Sermon >
Thanksgiving Mass for Peace
Homily delivered by His Eminence Jaime L. Cardinal Sin,
D.D., Archbishop of Manila, on the occasion of the Thanksgiving
Mass for Peace at EDSA Shrine on 29 July 2003 at 12:15 p.m.
We are gathered in this holy shrine to celebrate the Holy
Eucharist. Eucharist means thanksgiving and indeed there are
many reasons for us to thank God. We thank the Lord for the
swift and peaceful resolution to the mutiny last Sunday. We
thank the Lord for our leaders who stood firm yet remained
open to dialogue. We thank the Lord for the countless religious,
seminarians and lay faithful who flocked to this holy ground
and their respective churches to intercede for peace in our
land. Although their means was immoral and illegal, nevertheless,
we thank the soldiers of the mutiny for calling the attention
of the nation to the evils of corruption. But above all, we
thank the Lord for leading us to the victory of peace.
But what is the victory of peace? It is not the victory
of one side and the surrender or the humiliation of the other.
Neither it is the subjugation by force of one over the other.
The victory of peace that the Lord is leading us into is the
victory of dialogue. After this thanksgiving, all of us are
challenged to work towards a meeting of minds, to a path of
openness and acceptance, to the road of sincere collaboration
and honest partnership. These are the lessons we must learn
and accept as we offer our thanksgiving to God.
There are many reasons for thanksgiving yet we likewise
admit the call for reform. Every sector of society, including
the Church, needs reform. We cannot and must not deny that
so much is yet to be accomplished and fulfilled. So many poor
people still await adequate food and medicine, decent shelter,
proper educational and employment opportunities. Our young
people need to be protected from the pangs of illegal drugs,
violence, pornography and loss of moral values. We still need
to stamp out graft and corruption , too much politicking and
bickering in public service. The problem of insurgency cannot
be solved by the military alone. Peace is not achieved at
gunpoint but through human development. The Mindanao problem
must be solved through more livelihood and infrastructure,
not through more bullets and arms. Yes we still need reforms.
We still need to lift the fog of evil in our midst.
But realizing these reforms let us be reminded that: “darkness
is not dissipated with arms; it is removed with lamps of light.”
The way of violence never builds. It always destroys. Hostility
can never give birth to hope. It only breeds hatred and division.
Genuine reform can only happen if it is build on justice,
goodness and peace. Let us therefore commit ourselves to constant
reform yet rejecting the ways of violence. Let us not overcome
evil with evil. Rather let us overcome evil with good.
Thus, we can only complete victory of peace and the call
to reform if we focus on issues not on personalities; if we
set aside personal ambition and selfish interests for the
sake of the common good. Let us not make room for cheap compromises
and political exigencies. Let justice be served and discipline
be imposed. If we never learn, our thanksgiving today adds
to nothing. We might be nursing another mutiny again. While
it is necessary the perpetrators of the mutiny, it is more
urgent to institute reforms right now and attend to the legitimate
grievances expressed. Let us not allow our analysis to lead
us to paralysis. This is not the time for congratulations.
No one won last Sunday. What is needed is immediate reform,
firm discipline and a strong will to sustain it.
Ultimately, it is not just our policies and programs that
must change; it is our hearts. Peace begins within hearts.
It is not simply the absence of violence or conflict. It is
a fundamental option, a committed direction toward the good
of all. And peace is not simply a human endeavor. It is a
sublime gift from God. Let us therefore be sentinels of peace,
intercessors for peace.
May God bless our beloved Philippines. May He sowgenuine
peace and healing in our land. Amen.
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