ordination

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

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Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

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Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

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Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

ordination

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am Read More »

ordination

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from Christmas, and yet I feel that it is Christmas already.  Not because of the many Christmas decorations we see, or the Christmas songs we often hear, or the heavy traffic we have to bear.  I feel it is already Christmas because today, God is giving us extraordinary gifts – the gift of new priests for the Archdiocese of Manila.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, you are those gifts.  You are God’s gift to the Church.  You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to send shepherds to pasture his flock.  You are the assurance that God continues to take care of his people.  You are the answer to our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his vineyard.  And so, we thank God for you.  We thank God that he called you.  We thank God that you responded to his call.  And now we thank God for making you the priests of his Church.

Yes, you are God’s gifts to the Church.  But what we receive as a gift, we should also give as a gift.  Gifts are not meant to be kept.  Gifts are meant to be shared.  The moment gifts are kept, they cease to be gifts.  For gifts to continue to be gifts, they need to be shared.  In the same manner, your being gifts also means that you have to be shared, to be given, and to be sent.

By some stroke of Divine Providence, you are ordained on the day we celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary.  And the readings proclaimed to us all talk of being sent to mission.  Our first reading narrates the beginning of the prophetic vocation of Isaiah.  The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me!”

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, a while ago, you were presented before the community.  Your names were called one by one.  And you answered, “Present.” Your response does not only signify that you are the one called and that you are physically present.  That was not just a roll call.  When you said, “Present,” it is as if you were answering the question of God.  You were telling God, “I am willing to go for you.  Here I am, send me.”

Are you really willing to be sent?  Handa ba talaga kayong isugo?  Handa ba talaga ang puso at kalooban ninyo na gawin ang misyon na ipinagkakatiwala ng Diyos sa inyo?  Are you ready to go to all the world and tell the good news, as we said in our responsorial psalm?  Are you willing to go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commanded his disciples in our Gospel?  Take note that you are asked to go to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, not just to the easy, convenient, and comfortable world.  Not just to the world that will applaud, affirm, and praise you.  But to “all” the world, to the “whole” world, even to the world that hates, persecutes, and rejects the disciples of Jesus.

Or, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, are you willing to be sent to the weak where you are called to be weak, so that you may win them over?  Is your heart ready to be all things to all so that you could at least save some?  There is that word “all” again.  Be all things not only to some, not only to those who believe and listen to you, those who agree with you, and take your side.  Be all things to all.  And all means all.  That includes even those who do not like you, who oppose you, and who hate you.  To them, you are also sent.  For them, you are also a gift.

As you are sent, God assures you that you will not be alone.  Walang hinirang at isinugo ang Diyos na pinabayaan niyang mag-isa.  Ang bawat hinirang at isinugo ng Diyos ay sinasamahan niya.  Our Gospel shows this to us.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his disciples to continue proclaiming the gospel to everyone.  And yet, even while in heaven, St. Mark assures us that “the Lord worked with them.”  What a very consoling thought!  You are sent.  We are all sent.  But we are not left alone.  We are not doing the work alone.  Jesus continues to work through us.  And when we feel unworthy or inadequate for the mission, he empowers us.  Just as Isaiah’s lips were made clean by God, he also touches us so that we may have the strength to do what he sends us to do and to go where he wants us to go.

Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom, remember also that you are being ordained during the season of Advent.  It may no longer feel like Advent for you because today, your long wait is over.  Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na Adbiyento sa inyong buhay, dumating na din ang araw na ito na inyong pinakahihintay.  But even when what you have been waiting for has already come, please do not forget the experience and the feeling of waiting because you will be sent to minister to people in perpetual Advent.  You will serve our brothers and sisters who struggle daily to fulfill their dreams for themselves and their families.  You will be priests to those who wait for the answer to their prayers, the relief of their sufferings, the recovery from failure, and the healing of their illness.  You will be priests in a society that longs for justice, truth, honesty, integrity, and real progress. Advent is not just a season.  For many, Advent has become their life.  To them, you are sent to be priests who enkindle hope and give the assurance that God fulfills his promises.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our four brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be gifts to us and to all.  Let us pray that, like St. Francis Xavier, they may have missionary hearts and passionate spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the woman of Advent, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of priests so that like Mary, they may also give Jesus to a longing and waiting world.  Amen. (Photo by Genieve Genuino/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am

My dear brother priests; reverend deacons; men and women in consecrated life; dear seminarians; the family, relatives, and guests of our beloved ordinandi; Reverends Viel, Aldwin, Paul, and Tom; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ We are just about to end the first week of Advent, and we are still 22 days away from …

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood, Manila Cathedral, December 3, 2022, 9am Read More »

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My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario and Mark. It is not we who chose them. It is not they who merely presented themselves rather, it is God who chooses them and blesses them for the sacred ministry. It is God who graces the church with priesthood. And so, we are truly full of gratitude and joy especially today.

