Homily by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle during the Mass at the Seminar and Media Fair of the Archdiocesan Commission on Social Communications on May 12, 2012, in anticipation of the celebration of World Communications Day (WCD) 2012 on May 20, 2012, at the San Carlos Seminary, Edsa, Guadalupe, Makati City.

We are anticipating the celebration of the World Day of Social Communications as mandated by the calendar of the Church. The celebration will really be on the 20th of May but we are equipping ourselves, especially those engaged in the ministry of social communications in the Archdiocese of Manila, to help our respective parishes, movements, organizations and communities to properly celebrate this important day, especially knowing that one important area of evangelization, not only as a means but a recipient of evangelization, is the world of media, social communications and the many forms it has taken.


Una sa lahat, pinasasalamatan po namin kayo sa inyong pagdalo at kayo po ay pinasasalamatan din namin sa napakahalagang misyon na inyong ginagampanan para sa simbahan, ang paglalaganap ng Mabuting Balita sa pamamagitan ng mga bagong pamamaraan ng komunikasyon. Gayundin kami po ay naghihimok pa sa inyo, nananawagan na magtulong-tulong pa tayo. Marami ang nagtatanong, sa dami ng katoliko sa Pilipinas bakit hindi raw tayo makapagpatayo ng mas marami pang tv channels, o kaya mas marami pang radio stations, katulad daw ng iba. Well, baka lalabas iyan sa inyong usapan. Pero kahit hindi naman tayo maraming tv stations at radio stations, tuwing araw ng linggo, sa dami ng misa at sa dami ng nagsisimba, iyan ang pinakamahalaga, at pinakaordinaryo at payak na pamamaraaan ng komunikasyon. Kahit walang kuryente, lakasan lang ng pari ang kanyang boses may komunikasyon. Kahit walang virus or o kahit may virus, na vi-virus ang kanyang isip, ang kanyang lalamunan, kaya pa rin ang pagpapahayag ng Mabuting Balita.


Ibig ko lamang pong magbigay ng kaunting pagninilay sa tema na iminungkahi ng ating Santo Papa para sa World Communication Day sa taong ito: Silence and the Word. Napakahalaga daw po sa pamamahagi ng Mabuting Balita ang katahimikan at ang Salita.


This might come as a surprise to many people for when we say communication at once we think of words, whether spoken words or written words, and now texted words, emailed words; that communication is often associated with words. But the Holy Father is teaching us that effective communication happens also in silence. In fact, words make sense in silence. I know you will have an opportunity this day to explore this beautiful message of the Holy Father. Let me just indicate a few things.


First, remember John the Baptist. He was called the Voice shouting in the wilderness. Ang tinig na sumisigaw sa ilang. Nakaranas na ba kayo na pumunta sa wilderness? Naranasan niyo na ba na magsalita sa ilang? Kapag nasa ilang ka, nasa wilderness, magsalita ka. Malamang ito ang mangyayari. Halimbawa isipin mo na ikaw ay isang balut vendor sa ilang. Sabihin mo BALUT , (and fading) balut...balut….balut…..Ang salita mo uuwi sa katahimikan. Ang salita mo lalamunin ng kalawakan upang maging katahimikan. In the eyes of a pragmatic world, that word has become useless because it disappeared. It is tantamount to saying that John the Baptist was useless. But was he useless?


Words often become more effective when they reach the silence of God. The world may not listen as Jesus claims in the Gospel. The world will even silence the bringer of the word of God. But don’t worry, there is someone who hears—GOD. But God can be silent, and speaks in silence, that the human Jesus even said, “My God, my God why have you abandoned me?” God was silent and the only word that God utters in His silence was the vulnerability of love found in Jesus on the cross and found in martyrs like John the Baptist. This is a deep mystery that we all need to contemplate. How human words have a destination in God, but in God human words become silent. And the response of God is also silence as far as human beings are concerned because the expression of God’s word is quite different from the way humans express words.


Pero sa pang-araw araw na karanasan mayroon din tayong ganyan, eh. Hindi lamang ang Diyos ang nangungusap sa pamamagitan ng katahimikan. Palagay may mga asawa ditto. Kapag ang mag-asawa hindi naguusap, maraming kuwento iyan. In the absence of words… Oh, my, you know ang dami niyang kuwento. That silence, that lack of communications tells us a lot. May mga madre, may mga seminarista, may mga pari pag hindi naguusap usap sa community, kapag hindi nagsasabay sa almusal, naku yung silence na iyon ang daming sinasabi. So even for us silence speaks and very often the most effective word is in and through silence.


