The Centered Life Of The Church

(An excerpt of the Homily of the Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D. last January 17, 2025 on the Rite of Institution to the Sacred Ministries of Lectorate and Acolytate at San Pedro Cathedral Parish, San Pedro Street, Davao City.)

Daghang salamat seminary for allowing us to enjoy with you and a beautiful day, an indicator that the Lord continues to bless us with young men like you would be future priest. There are 60 of you nga to be installed this afternoon and for the ministry of acolyte there are 36 of you, 3 from Zamboanga, 2 from Cagayan De Oro, 7 from Davao, 1 from Cotabato, 1 from Surigao, 6 from Tagum, 2 from Butuan, 2 from Dipolog, 2 from Malaybalay, 1 from Tandag, 1 from Marbel, 5 from Mati, 2 from Iligan, 1 from Prosperidad, and SDV 1. To the ministry of lectorate are 24, 2 from Zamboanga, 1 from Cagayan De Oro, 1 from Davao, 3 from Cotabato, 2 from Surigao, 1 from Tagum, 2 from Butuan, 4 from Dipolog, 2 from Malaybalay, 1 from Marbel, 1 from Mati, and 1 from Prosperidad.

I’ll continue by saying the one way to describe our message as priest in the churches.

We lead in the keeping of the memory of the church, and that is the memories of Jesus, the memory of the history of salvation, we should be and we must be top class there not because we are so intelligent, so bright. The mysteries simply God has chosen us and by hook and by crook we respond to be the best you can do as keepers of the memory of the church, memory of Jesus, memory of Salvation and then I would like to continue in today’s Liturgy that the father’s choose despite of a boring but I would like to continue, the first reading we know the story of mana but let me point out the context it is the Exodus, still journeying from Egypt to the promise land and is great event. The giving of manna would be people still in transit of the promise land, imprinted in their memory so exodus until they reach the promise land but when they settled in the Promise Land and thing were not going that well.

Malachi said there will be new Exodus, a new Moises would come, who would that be then Jesus came a new exodus, that’s why according to my readings the last day of Christmas last Sunday, baptism of the Lord in the Jordan River, Jordan is the new Red Sea now it is the beginning of the new Exodus and now there’s a new manna. “This is the bread from heaven, this is My Body, this is My Blood, do this in memory of Me”, a special word, special worship, special liturgy, the Holy Mass, the Holy Eucharist is a very centered life of the church.