One of the beautiful experiences we had in the Diocese of Cubao is to establish and form circles of discernment in our parishes. These circles promoted spiritual conversations which allowed people to be more open and capable to listening to the Holy Spirit and to every person they meet. This is in response to the call of Pope Francis to embark a Synodal Journey since the Synod Bishops in October 2023 to October 2024. Then having its peak for the Jubilee year 2025. A prayerful, synodal journey.
This year's theme of our Parish Fiesta is, “Journeying with Mary toward a more prayerful and hopeful.”
The synodal journey that we are taking will be very enriching once we learn from our Mother Mary, who is a model of faith, humility, and listening. She shows us the way to a more prayerful and hopeful life.
I commend you for choosing our theme this year because it is in line with our preparation for the Jubilee year 2025. This year 2024 has been declared the Year of Prayer and as pilgrims we prayerfully journey, full of hope, and as you know there this is our hope.
We focus not on things and what we can do but on a person, Jesus who is our only hope one who fulfills all his promises.
Mary our lady of Mount Carmel, teaches us some ways to always be open to receiving God's word in our life. First, always be prayerful and hopeful in our life. We have to be open like Mary as she was always open to God. She receives the mission entrusted to her by her son as he was dying, hanging on the cross. The third of the seven last words of Jesus was, “woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.”
She accepted wholeheartedly this mission entrusted to her. That is to take care, guide, inspire, and help us as we journey in this valley of tears. She is asked to love us the way Jesus showed his love for us. Her heart was always obedient, listening, open, aside from being prayerful for her prayerfulness is carrying out God's will no matter what it entailed.
Secondly, never give up on your mission in our life. Mary continues her mission up to now. In many occasions she showed herself to be a mother who cares, who appeals to all, to unite all people through prayer, reconciliation, and unity. She inspired us to accept others as our own brothers and sisters. She continues to ask us to do whatever he tells you to do, referring to her son Jesus. And because the waiters at Cana were obedient, there was a miracle. The water was changed into wine.
Always hope that the Lord continues to change many things in our life. Whenever we are in despair, the Lord gives hope to our drooping spirit. Whenever we are in darkness, we lose our sense of direction and meaning. The Lord gives us His light to guide us in our journey. In dying to sin and to our self-centeredness, He gives us eternal life.
Thirdly, always look forward to the things that last. Mary is our mother who teaches us about things that are lasting and eternal. In all her apparitions, she would always appeal to us to go back to her son Jesus to have peace to experience the joy of the gospel to have eternal life thus in Mary we see how the word of God fell in a rich heart. As many spiritual writers say, before Mary conceived the Word in her womb, she conceived it in her heart. There is only one Mary who conceived the Word in her womb, but we can conceive the Word in our heart.
A mother who journeys with us. We seldom hear Mary speak in the Gospel. Most of the time, she is listening and was always with people sharing their joy, their pains and anxieties. We see this when she learns that her cousin, Elizabeth, was in her sixth month pregnancy, she immediately traveled to assist her until she gave birth to John. One can imagine how she suffered when she traveled to Egypt to escape Herod's plan to kill the child.
There was a time when the child was lost for three days and then when she saw her son carrying the cross to be crucified. Like Mary, we are asked to journey with people, listen to them and take their pains, aspirations and dreams.
We live in a world of noise, and we need to learn again the value of silence. And to be more at home with silence, that we may hear the voice of God and follow His ways. Like Mary, we are challenged to help people realize their aspirations and dreams that were inspired by the Spirit to give life and direction to the Church.
Like Mary, we need to frequently commune with God in prayer in order to be full of God so that whatever we think, say, and do, we do everything in the name of Jesus. Thus, we need a contemplative heart that is open to the word of God. The word of God that is not merely informative but performative.
In the process of reading scriptures, our primary task is not simply to learn about God, but to encounter the living God and to experience God's saving activity. With Mary, guiding and inspiring us, we will be able to undertake the synodal journey as a parish, as a community and as one minor basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
As a true mother, she walks at our side. She shares our struggles as she constantly surrounds us with God's love. O Prenses Roths, in the joy of the Gospel.
Through our prayerful, synodal journey, we will be able to discover the Church the Lord wants us to promote, where everybody is given an opportunity to be recognized as a brother or sister, to be listened to, and to share whatever gifts he or she has received.
In this mass my dear friends, the Lord gives us strength to respond generously to the breath and depth of God's word. Let us open our hearts to receive his many gifts through the blessed Virgin Mary, our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Maligayang kapistahan po sa inyong lahat!