Dear ordinandi, how blessed you are that you are being ordained now that the universal Church is undergoing a worldwide synodal process on the theme of synodality. Qualis ecclesia, talis sacerdos – as the church so, the priest. And so, the church is to be synodal. She must have priests and ministers who are imbued with the spirit of synodality. As we celebrate this ordination liturgy, let us consider the priesthood in terms of the synodality of our church.

In the original Greek, the word synod means “together on the road.” It comes from two Greek words – “syn” and “hodos.

The first word “syn” means with or same. This connotes fellowship, togetherness, accompaniment and communion.

My dear ordinandi, as priest, you are never alone. You are never in isolation. You are never priests by yourselves, by your own capacity or left to your own faculties. You are always to be priests with, we say, Sacerdotium est co-sacerdotium. You will always be in communion.

Most importantly, our fundamental communion is with God himself who is the primary author of the priesthood, of the priesthood you are to receive and with his Son Jesus our Lord and my priest.

God promised Jeremiah in today’s reading, “Have no fear because I am with you.” God is always with his prophet. Always with his priests. The gospel also narrates that as the apostles went for and preach everywhere, the Lord Jesus Christ work with them and his sights accompanied the believers. The Lord never abandons his disciples. He is with us always.

So, in our priestly ministry, let us also not abandon the Lord. Let us not allow our sins or our past wounds or our human weaknesses or our attachments and anxieties make us cut off from Jesus. Let us remain in his love so that we may bear fruit because the longer we stay with Jesus, the more we become like him. Let us foster an intimate friendship with the Lord through constant prayer by meditating on the word and by devoutly celebrating the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the synodal life and activity of the Church.

Now, this fundamental communion of intimacy with God naturally flows forth into a communion of solidarity with his people. Far from being above, or ahead of, or apart from the people, you are to be priest what God’s priestly people. Shepherds who would stay long enough with the sheep that you will have smelled like them and had become omnia omnibus, all things to all men and women.

As pastors, we listen to God’s people. To their expression of prayer and faith, as well as their confessions of sins and doubts and the hungry grumblings of their bodies and souls. One with them and one with God, we raise the people’s voices up to God who hears them and walks with them.

Furthermore, this communion with God’s people is also signified by your obedience to and collaboration with the bishop as well as your fraternal solidarity with your brother priests. Dear ordinandi, you are never alone in the ministry. Know that you have a father in me and my successors and that you have brothers in the persons of your fellow priests.

The second Greek word that forms the word synod is “hodos” which means road. It quonotes journey, pilgrimage, renewal and mission. Pope Francis emphasizes that he desires a church that is out on the streets rather than in a church that just comfortably sits, waiting in offices and institutions or confined in unhelpful structures of routines. Ecclesia semper in via – the Church is ever on the way, ever on pilgrimage, ever on mission. And her priests are likewise called to live out his missionary spirit.

God commanded Jeremiah, “To whomever I send you, you shall go.” If we stop journeying on the way, we end up standing in the way. We become stumbling blocks to the faith progress of our co-pilgrims and fellow missionaries.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News,” insist St. Paul. “Woe to us if we cower in fear or seat in idleness instead of going on mission.” Let us allow the fire of missionary zeal constantly burn in our priestly hearts just as it did in St. Francis Xavier who was always willing to leave convenience behind to keep going out and ministering to all until the peripheries are reached until the lost are found and until the gospel is proclaimed to every creature.

My dear brothers and sisters, synodality is not new to the church, rather, it has always been our normal. It is the style of Jesus and his early apostles. It runs in our spiritual DNA. Let us pray together so that these six brothers of our maybe priests who will become agents of synodality for a renewed church here in the Archdiocese of Manila and beyond.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen. (RCAM-AOC | Photo by Rian Francis Salamat/RCAM-AOC)

 

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.   

My brother priests, dear ordinandi, parents, family and relatives of the ordinandi, seminarians, religious men and women, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today rejoices. The Church gives thanks to God who chose these six men for the priesthood in the order of presbyters – our dear brothers Jason, Robert, Ryan, Patrick, Mario …

FULL TEXT | Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula during Mass for the Sacred Order of Priesthood at the Manila Cathedral on Dec. 3, 2021, at 9 a.m.    Read More »

ordination

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral.

