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

A School of Dialogue and Communion

Homily of the Superior General, Fr. Antonio M. Pernia, SVD, at the Philippine SVD Centennial Mass at the Divine Word College of Laoag, Laoag City, 26 August 2009. Mass of St. Joseph Freinademetz. Readings: Rom 15:13-19a, 20-21 / Lk 10:1-9.

My dear Confreres and Friends,

Allow me to start 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 Laoag 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.

As you know, the first two SVD missionaries arrived in Abra a hundred years ago and started their mission in what is now San Isidro. Within a short time, the work of the SVD spread out to other provinces in this northern part of the Philippines. It is for this reason that we usually call the Northern Philippines as the cradle of the Philippine SVD. This was where everything began – a hundred years ago, in 1909.

It did not take long for the first missionaries to realize that, in the context of the situation of the country at the time, schools were a particularly effective means of evangelization. As early as seven years after their arrival, in their annual mission report of 1916, the missionaries listed 55 elementary schools run by them in the area entrusted to their care. This involvement in the school apostolate eventually led to the establishment of a number of Divine Word Colleges here in the north and in other parts of the country, including the Divine Word College of Laoag.

In the course of time, these schools became known for their unflagging commitment to academic excellence, scientific research, moral upbringing, social and civic involvement, cultivation of the arts and sports. The many distinguished alumni and alumnae who have passed through the portals of these colleges attest to the holistic education and integral formation which is the hallmark of the Divine Word Colleges.

But as we look back to the past with gratitude and joy, we also need to look to the future with courage and confidence. Many things have changed – and changed radically – since a hundred years ago. Today we live under the threat of “international terrorism” and “religious fundamentalism”. Since September 11, 2001, the temptation is great to see a “clash of civilizations” or a “conflict of religions”.
In his message for the World Day of Peace in 2002, the late Pope John Paul II said the following about terrorism:

Terrorism is built on contempt for human life .... It is the outcome of fanatic fundamentalism which springs from the conviction that one’s own vision of truth must be forced upon everyone else .... To try to impose on others by violent means what we consider to be the truth is an offence against human dignity, and ultimately an offence against God whose image [the human] person bears.

Indeed, the greatest danger for humanity has always been the imposition of a single vision of the world – whether that be national socialism, communism, consumerism, or neo-liberalism. This, I believe, is the danger that lurks behind globalization. It promotes a uniformity that tends to eliminate all differences, and in the process marginalizes all those who do not fit. This, indeed, is an offence against the human person and against God, and, when done with violence, it is a crime that cries to heaven.

The opposite of terrorism and fundamentalism is dialogue. Dialogue is the refusal to force on anyone else our vision of the truth – no matter how convinced we are that it is of God. It grows out of the conviction that we can only propose the truth to others and invite them to our vision of it. Fundamentally, dialogue is built on the following three assumptions:

(1) There is no single vision of the world. Indeed, there are as many ways of looking at the world as there are human cultures. Differences in culture are not meant to divide, but enrich people. Those different from us do not have to be our enemies. Indeed they are meant to be our friends, fellow-pilgrims on the human journey to the fullness of truth and life. And we can pilgrim together only if we dialogue.

(2) Truth is larger than what anyone of us – whether individuals, cultures, religions or groups – can grasp or understand. Indeed, even if the truth can be reached, it can be reached only in an imperfect, limited and partial way. No one of us has the monopoly of the truth. There is always something that I can learn from the other. That is why I seek to dialogue with the other.

(3) A common humanity binds us all. And that is why we can dialogue with one another. Despite all the diversity and differences that characterize us as people belonging to a variety of cultures, there is a common humanity that binds us together. In the end we are all made of the same stuff. Ultimately we are brothers and sisters sharing the same destiny and the same home. That destiny is freedom or slavery, life or death, depending on whether we learn to dialogue with one another.

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 Laoag. The great challenge facing DWCL 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” – I believe this phrase describes what everyone associated with the SVD or everyone passing through a Divine Word College should become. A “Person of the Word” in two senses. First, a disciple of Jesus and a follower of the Divine Word, who is God’s ongoing dialogue with the world. And secondly, 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. As missionaries we are witnesses to the fact that God keeps his word and is faithful to his promises.

“Persons of the Word” – that was what Arnold Janssen, Joseph Freinademetz, and our Blessed Martyrs were. 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 their lay partners and friends. 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.

So, the challenge before us is to transform Divine Word College of Laoag into a “school of dialogue and communion”, where each one of us can become truly “persons of the Word”.

Allow me to conclude by expressing a word of congratulations to our Service Awardees this year. Congratulations and may God bless us all.