5, 2003 3.00 p.m.)
Good afternoon to everyone…
It is indeed a great joy for us to be gathered as one community this afternoon to inaugurate this new house for the sisters who will live here as a new religious community. And allow us to first reflect the readings for today. In the gospel from St. John, I think we hear again some words of Jesus that must make us pause in order to reflect on how we really relate with Jesus.
There was a big crowd so many people were following Jesus. They were apparently really looking for him. But Jesus saw the reality, the truth he could penetrate and he told them you are not really looking for me because you have seen signs that I am the one sent by the Father. No, you are looking actually for more bread. Remember this was after the multiplication of the bread. And there is a difference between looking for Jesus because we need more of his bread rather than looking for Jesus because in the miracle it is indicated to us that thru the loaves is truly a sign making them believe in Jesus, the person of Jesus. But for other people the multiplication of the loaves is an indication ‘Ah! We can have more bread.’ And Jesus saw through them and said, “You are not looking for me because of faith, because of the sign. You are looking for more bread because you have eaten, eaten of your fill.”
Now, I think in the gospel of St. John, even if Jesus is presented in the gospel as someone truly from above sent by God. Jesus is very human in the gospel of John. We can see pain. In another passage Jesus will ask his disciples, “Will you also leave me?” After preaching the bread of life, they all left him and he turns to his close disciples, “Will you also leave me alone?” Jesus is pained, and here how painful it is when he realizes people are not really looking for him. People are looking only for more bread. Isn’t that an experience that is common to us. Sometimes we thought or we think we have friends but in the end it is proven that they are not really close to us, they are only close to the things that they can get from us. That’s why if you have a lot of money, be careful when people surround you maybe they are not really interested in you as a friend. Maybe they really want the ‘french-benefits’ that come by being close to you. When you are priest people will run after you not because you are a man of God, but because they say, ‘Ah, if I am a friend of the priest I can go straight to heaven.’ There are some benefits that they want, it’s not really you. The sisters or even the seminarians, when you started wearing that habit you suddenly become popular. People run after you. Women run after you and they look at you as though you are really handsome. But the truth is, “You look like bread.” But the foolish thing is we believe, ‘Oh, yes I am handsome.’ There are people running after me. No, really. It’s really difficult to find real friends. It’s really difficult to find people who will be running after you because just to relate with you. Just that. And Jesus was looking for people who will really be there simply because of faith. Who will see in him the one sent by the Father. That is why Jesus says, the work of God is this: “Have faith in the One whom He has sent.” And that is enough. Have faith. Have faith.
Now this is a big question for us especially here in the Philippines. We just finished celebrating Holy Week, and the churches were filled with people. The processions were endless. The blessings of the palms on Palm Sunday, you don’t really know where those people are coming from. Endless…waves and waves of people. In Imus for example, the Good Friday procession, the first statue had already returned to the Cathedral and fifteen other statues had not left. That’s how long the procession was, so many people. But you begin to ask: ‘Are people really looking for Jesus?’ because of faith. Or are we looking for Jesus because of some things that we might be able to get, the french-benefit. How do we relate with people also. Can we still find people who will just relate with us just for the sake of relationship. Can we still find friends or do we still find people or is this the majority or will we only find people who will be close simply because they get something. And in the story of Jesus’ life when he was already being crucified, you see, those who claimed to be his friends especially this Peter, who said he will lay down his life for Jesus, where was he? He could not even claim when he was asked three times “You are one of them”. He even denied it. He said, “I do not know him.”
When Jesus is becoming a liability, not anymore an asset, no more. For as long as I can get something from you, you are useful, I am your friend. But if you are not anymore useful, if I might loose my life because of you, good bye. I don’t know you. But Peter betrayed. He was talking and he said, ‘Your accent, you are a Galilean.” But he even denied that. His accent even revealed him that he came from Galilee, but he had the nerve to deny because Jesus was not anymore an asset, Jesus was becoming a problem.
Now, I think we should enter this pain of Jesus. And as we gather, I am very sorry to ask this, but we have to ask this, “Can Jesus find a friend among us?” And this is a painful question that each one should ask. “Are we simply and purely people of faith?” When the going is rough, can Jesus still rely in us or our friendship with him is only as good as the good times and the benefits that we get. How far can we be with Jesus?” I think the agony of Jesus did not happen only in the garden of Getsemani. The agony of Jesus was happening all through his life especially through the rejection of friends. The ‘men of little faith’ that he call.