The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, Ryan Jamemar A. Belono-AC, Patrick Carl P. Gunnacao, Mario Avelino C. Mendoza, Jr., LRMS, and Mark Jeferson A. Millet.

Rev. Earl Allyson P. Valdez was ordained to the priesthood.

Reflecting on the ordinariness of St. Joseph as his greatness, Bishop Pabillo reminded the young men that they need not be in the limelight or have titles and positions in the church and society to have an important role to play.

“My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church,” he said.

The bishop also praised and thanked the priests and deacons for being the “real heroes” of the church.

“We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going,” he said.

“Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the true soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church,” he added.

The bishop considered the ordination as special in other ways even though it is held during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus,” he said.

The ordination according to the Bishop is also special because it happens within the Year of St. Joseph and takes place on the day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Bishop Pabillo recognized the formators, communities, parents and relatives who nurtured and formed the young men as they heed the call of their vocation.

“Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions on the size of the gathering, the ordination was closed to the public and was only open to the invited family members, relatives and friends. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo

Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, apostolic administrator of Manila ordained six young men to the diaconate and one to the priesthood on Friday, March 19, 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Manila Cathedral. The six men ordained to diaconate were Jason O. Alde, Robert B. Arellano, LRMS, …

Priests and Deacons are church’s frontliners and heroes –Bishop Pabillo Read More »

ordination

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Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning.

Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. We really have to thank the Lord that we are able to have this opportunity of celebrating the ordinations of our seven brothers – six for the diaconate and one for the priesthood.

I’d like to congratulate all the formators for having brought up these young men up to this point. I’d like to congratulate the communities that have accompanied them throughout these years. Most especially, I’d like to congratulate the parents and the relatives of those to be ordained. Bahagi po kayo ng kanilang bokasyon. Nagsimula po sa inyo ang kanilang pagtugon sa Diyos. Salamat po sa inyong pagkalinga sa kanila hindi lang sa kanilang pangangatawan ngunit sa kanila ding pananampalataya.

Every ordination is special. It is a once in a lifetime experience for those to be ordained. The grace you received here is only given once but it stays with you all through your life. But this ordination is also special in other ways. It is done during the world pandemic, the first time that all have experienced it. Your preparation for this ordination has been greatly affected by the pandemic. I hope that instead of having weakened your conviction, it has strengthened your will to serve God’s people and has drawn you closer to Jesus.

Another unexpected event marks your ordination – it is within the year of St. Joseph. In fact, it takes place in the very solemnity of this great saint. It was unexpected that the Holy Father would declare a year of Saint Joseph. And this is the only year of Saint Joseph that we have in the church so far.

Let me relate our ministry as ordained deacons, priests, bishops to St. Joseph. One hundred fifty years ago, St. Joseph was declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX as patron of the universal church. We invoke him as our protector, guardian and guide. Although the role of St. Joseph is low key in the Bible compared to other biblical personages, yet, he was indispensable in the life of Jesus and Mary. Without him, the incarnate word would not have any identity in society. Without him, Mary’s pregnancy would be a curse rather than a blessing. A fatherless pregnancy was not only frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. It could even be criminal.

Joseph named the son of Mary making him his own in front of their society. He gave to the boy his status in society including his being son of David thus, fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan to David, pronounced a thousand years before him, that someone from his line would sit on his throne forever. Joseph was the one who guided and protected the two most important human beings for God. And they were then very vulnerable – a baby and a young woman.

We all know that God does not give a person a mission without equipping him or her for that mission. God, the father must have equipped Joseph extraordinarily for his irreplaceable role in the work of salvation. It does not mean that because no recorded word of his is found in scriptures but because he did no miracles, and that so little has been said about him that he played a minor role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. He was the head of their family. God guided the Holy Family through him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph four times in dreams through which he was told what to do. What is noteworthy is that, after its dream, Joseph acted promptly.  He was guided by God in his sleep. And he did the will of God in his waking hours. We are told that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was obedient to His parents. Jesus, the son of God was obedient to Moses and surely, Mary too because she did what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wives should be subject to their husbands.” Joseph must have been a very worthy father to Jesus and a loving and caring husband to Mary.

What can we learn from Joseph? – We who are ordained.

First, to have an important role to play in the church does not mean that we should have the limelight or the titles or the positions in the structures of the organization of the church and of society. St. Joseph was so ordinary, and in the ordinariness is his greatness. He is the greatest of all the saints after the Blessed Virgin Mary.  My dear deacons to be and priest to be, your ordinary service as priest and as deacons will sustain you and nourish the life of the church.

