Homily for the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan for August 27, 2017 to prepare for the Second Synod of Lingayen Dagupan
Next Saturday, September 2, we will open the Second Synod of Lingayen Dagupan with a Mass at the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Dagupan City. This will be a historic moment for us who belong to the Catholic Church. You are all invited to attend the Mass at nine o’clock in the morning to invoke the Holy Spirit upon the Synod of Lingayen Dagupan.
Today, barely a few days before the opening of the Synod, the Word of God presents three important symbols that pertain to our Catholic faith—the rock, the key and the robe.
In the psalms, God is repeatedly referred to as rock upon whom we can rest our full confidence unconditionally. “
My help comes from the Lord, he alone is my rock.” Although Christ is our rock, Christ allows Peter to share in this title “
You are rock and upon this rock I will build my Church.” The Lord extend this trustworthiness as rock to the Church in saying “
The gates of hell shall not prevail against her.” Faith in God can only become rock hard through God and Christ himself. Separated from Christ, we are but worthless dust.
The second symbol is the key. The key is a symbol of trust. It is a symbol of power
—“when he opens no one shall shut; when he shuts, no one shall open.” The key is entrusted to Peter. All priestly offices in the Church emanate from our communion and obedience to Peter, the rock, the holder of the key.
The last symbol is the robe as contained in the Prophet Isaiah. “
I will clothe him with your robe and gird him with your sash and give over to him your authority.” That robe Paul further explains is the robe of humility coming from a deep sense of unworthiness.
“Who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid?”
These three symbols now guide us in the Synod of Lingayen Dagupan. Only the Archbishop can convoke a synod and conclude it. St Catherine of Siena called the Pope the sweet Christ on earth; that same description may be applied to every bishop in the Church under his care. To stay in communion with our Archbishop and for our archbishop and all of us to stay in communion with Christ and the Church—there lies our real strength. Separated from our archbishop and the Pope, we lose our strength.
The key is a symbol of trust. We are only trustees, stewards, care takers. The spirituality of stewardship is the soul of the Synod. We must always remember that someday we shall submit an accounting of what we have done with God’s gifts. By the US Bishops we are taught "
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Pt 4:10).
What identifies a steward? Safeguarding material and human resources and using them responsibly are one answer; so is generous giving of time, talent, and treasure. But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord. Finally, the robe that we wear as we gather together for the synod is the robe of humility recognizing everything as a gift, being grateful for everything and returning everything to the Lord with abundant yield.
Please pray for the Archbishop, for the priests and consecrated women. Please pray for the lay members and the other representatives.
Through the holy work of the Synod, may we become more and more a Church in communio. May we count everything as a gift from God! May we see every gift as a mission to proclaim God’s Kingdom among us!