Groaning

(An excerpt of the Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D. in his Homily during the 51st Patronal Fiesta of St. Teresa of Avila, Teresian Daughters of Mary, October 15, 2025.)

Your motto, the motto of the late Archbishop Antonio Mabutas, is “Sentire Cum Ecclesia”. Hold on to the truth of that Body, the Ecclesia. Feel, think, vibes with the Church. Think of the gospel today, I am the vine, you are the branches. So, the word of the day, the ruling of the day, the marching orders, I am the vine, you are the branches. We did not invent the reading. That is the readings of the fiesta. “Sentire cum ecclesia”, you are the branches, I am the vine.

We have the first reading, groaning, nagtuaw. Mao na sa atong prayer, the cry, nagtuaw. We groan, synodal, as priest, church leaders, mga frontliners how do we groan? Rightly so, easily we can groan with desperation. We can groan with anger and vengeance. Or can we groan like Christ? Can we groan like Mary?

That is why nindot kaayo inyong first reading, “spes non confundit”. We groan painfully, yes. Desperation yes. But as people of faith, we groan with hope because we are attached to Christ. That “spes” is not a notion. It means Christ. Christ is that hope. And if we are attached to Him, “sentire cum ecclesia”, “ecclesia” the Body of Christ, then we can groan with strength, with hope. Hoping against hope because with us we have Christ.

So, aside from the great thanksgiving which you have given to us for the past 51 years, we bless Archbishop Mabutas for being your founding father, the testimony of the priests here present, di ba working day karon, many would come and enjoy the peace and joy that the hope that we are celebrating today, that instance, your fiesta that we are celebrating today.

Human sa pagpasalamat, I would like to thank you, really. And unta nagpasalamat ko nga nag earthquake. Kay kung wala pa unta nag earthquake, wala ko diri. I know one of you knows your schedule, naunhan man siya. Sa 15 ug 16 Bacolod ko kay dakong celebration sa Bacolod sa Barangay Sang Birhen ilang Diamond Jubilee. Naglinog man wala ko modayon, lipay ko sa linog. Ang usa ka madre miingon murag naa man ka diri, Bishop, pwede ka magmisa. Lipay ko kay uban ko kaninyo karon.