We, bishops can make plans and pronouncements. But ultimately, it is the work of ordinary priests and deacons that keeps the church going. Like in the military, the generals do the commanding. But the battle is won not by commands and orders but the fighting and the blood of the foot soldiers – they are the real heroes. You are the real heroes of the church.

Second, Joseph dreamt of God in his sleep. Psychiatrists tell us that our dreams are the concerns of our psyche that lie hidden within us during our waking us. The deep concern of St. Joseph is the will of God – how to keep Mary and Jesus safe, how to provide for them. These came out even in his sleep.

What are our deep concerns as pastors? What do we dream about? Do we dream about what is good for our people? About their situations? Our dreams can show us what is deep within our core.

Thirdly, St. Joseph did not only dream, he acted on the guidance given to him and he acted with promptness and creativity. He did not dilly dolly nor he did think twice. If he did, Jesus would have been one of those killed by the murderous soldiers of Herod. We are told in the gospel of today, when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary into his home. Here, we see Joseph as a man of deep faith. He believed and acted on his belief.

My dear friends, our life as ordained is a life of faith. Without faith, our priestly promises are pointless. Celibacy, obedience, holiness, sacrifice – all of these are foolishness to people of the world. But we are children of Abraham as St. Paul tells us in our second reading. We act because we believe. Our righteousness is based on faith and not on the law. We do not just act because we are commanded but because we believe. And as ordained, we promised obedience.

One religious once said, of the three vows, obedience is the easiest. You do it only once every six years when you are given the assignment or once in a while. How many times does our superior or bishop tells us to do something? Very rarely. But the way we do our task on our assignment every day is a sign of our obedience which is creative obedience in faith.

When Joseph was told by the angel to bring the child and his mother to Egypt, the angel did not tell him where to go, what to do, how to earn his living. He had to creatively do this and in faith, because he was not provided with food or money from heaven.

So, also when we are given an assignment, we creatively do our work in faith. You know as priests, we can do a lot or we can also do nothing. No one will question you how many hours you stay in front of the TV or how much time you spent playing video games or going around with friends. But at the same time, if our concern is to serve the needs of the people, we can access a lot of human and material resources for the sake of the mission. There are many people there who are just waiting and are eager to work and if they are just allowed to and guided by the pastors.

And fourth and lastly, Joseph was the protector, guide and provider of the Holy Family. And now of the universal church. We as pastors or as pastoral workers, serve as protectors, guides and providers of our flock. Have this concern for the people of God. We provide them with material needs especially in this time of pandemic. The church set up the order of deacons for this. Serving the material needs was an important concern of the early church. The apostles set the table for orphans and widows. St. Paul went out of his way to get collections and bring collections to the believers in Judea who are suffering from famine. Concern for the poor was the common agreement between Peter and Paul as they divided the work among them between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The diaconate to which will be ordained, those to be ordained as deacons is a transitional diaconate. That is, it is meant to the step to the presbyterate. That this does not mean that the charitable works you do as deacons will no longer be your concern as priests. Works of charity are an indispensable weakness of our service to the faith. Then, also, you have the service of the word and the service of the altar. Please take care that what you offer to the people is the Word of God and not your words or your ideas. The concern is not what you want to say but what God wants to say to His people.

As ordained, we carry the Word of God, not our own words. Our service to the altar is not just to say the Mass, we pray the Mass. Do we give a witness that we pray the mass, that we are aware of the mystery we are celebrating? It is all the more important in this time of online Masses because every gesture that we make is put on record even our own grimaces and our smiles. People can even zoom on them. Of course, we do not have to put on a show because we are online. If we are convinced of what we are doing, our natural devotion will manifest itself.

St. Joseph is the father of Jesus on earth. As priests, we are called fathers. Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to exercise this fatherhood in the way he did it in the ordinariness of his duties. In our deep concern for those entrusted to us that we can literally dream about them. In the creative obedience in faith, as we promised in our ordination in being protectors, guides and providers of our people, providing them with God’s word and the example of devotion in front of the Lord Jesus.

St. Joseph, Pray for us. (Archdiocese of Manila – Office of Communications/RCAM-AOC)

 

IN PHOTO | Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila presides the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. (Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC)

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021

Homily delivered by Most Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of Manila during the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests and Deacons at the Manila Cathedral on March 19, 2021 (Feast of St. Joseph), at 9 in the morning. Good morning to you all. And I welcome you to this celebration. …

FULL TEXT | Homily of Bishop Broderick Pabillo during Ordination on March 19, 2021 Read More »

ordination

Fray Dante Bendoy, Provincial of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines; my dear brothers of the Order of St. Augustine; other priests concelebrating in this Mass; reverend deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and seminarians; the family and guests of our ordinandi; Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William; brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are grateful to the Lord for gathering us this morning for the ordination to the priesthood of our brothers, Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William.  We thank the Lord because every ordination is a clear and tangible sign that God never abandons his people.  He never ceases to choose people to serve him and his people and become instruments of his love, compassion, and mercy to all.

