We are in the
holy season of Advent, a time to prepare for the coming of the Messiah through
prayer, penance and good works. A few days ago a friend told me that my coming
into the Archdiocese of Manila as its 32nd Archbishop is truly Advent. “You are
the one who is to come,” he declared. The remark made me laugh. It also made me
think. Is this occasion really about me? I know many people are asking “who is
this new archbishop of Manila? What is he like? What are his vision and plans?”
But like John the Baptist I am inviting you to focus on the One mightier than
all of us, Jesus Christ, the Risen One and the True Shepherd of the Church. My
Episcopal motto says it plainly, “Dominus Est! It is the
Lord!”
This exclamation
is drawn from the Risen Christ’s appearance to some of his disciples at the Sea
of Tiberias as recounted in John 21. In a retreat that I facilitated as a
priest, this episode impressed me deeply. Although it tells of a Resurrection
appearance, it is indeed an Advent experience. The Risen Lord comes to his
disciples. He reveals who he truly is.
Seven disciples
went out fishing. Five of them are named: Simon Peter the recognized head of the
band of the Twelve who denied Jesus, Thomas who doubted the testimony of his
companions about Jesus’ appearance to them, Nathanael who questioned if anything
good could come from Nazareth, the sons of Zebedee known for their ambition to
get the seats of honour in Jesus’ kingdom, and two who remain unnamed. Doubters
and unknowns, they represent the Church at its infancy. Simon Peter planned to
go out fishing and the rest joined him. Together they were the fragile Church
embarking on its mission. Into the vast waters of mission they traveled
together.
But that whole
night they caught nothing. Tired and distraught they returned to shore. They
probably did not notice the early morning light. It was still night for them.
Standing on the shore was a man they did not know. He asked if they had caught
anything to eat. That question could sound provocative to a group that had
laboured all night without success. If I were one of the disciples, I would have
retorted, “Hey don’t you see that our boats are empty? Don’t you see? Are you
blind or are you insulting us?” But the disciples were probably too tired to
argue with him.
Then the stranger
issued a surprising command to cast the net over the right side of the boat. He
also promised they would find something. They followed him and had a catch so
bountiful they could not pull it in. This stranger was not blind after all. He
saw where the fishes were. What the disciples of doubters and unknowns did not
see, he saw clearly.
At this moment
the disciple whom Jesus loved exclaimed, “It is the Lord.” The eyes of the
beloved disciple were opened. His stare moved from the catch to the loving
presence in their midst. This man is not a stranger. He is the loving Lord. The
long dark night is over. Morning has come. It is the Lord!
This simple story
teaches me valuable lessons about the mission of the Church and my ministry as a
bishop. First of all, the mission of the Church should be wholly directed by the
Lord who is always present as Shepherd and guide. Human efforts should continue
but unless the Lord directs the catch, we labour in vain. We know that the Lord
guards His Church. He keeps watch with us on those long nights of confusion and
helplessness in mission. When in spite of our good intentions and efforts there
are still multitude of hungry people we cannot feed, homeless people we cannot
shelter, battered women and children we cannot protect, cases of corruption and
injustice that we cannot remedy, the long night of the disciples in the middle
of the sea continues in us. Then we grow in compassion towards our neighbors
whose lives seem to be a never ending dark night. But in our weariness the Lord
comes. Advent never ends.