Bago ko po iwanan itong bahaging ito naalaala ko po yung aking lolo at lola na umabot yata ng 56 years ng pagasasama. Pero nung matatanda na sila gumigising daw sila ng alas tres ng umaga. Tapos yung lolo ko kukuha ng dalawang basong tubig, dadalhin sa kuwarto nila, unti-unti nilang iinumin iyon hanggang magising na yung iba. Nung minsan tinanong naming, “Ano ho ang pinaguusapan ninyo sa kulang kulang dalawang oras at sa haba na ng pagsasama, ano pa ba ang inyong pinagkukuwentuhan.” Sabi ng lolo namin, “Wala. Magkatabi lang.” That silence of being together, that silence is really the word of God, the word of love that could be communicated more effectively in the quiet but reassuring presence even without words because the silent reassuring presence is the word.


Ang ikalawa po,. Ang atin pong mundo ngayon, minsan, wala na yatang masyadong pahalaga sa salita. Nalulungkot nga po ako, eh, kasi nung bata ako, wrong spelling wrong. Kasi kapag ang spelling mo ng before ay B-E-F-O-R, sabihin nila ibang salita iyan, walang ganyang salita, kaya’t pagkapahalagahan mo ang bawa’t salita. At mahalaga poi yon, hindi lamang para sa spelling upang ang nagpapahalaga sa salita, hari nawa, maging tapat sa mga salita. Kapagn nawala na ang pagpapahalaga sa mga salita, nakakatakot baka wala ng tutupad sa kanilang mga salita, mga pangako na hindi tutuparin, mga magagandang pangungusap na hungkad naman sa buhay. 


But I think part of the lack of respect for words springs from the lack of silence. For it is in silence that we purify our thoughts, our interior movements, our desires, our dreams, our plans. It is in silence that we are able to silence to others and to God. And in that silence listening to myself, listening to others, listening to God, then we hear words and we prepare for responsible utterances of words.


Kapag walang katahimikan kung anu-ano na lang salita ang lumalabas na hind nasuri, hindi napagisipan. At dahil nabigla lamang mamayamaya, babawiin na. “Hindi naman iyan ang ibig kong sabihin, eh. I was misquoted, out of context.” Eh kasi walang oras para magmuni. Kaya tatapatin ko kayo, ako hindi ako fan ng ambush interview, kasi walang silence being given to the one being interviewed. The silence that makes you ponder and makes you responsible in your utterance. Kaya kapag may nagsasabi sa akin, “Puede ba kayo ma-interview?” “Kailan?” “Ngayon na po.” “Sorry. Ipadala ninyo ang inyong mga tanong at pagninilayan ko, pagaaralan ko in silence. And then I can be a responsible utterer of the word.” Takot na takot po tayo sa silence, eh. Kapag may katahimikan kailangan punuan. Ayaw natin yung may lapse, kailangan may music, kailangan may ingay, kailangan may gimmick. And no wonder words are losing their value. Sorry ha but I have to say that.


And finally, in the world there are many silent people, the voiceless, not because they cannot speak but because they have been rendered voiceless and speechless. They are the ones who are deprived of their voice, their rightful voice, to be able to communicate their dreams, their tears, their suffering. And as we contemplate the connection between silence and word let us listen to the voiceless. Let us be sensitive to their quiet, silent cries and hopefully, through us, they will have a voice, a voice to God in prayer, a voice to society, a voice to government, a voice to those men and women of good will who in solidarity and communion would want to utter a saving word, good news to the poor, the neglected, the abandoned. Our silence could lead to a world of the many silenced and voiceless people. Hopefully our word will be saving word for them.


But Jesus warns us that if you become the voice of God and the voice of the voiceless, the world will hate you for it. The world will silence you, too. Oh no, don’t worry. Kapag ang ating salita ay pinatahimik sa ilang, huwag matakot. Aalingawngaw pa rin iyan, kahit na iyan ay parang mahina. Ang mahina na alingawngaw ay naririning ng Diyos. And hearing that God will utter His Word.


Let us pause and in silence listen to God speaking to us.