We also thank the parents and family of our ordinandi.  Thank you for offering your sons to God and his Church.  We also thank their seminary communities, the priest-formators, seminarians, professors, and personnel, and all who have been part of their formation, whether inside the seminary or outside.   Every vocation comes from God, but it grows through the help of the community. And to all of you who come from the different parishes, communities, and groups where our ordinandi had their exposures and apostolates, and to all their guests, thanks to all of you for coming today.  You are here, not just to witness their ordination, but to pray for them.  They are being ordained today to serve you.  They are committing their lives totally to your service.  Your part is to pray for them so that, sustained by the prayer of the Church, they may be faithful in their ministry.

Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, in a few moments, by the grace of God and the prayer of the Church, you will become priests of Jesus and his Church.   And it is fitting that in our Gospel today, Jesus tells you what you should be in relation to the community, the Church, and the world you are called to exercise the priestly ministry.

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.” While these two metaphors refer to all who follow Jesus, priests and lay alike, it mainly applies to us who consecrate our lives to Jesus through ordained ministry.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus tells you today, “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

Take note that this is not an exhortation nor a command.  Jesus does not say: “You should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Nor does he say: “May you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” No, he says: “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”  What we find here is an incredible esteem, trust, and confidence that God has in us, that God has in you.  Jesus recognizes that you possess gifts, abilities, and talents that the Church and society need.  Jesus looks highly on you, so please do not look down on yourself.  Do not say, like Jeremiah in our first reading today, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Do not hesitate.  Do not hold back.  As God assures Jeremiah, he also assures you, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you.” This is also the same assurance that St. Paul gives to the young Timothy in our second reading today.  “Let no one have contempt for your youth . . . Do not neglect the gift you have.” Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, Jesus places an incredible trust and hope in you.  He encourages you to be conscious that in the deepest recesses of your hearts, you will find a handful of salt, a lighted lamp, gifts you possess that are needed to build up God’s kingdom.

As salt and light, Jesus expects you to be visible in the world. Salt has to be mixed with food to give flavor.  Light must be near the place or object that needs to be lighted.  The same is true for you as priests.  You have to be present in the world, and present in the world through your priestly life, witnessing, and service.  In whatever mission you are engaged in and to whatever assignment you are sent, be a priest who gives them the flavor of Jesus and the light of Christ. This you cannot do if you are distant, aloof, and withdrawn from the community you are called to serve.  Be a priest who is always present.  Be a priest who is always available.  Be a priest who is close to the people.

But you must learn to strike a balance.  Salt and light are helpful when they are just the right amount.  Too little salt and too little light will be useless.  While too much salt and too much light will be bad.  If there is too much salt, the food will not be good.  And too much light could also cause people not to see clearly.  Reverend Mar-lou and Reverend William, be salt of the earth and be light of the world in the right amount and proper measure.  You must neither be too much nor too little.  Your priestly ministry should be hidden.  You should not call attention to yourself but your flavor and light must highlight the goodness around us and the God who loves us.  Shine, but do not outshine God.  That is why Jesus concludes by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Finally, remember that both salt and light achieve their purpose by being consumed and by disappearing, like salt in food and oil in a lamp.  Both are also at the service of others – salt gives flavor to food so that someone else can enjoy eating it, while the lamp provides light so that someone else can walk safely.  And so, salt and light are images of a love that is not directed to oneself, but places oneself generously at the service of others, even if this means being consumed, sacrificing, and offering one’s life.   And this precisely is what it means to be a priest – to be one with Jesus in saying, “This is my body broken for you . . . This is my blood shed for you.”

My dear brothers and sisters, as we witness today the ordination of our brothers, let us pray for them that they may truly be God’s priests who are and will remain to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Let us pray that, like St. Augustine, they may have passionate hearts and missionary spirits.  And let us entrust them to Mary, the Mother of priests, so that through their priestly life and ministry, the world will always taste the flavor of Jesus and see the light of Christ.  Amen.  (Photo by Rian Salamat/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery) 

 

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Ordination to the Priesthood at San Agustin Church, January 25, 2023, at 9 am