It’s great to be back! I spent a couple of weeks in the Philippines to visit my family. Here in the Archdiocese of Portland, priests are given four weeks of vacation per fiscal year. I usually take it in January when things are supposed to slow down a little bit after a busy Christmas season. In as much as I want to be around here all the time, I always look forward to spending quality time with my family, especially with my Mom, nieces and nephews. Most of my siblings live outside the Philippines so I don’t really get to see them a lot. Thanks to Skype and online messengers that allow us to get connected time by time. Aside from having some rest and recreation, going home is an opportunity for me to “minister and serve” my family, where my priestly vocation started. It is that one time a year when I get to be a priest for my family, not because I don’t get to talk to them on a regular basis, but it’s different to actually see and observe the inner dynamics of our familial environment. Spending time with them truly helps me become a better person and a better priest because I am reminded and honed all the more on how it is to be a son, an uncle and a brother. As what they say, everything begins at home.
We welcome to our parish this weekend the Marian Missionaries led by Fr. Michael Gaitley and retreatants for the “Mercy and Mary Retreat.” We are so blessed that the Marian Missionaries chose St. Cecilia’s as their first venue in the Pacific Northwest for this very popular and sought-after retreat. Many of our parishioners, from both the English and Spanish-speaking communities, have undergone the Marian Consecration for the past years using Father Gaitley’s book, “33 Days to Morning Glory.” Father Gaitley is one of the leading Marian theologians in the English-speaking world. The event is completely sold out—we have participants coming from different parishes in the Archdiocese and
beyond. As a host parish for this retreat, the preparation was quite extensive, bringing together volunteers and staff to help the team of the Marian Missionaries to ensure that we do have a smooth and prayerful retreat this weekend. Our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has worked tirelessly to make this retreat a success!
The second reading today from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians reminds us of the wisdom that comes from God: “We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” Those are powerful words from St. Paul himself. As Catholics, it is imperative that our actions and choices reflect the core values of the Gospel and not simply formed by political ideologies and leanings. As disciples of Jesus, the ideologies and stances that one embraces must be filtered through the lens of faith. There should be no dichotomy between doctrine and praxis. Faith is not a private affair; it should be lived in the public square as it is lived in the privacy of our homes. I understand that it is easier said than done, as issues that we deal with are complex—that’s why it is crucial that our hierarchy of values is formed solidly on the Gospel. There are so many pressing issues that divide communities nowadays and, if we find ourselves in a moral dilemma on how to respond to those issues, we can probably begin with a simple question: Is my stance or position reflective as someone who has truly known and encountered Jesus? Let us pray with the psalmist today, “Instruct me, O Lord, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them. Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.”
– Fr. Cary