BUILDING A GENUINE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

Months ago I was assigned to our Parish in Manaoag. Besides the Lady who calls, I met another two ladies. Hilaria Perez serves in the parish as a volunteer catechist for more than 40 years. In her retirement, she now serves the parish as a BEC adviser and guide to younger BEC leaders in Lipit Sur. She is now more than 90 years old. The other woman is Rosalia Esteves. She served the parish as a volunteer catechist until in 2001 when she was asked to retire to give way to younger catechists. Her old age is never a hindrance in serving the Church. She is now a coletora in the Minor Basilica, and one of those who maintain the sanctuary of our Lady; making sure the flowers are fresh, and the candles are lighted for the Lady. When the Typhoon Ompong was ravaging the province of Pangasinan, Lola Rosalia still went to the Basilica to serve in the mass. She is now 82 years old. When I asked Lola Rosalia why she was doing all these things even at her age, she answered: Ito po ang ambag ko sa ating simbahan.

Today we celebrate the dedication of the Major Basilica of St. John Lateran. It is an imposing edifice as it is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Rome. No single person can claim to be the sole builder of this Major Basilica. The Lateran family who donated the lot where the major basilica stands today cannot claim the grand church building we see today as their own making. We can only thank the billions of Catholic, from 313 AD to the present, who helped in building and conserving that basilica. Today we celebrate not an edifice or a church building in Rome, but the Church that grows united with, and presided by the bishop of Rome. From the mother church of Christendom to our local churches, we owe the growth of our Church to the many Catholics who tirelessly, and wholeheartedly impart their resources and their very own lives, inspired by the grace of God.

Our Church is more than a place of worship. It is the Body of Christ composed of billions of members: the clergy and the laity. More than magnificent structure, we build the Body of Christ by forming genuine Christian communities where Christ can make his dwelling among men. Are we capable of building these communities? Yes! When we were baptized, we were made temples of the Holy Spirit, through the resurrection of Christ. Our body, our being, had become the temple of God (katawan at pagkatao bilang tahanan ng Diyos). And this, our being temples of God, moves us to form a community, as its origin is a community that goes beyond itself; the Trinity. Christ founded our Church. He is our very own foundation. We have in us the capacity to build a Christian community because the Trinitarian community provides whatever is necessary for us to contribute to the growth of the body of Christ, our Church.

No one among us can say we have nothing to contribute to the growth of the body of Christ because God as a community provides. As the PCP II says “Walang sinumang singhirap na walang maibibigay.”  Bawat isa ay may mailalahok sapagkat di tayo pinagkaitan ng Diyos. Ikaw, anong ambag mo (sa  pagbuo ng ating Kristyanong communidad)?