Homilies of the Superior General, Fr. Antonio M. Pernia

Words Echoing the Divine Word

Homily of the Superior General, Fr. Antonio M. Pernia, SVD, at the Philippine SVD Centennial Mass at the Divine Word College of Bangued, Bangued, Abra, 24 August 2009. Mass of the Feast of the Apostle St. Bartholomew. Readings: Rev 21: 9-14 / Jn 1: 45-51.

My dear Confreres and Friends,

Today we celebrate the feast of the Apostle St. Bartholomew. St. Bartholomew is also known by his other name which is Nathanael. That is what we heard in the gospel reading this morning. So, what we see in the gospel this morning is the encounter between the son of a farmer (for that is what the name "Bartholomew" means) and the son of a carpenter (for that was how Jesus was known during his time). And in a largely agricultural society of Palestine during the time of Jesus, the big time farmer from Cana apparently had an arrogant disrespect for the small time carpenter from Nazareth – at least before they actually met. For in the encounter that ensued, arrogant disrespect (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”) gave way to a humble confession of faith (“You are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!”). And the skeptical Bartholomew was transformed forever into an ardent follower of Jesus.

There are two things we can learn from this encounter between Nathanael and Jesus.

First, Nathanael was led to his encounter with Jesus by Philip. Philip himself personally encountered Jesus and he went out to seek others, Nathanael among them, to lead them to Jesus. This is the usual way that we come to faith in Jesus. We are led to Jesus by others. The first SVD missionaries in Abra, Fr. Luis Beckert and Fr. Juan Scheiermann, were led to faith in Jesus by their parents and their families and friends in Europe.  And they came here to Abra in order to bring the people of Abra to faith in Jesus. Now that we here in Abra have been led to faith in Jesus, we too are called to seek out others and bring them to faith in Jesus. Our faith in Jesus impels us to seek out our brothers and sisters and bring them to faith in Jesus. And that is the meaning of being missionaries. Every disciple of Jesus, every Christian, is a missionary – called to share with others his faith in Jesus.

Secondly, the encounter between Nathanael and Jesus led to a profound transformation of Nathanael. From a skeptical son of a farmer, with an arrogant disrespect for the son of a carpenter, to an ardent believer in Jesus and a fervent follower of the Son of God. Fr. Beckert’s and Fr. Scheiermann’s encounter with Jesus also led to a profound transformation of their lives. They became committed disciples and convinced missionaries, offering themselves to the task of sharing the good news of Jesus with people of other countries and nations. Our own encounter with Jesus must also lead to a profound transformation of our lives. And for us, who are associated with Arnold Janssen and the SVD missionaries, that transformation should mean becoming “persons of the Word”.

Indeed, SVD Missionaries consider ourselves and profess to be, Socii Verbi Divini: companions of the Divine Word, collaborators with the Divine Word. We are, or we are called to be, in a special way, “persons of the Word”. But all those associated with the SVD, everyone passing through a Divine Word College, are likewise called to be “persons of the Word”. “Persons of the Word” in two senses. First, “Person of the Word” in the sense of a follower of the Divine Word, a disciple of Jesus, a witness to the Word. And secondly, “Person of the Word” in the sense of a person who is true to his/her word, who keeps his/her word, who “walks his/her talk”, who lives a coherent and integral life. Indeed, as missionaries, we are called precisely to be witnesses of the fact that God keeps his word, that God is faithful to his promises.

My dear friends, in his apostolic letter at the close of the Jubilee Year of 2000, Pope John Paul II invited all to make the Church “the home and school of communion”. This, he said, is the great challenge facing us in the new millennium (NMI 43). I think we can say a similar thing about the Divine Word College of Bangued. The great challenge facing DWCB is to transform itself into a genuine “school of dialogue and communion” – a school which forms its students, teachers and staff into “dialogue-persons”. This implies the promotion of education to justice and peace, the inculcation of respect and understanding among cultures and religions, the development of the spirit of solidarity and communion. Ultimately it entails nurturing a spirituality by which we become “Persons of the Word”.

“Persons of the Word” – that was what Arnold Janssen, Joseph Freinademetz, and our Blessed Martyrs were. “Persons of the Word” – that was what Luis Beckert, Juan Scheiermann, and our pioneer SVD missionaries in the Philippines were. “Persons of the Word” – that is what all of us are called to be, SVDs and all those associated with the SVD. Through our celebration of the Philippine SVD Centennial, may we be “Persons of the Word” – persons whose lives and actions are many different words which echo the Word of God, the Divine Word, Jesus Christ.

Allow me to conclude by greeting all of you in the name of the SVD General Council in Rome. As superior general of the Society of the Divine Word, I am here to represent the whole SVD all over the world in the centennial celebration of the SVD in the Philippines. This is our way of saying that the whole SVD rejoices with the SVD in the Philippines, and all those associated with the SVD in this country, for the 100 years of SVD religious missionary presence in the Philippines.

During the past few days, official celebrations of the Philippine SVD Centennial took place in different parts of the country – in Manila and Tagaytay, in Cebu and Bohol, and in Bangued and San Isidro. I believe my visit today gives us the opportunity to celebrate in our own way – as the Divine Word College of Bangued family – this milestone in the history of the Philippine SVD. Thank you for this opportunity, and thank you for joining us in the celebration of the Philippine SVD Centennial.

Congratulations and may God bless us all.