Homily of Most Rev. Charles John Brown D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines
Solemn Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Solemn Dedication of the Church and the Altar
Holy Rosary Parish – Pisamban Maragul, Angeles City | December 7, 2024
“How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God,” those are the words that were sung so beautifully this evening in our Responsorial Psalm. “How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God.” No words can be more fitting for this occasion, this evening, here in this beautiful Holy Rosary Parish in Angeles City.
Address and Greeting
I am very grateful to His Excellency Most Rev. Florentino G. Lavarias, D.D., Archbishop of San Fernando, for having invited me to be with you this evening. We are accompanied by other bishops, including His Excellency Most Rev. Paciano B. Aniceto, D.D., Archbishop-Emeritus of San Fernando; your Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Nolasco L. Fernandez; other priests and bishops, priests of the diocese, religious sisters, all of you lay faithful of Holy Rosary Parish―here we are in this lovely and beautifully restored dwelling place. Thanking the Lord, our Mighty God for what He has done for us. The blessings that He has showered upon Angeles City, here in Holy Rosary Parish.
Happy Fault
Because, as all of you know better than I, in fact, before I arrived here in the Philippines, on April 22, 2019, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Luzon, and your beautiful church sustained critical damage in various parts of the church. That was five years ago. That somewhat sad occasion becomes, as we say, a “happy fault”, as we say, a “felix culpa”, a “happy fault”. Something that was certainly painful for all of us, but that has resulted in this beautiful restoration that we contemplate this evening. Your beautiful church, restored, renewed, renovated, made beautiful as the House of God. “How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God.”
Spirit and In Truth
The readings that are chosen this evening are very significant. Our gospel is the Gospel of Saint John (4:19-24), Jesus Meeting the Samaritan Woman at the Well. The woman who came looking for water. Then Jesus begins to explain to her that He is the source of life.
Water gives us physical life. Jesus gives us spiritual life. In that dialogue with the woman, the woman who certainly was an outcast from society. Because although we didn't hear it in the Gospel, this evening, she came to draw water at the well in the middle of the day, at noon (Jn. 4:6-7), which is the last time that people would draw water in a hot climate. Even here in the Philippines, people wouldn't go to the well in the middle of the day. They go in the beginning of the day, or the end of the day when it's cooler. The fact that the woman was there in the middle of the day seems to indicate that she, in some sense, was an outcast, a woman who didn't want to meet anybody else when she went to draw water, water to give physical nourishment.
What did she find at the well? She found the source of spiritual life: Jesus, who dialogues with her, who listens to her, who is close to her. At the end of that dialogue, she says, and this is the part that we heard in the Gospel this evening, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.” Because, as she will say later in the Gospel, which we did not hear this evening either―she will go into the town and say to everyone, “I have met, someone who told me everything about myself, someone who knows me” (cf. Jn. 4:28-29). Jesus knows her. Jesus loves her. She comes looking for physical water. Jesus gives her spiritual water; and Jesus tells her, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth…” (Jn. 4:23). “Spirit and in truth.” Then He repeats that, “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24).
What are those two categories? Spirit. Spirit is the idea of breath. In the Old Testament, spirit is described in the Hebrew word “rū·aḥ”, which means “breath”, “wind”, “spirit”, “breathing”. That is associated with life. Because breath and life go together. When someone comes to the end of their earthly life, we often say that he or she “breathed his last”. Right? “Breathed his last”. The final breath goes out.
So, breath is associated with life. In the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, when God created Adam, He breathes life into Adam (cf. Gen. 2:7). He breathes life into Adam. Breath. So, “spirit” (spiritus) is the Latin word for “breath”. So, we have that idea of life and breath in spirit. We must worship in spirit. That means we must receive the life of God, the breath of God.
There's that beautiful hymn,
“Breathe on me, Breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love the things You love
And do what You would do
Breathe on me, Breath of God.”
That life of God. It comes into us through the sacraments. We are baptized into God's life. Baptism is the beginning of a new form of life that is in us. Even in us physically in our bodies, a new form of life. All of us have biological life in us. The life that's in the birds, the bees, and the bats, physical life, biological life, that's in all of us. We as Christians, as Catholics, have another form of life: spiritual life, supernatural life, that comes into us in baptism.
You know? In the old ritual of baptism before the Second Vatican Council, when a priest baptized a little baby, he then would blow, breathe in the baby's face. Breathing―the idea of communication of life. New life coming into us.
That life that comes into us is nourished at the altar, from the Bread of Life. A normal bread keeps us alive, physically. The Bread of Life, the Eucharist, keeps us alive spiritually, supernatural life coming into us.
So, all these images are in our minds this evening. The church is a place where life is given. I was shown your beautiful new baptistry, the font of baptism, at the entrance of the church, a beautiful symbol. When you come into the church, the first thing you receive is the life of baptism. Then you come to the altar and receive the Body and Blood of Christ, the Bread of Life. Not normal, biological, human life that we get from eating normal food, but spiritual life that will last forever, that will bring us into the kingdom of God. That is what the church is.
So, first we have the idea of Spirit and Life. Then Jesus says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” First, think of life, life given in this church, and then truth. As you look at me, you see two tables: table of the altar, the table of the Blessed Sacrament, the table of the Eucharist. Here (pointing into the ambo), the table of the Word, the table of Holy Scripture, the place in which the Truth of God is imparted to our minds.
The Word of God and the Eucharist
So, we have that spirit, life, and truth. You must worship in spirit and in truth, receiving the Body of Christ for spiritual life, and then receiving the truth of Christ, so that we know how to live in this world. Both are necessary for us as Catholics. It's not enough simply to listen to the Words of the Gospel, to follow the words of the Gospel, to know the truth. We also need to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. They go together. There's a synergy between the two of them: life (Table of the Eucharist) and truth (Table of the Word).
The truth comes from the Gospel, but then is expanded and expounded in all the teaching, all the doctrine of the Catholic Church. About how to live, what to do, what to avoid, how to treat our brothers and sisters, how to act. All of that is coming to us through the truth that is Christ.
Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is the Life. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn. 14:6). They all go together, and they all come together in this beautiful church, so wonderfully restored after the earthquake of 2019
Conclusion and Exhortation
So, for me, as the Papal Nuncio, having come from Manila this afternoon, it gives me so much joy and happiness to be with you this evening for this dedication. In a moment, our senses will be filled with a symphony of symbolism. We will see light. [Is quite dark right now.] Light will come to the altar. Incense will come to the altar as a symbol of our prayers going up into heaven. So, light, fragrance, and aroma, all the symbolism is engaged in this evening. In order to teach us that we must worship the Father in spirit and in truth. That is, receiving His Life and receiving His Truth.
As I close, let's remember this evening to pray for a son of Pampanga, a son of the Archdiocese of San Fernando. Your beloved former parish priest here in Holy Rosary Parish in Angeles City. You know who I'm thinking of, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, who right now, in Rome is being elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, becoming a cardinal this day in Rome. So, we pray for him in a very, very special way during our Holy Mass this evening.
We pray for Pope Francis, for all his intentions.
We thank God for all the benefactors, the people who have contributed their time and their treasure to make this House of God so beautiful, so wonderful for tonight's dedication. “How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God.”
Finally, we thank Our Lady, Mama Mary, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, her beautiful image, here above the high altar, watching over us, interceding for us, being our mother, our glorious Mother in heaven, Mama Mary. God bless you!
Transcribed by Joel V. Ocampo
Photos by: Holy Rosary Parish Media, Angelo Mangahas, and Mike Carreon
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