BY BP. RUPERTO CRUZ SANTOS, DD
BISHOP OF ANTIPOLO AND CBCP BISHOP PROMOTER OF STELLA MARIS-PHILIPPINES
This homily was delivered by Bp. Ruperto Santos of the Diocese of Antipolo during the Eucharistic Celebration, Re-dedication, and Blessing of the Loyola Retreat House-Spirituality and Art Center on the 23rd of October 2023, Monday, at 4:00 PM at Carnation St., Nieves Hills, Angono, Rizal.
Fr. Primitivo Viray, Jr, SJ, Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines
Fr. Xavier Olin, SJ, Rector of Loyola House of Studies
Father Jose Quilongquilong, SJ, President of LRH-SACA
Reverend Fathers, religious sisters and brothers
Honorable Jeri Mae Calderon, Mayor of Angono Honorable
Gerry Calderon, vice-mayor of Angono
Ms. Joy V. Cruz, Manager of LRH-SACA
Distinguished guests,
Beloved friends Our dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
First of all, please accept my profound gratitude and appreciation for your kind invitation through Father Joe that I am here for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, for the rededication and blessing of this elegant, grandiose Loyola Retreat House. Thank you so much po for your gracious presence and active participation in today’s’ celebration. Purihin po natin ang Panginoong Diyos! (Let us praise the Lord God!)
Looking around at this magnificent and amazing Loyola Retreat House, you will surely agree with me that this is so beautiful, the best and blessed. Amen po ba? And yet you may also ask how come you have made it? How was that possible?
To answer our questions, let me tell you this anecdote about a wise old man and a young boy. That boy said to himself, “I will test whether that old man is really wise and praiseworthy in his advice.” He then went to the old man. He brought with him a few squall eggs, itlog ng pugo. He placed an egg in his palm, closed his hand and asked the old man, “Tell me whether the egg in my palm is crushed or not?”
The old man paused for a moment. He looked in the eyes of the young boy and he said, “The answer to your question lies in your hand.” The boy asked, “How is that?” The old man reasoned out that if he said the egg was not broken, he will just slowly press it hard until the egg will be crushed. “But if my answer to you is that it is broken, then you will slowly and gently release, open your palm to show the unbroken egg. So now I tell you, the answer lies in your hand.”
There might be another set of questions crowding our minds. “Could we be successful with our plans and visions for this Loyola Retreat House? Would their accommodation here be harmonious, happy, and hassle-free? Could this Loyola Retreat House be known and accepted by all?”
The answer lies in our hands, how is that you may ask? First, we must raise our hands in humble supplication, in trusting prayers to the Father. Our hands should always be folded in prayer, a sign of self-surrender to God’s will. An expression of total submission to His ways, to what He wants us to be. Prayers, my dear brothers and sisters, are the answer to our questions, to our needs. This is what Fr. Joe Quilongquilong did. He accepted with open hands the trust and confidence of his superiors. He turned to God in prayers. He prays for his friends and acquaintances. He fervently prays with them.
And we can say with his hands, more than Midas touch, his hands folded in prayers transformed everything into graces, to be good and a precious gift of the Society of Jesus to the Philippine Church. Yes, accomplish many things with our hands folded in constant prayers.
Second, after we have raised our hands in prayers to God, we let them down, to reach out and to perform what we prayed for. Yes, we pray, and we provide. We pray and we perform. As they say, “we will do the praying, and you take care of the paying.” Amen po ba? We open our hands to give and to offer. We extend our hands to share and to serve. Our open and extended hands are signs of our willingness to accompany one another, to assist and affirm each other. We offer our hands to heal and to help one another, to build and to bear one’s burden, to find and to fulfill one’s dreams in life. This is what Loyola Retreat House is all about.
And that is also what Father Joe did. And you give your hand to him. You lend your hand to Jesus. Here in this Loyola Retreat House, we see and feel the Hand of God. Those who will come here will also feel that you are all the hands of God. You are all the heart of God. And you also think, plan, and dream with the head and mind of God.. Surely with this abundant blessing, this Loyola Retreat House as spirituality and art center would we be the hands that will continuously support and strengthen our people. It will surely be the hands that will comfort and console them when their life journey becomes unbearable and their chalice turns bitter. What you did here at Loyola Retreat House are now visible and tangible signs of your extended hands which will give encouragement in times of trial, of tension, and of trouble. Yes, your hands will grant them enlightenment in moments of doubt and disappointment in life.
Do you have still some questions? Yes, what lies ahead? The answer lies in your hands. In your hand, with this Loyola Retreat House, many will be helped, changed, and healed. In your hands, with this Loyola Retreat House, many lives will be improved, converted, and sustained.
Here at Loyola Retreat House, many from different places will join hands to pray, to bless, and to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Many hands will lead and will be led to God. Many hands will be touched and will hold on to God. Yes, many hands will be open to receive His blessings and His miracles. From here, and to return to their homes and to their respective schools, they will have and even can paint a beautiful, better, and brighter picture of their personal encounter of Jesus. My brothers and sisters in Christ, do you still have questions? Oh yes, what is in store for us in the near future, with our Loyola Retreat House? The answer lies in your hands. As we say with our Stella Maris- Philippines “all hands-on deck” we can conclude “all our hands on this beautiful, blessed Loyola Retreat House.”
This article was published on The Windhover, The Philippine Jesuit Magazine, Vol 1 March 2024
