On June 26, the Church celebrated the liturgical feast day of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei, who inspired the establishment of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). To mark the occasion, a Solemn Mass was celebrated at the Sancta Maria Stella Orientis Oratory of UA&P by Msgr. Carlos Estrada, Regional Vicar of Opus Dei in the Philippines. Following are photos of the Mass and excerpts from the homily of Msgr. Estrada.
“We thank God for the faith that we have received. We are grateful that, with His help, we have preserved that faith. We wish to transmit this faith to so many others since we have been “gifted to give”. Like the apostles, we are called to the same mission: to evangelize.”
“What a wonderful country the Philippines is! You form the vanguard of Jesus Christ in the Orient. Your land will be the channel that brings the light of Christ to thousands of souls. You are a chosen people. I say this not to be friendly, but because it is the truth, and a beautiful one at that.” – St. Josemaría Escrivá
“St. Josemaría was not one to use words lightly. Calling us ‘a chosen people’ was a clear reminder that it was only in the Philippines that the Catholic faith took root and spread. Despite the sacrifice of several missionaries who tried to evangelize other Asian countries, the faith did not take root as it has done in the Philippines.
We have indeed been gifted. We are tasked to bring the light of Christ to thousands of souls. We are truly the vanguard of Jesus Christ in the Orient.“ – Fr. Estrada
“In one of his pastoral letters, the Prelate of Opus Dei, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz reflected on the challenges of evangelization in our present time. He asked, ‘What are the priorities that our Lord is presenting to us at this historical moment of the world, the Church and the Work? The answer is clear: in the first place, to care for our union with God with the refinement of people in love, beginning with the contemplation of Jesus Christ, the face of the Father’s Mercy. The program described by St. Josemaría is always valid: May you seek Christ, may you find Christ, may you love Christ.'”
“Joseph found happiness not in mere self-sacrifice but in self-gift… Every true vocation is born of the gift of oneself, which is the fruit of mature sacrifice. The priesthood and consecrated life likewise require this kind of maturity. Whatever our vocation, whether to marriage, celibacy or virginity, our gift of self will not come to fulfilment if it stops at sacrifice; were that the case, instead of becoming a sign of the beauty and joy of love, the gift of self would risk being an expression of unhappiness, sadness and frustration.” – Pope Francis
“Amidst the pandemic, to be Christ may mean taking care of persons who have contracted COVID-19, and running the risk of getting infected ourselves. To be a gift to others may entail going out of our way to help persons who have lost their jobs or are experiencing serious financial difficulties due to the lockdowns. We may be called to be Jesus who consoles those who have lost loved ones due to illness. Perhaps God asks us to transcend petty arguments and discussions that distract us from noticing others who are suffering and coming to their aid.”
“Dear Mama Mary, look upon us, the pueblo amante de Maria. Make us true evangelizers. May we give ourselves to the mission of bringing Jesus Christ to others, in the same way as you gave yourself to the mission God wanted of you.”
*All photos are from the Marcelo family, unless stated otherwise.
Banner photo from the Opus Dei Communications Office.
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