And we are today inaugurating this convent of the Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus. The Heart of Jesus in Agony. And I am very grateful to God that this is the reading that we have. The Heart of Jesus is in agony because it is always betrayed, it is always left alone, it is always abandoned by people whom he thought were friends. The agony of Jesus continues even to our time when we also betrayed Jesus, and we betray true friends. The agony of Jesus is a testimony to the fact that people could be unfaithful. But the beautiful thing is this: even we are unfaithful, Jesus remains faithful even if he agonizes. The agony of Jesus is the agony of someone who cannot be unfaithful. We, when we start feeling the pain of betrayal of friends, it is easy for us to say: ‘you do not like me, then from now on I also do not like you.’ ‘You don’t want to be with me, then okay, go your own way, I will go my own way.’ And when we respond that way, our agony stops. No more agony because I will not see your face anymore, good bye. So, you are peaceful, I am peaceful, okay, no more agony. But with Jesus the agony comes with fidelity: “Even if you run away from Me, I will still run after you. You turn your back to Me, but I will turn my face towards you.”
The agony of Jesus is the agony of one who remains faithful even to people who leave him alone. Even towards people who are running away, they don’t find any used for him anymore. We hope that this convent of the Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus will be for us here in the Diocese of Imus and the whole church of the Philippines as they spread all over the land, we hope that they testify to the Heart of Jesus that calls for faithful love. They might invite people stop the agony of Jesus. Be true friends of Him.
Remember in the garden, he was already in agony and what his friends doing, they were sleeping. They left him alone. I think that was more agonizing when you are suffering and then you see your friends enjoying and they cannot even stay with you in your agony. Now, we hope the Sisters will be a reminder to all of us. Let us not add agony to the Heart of Jesus. But at the same time, we hope that the presence of the Sisters will be a reminder to all of us, sinners. We, who can be unfaithful to Jesus that we can turn again to Jesus because Jesus’ Heart is faithful. And Jesus’ agony will not stop him from being faithful.
So, to our dear Sisters, Sr. Margarita, Sr. Rosa and Sr. Violeta, Santa Trinita, the Holy Trinity of Three Flowers, the first ones sent here by our future Saint Ursula who will be canonized on the 18th of May, and so it’s wonderful that we are inaugurating this house a few days before her canonization. We thank you dear Sisters for accepting the calling to be missionaries here in the Philippines. We hope that you can testify to the love that is in the Heart of Jesus as He agonizes.
And I think it is wonderful that St. Ursula said: “As you love what do you bring to the people whom you serve: gentleness, compassion and smile.” And now that they are just learning English, they are learning very well, but most of the time when they cannot communicate, what do they do, they just smile, and they are just kind and compassionate. I think even then, even this moment they are already following the footstep and the lessons of St. Ursula. So, I want to pray that you do not learn English, so that you will just keep on smiling. You will just keep on smiling, you will just keep on being kind, and compassionate because the moment you learn how to speak English you might start fighting….fight, and you argue and debate with people. But now you cannot speak and you just smile. And you are following St. Ursula’s teaching. But really, learning a language can be agonizing. When people are smiling and you do not understand. Why? They are laughing and you don’t understand. But I tell the Sisters this is a great act of courage, as you agonize learning a new language, being part of a new culture and then you are already sharing in the faithful agony and love of Jesus.
And we thank also the different communities gathered here this afternoon. I know that the communities represented here are close collaborators of our Sisters. They are very new here like the Merciful Sisters, Conventuals, Focolarine, Holy Family, Brigetines, PIME, Franciscan Capuchins of the Parish, Hospitaller Sisters, Franciscan Missionaries of the Infant Jesus, Salvatorians, and of course the good friends among the lay people of the community, the Focolare, and Ana. So, we hope that this we are brought together to share in the agony of the three Sisters as they start the community. So the agony is spreading. But the agony becomes more meaningful when there are friends, friends and the community that can share.
So we hope the Agony of Jesus will be in a way changed in its story. If Jesus in the gospel in the time of agony turned to friends and they were sleeping, I hope that the three Sisters will say, “In our agony they turned to some friends and the friends are wild awake and willing to help and to be with them.” So I think this is a way of sharing one’s agony that makes the agony an experience of love and an occasion for deepening of friendship.
So, dear Sisters……
And we hope that your stay here in the Philippines will be a great blessing, and don’t worry St. Ursula will be with you, will always be with you. And through you we hope she will also be felt, and the Agonizing Heart of Jesus and its Love will also be felt by all of us.
Thank you very much.