Mydearfriends,sistersandbrothersinthe Lord WeareintheholyseasonofAdvent,atime to prepare for the coming of the Messiah throughprayer,penanceandgoodworks.

dworks.A few days ago a friend told me that my coming into the ArchdioceseofManilaas its32ndArchbishopistrulyAdvent.You aretheonewhoistocome,hedeclared. The remark mademelaugh.Italsomade methink.Isthisoccasionreallyaboutme?I knowmanypeopleareasking,Whoisthe newarchbishopofManila?Whatishelike? What are his vision and plans? But like JohntheBaptistIaminvitingyoutofocus on the One mightier than all of us, Jesus Christ, the Risen One and the True Shepherd of the Church. My Episcopal Mottosaysitplainly,DominusEst!Itisthe Lord!

This exclamationisdrawn fromtheRisen Christsappearancetosomeofhisdisciples attheSeaofTiberiasasrecountedinJohn 21.InaretreatthatIfacilitatedasapriest, 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.Herevealswhotrulyis. Seven disciples went out fishing. Five of them are named: Simon Peter the recognizedheadofthebandofTwelvewho denied Jesus, Thomas who doubted the testimony of his companions about Jesus appearance to them, Nathanael who questioned if anything good could come fromNazareth,thesonsofZebedeeknown fortheirambitiontogettheseatsofhonour in Jesus Kingdom, and two who remain unnamed. Doubters and unknowns, they

representtheChurchatitsinfancy.Simon Peterplannedtogooutfishingandtherest joinedhim.Togethertheywerethefragile Churchembarkingonitsmission.Intothe vast waters of mission they travelled together. Butthatwholenighttheycaughtnothing. Tiredanddistraughttheyreturnedtoshore. They probably did not notice the early morning light. It was still night for them. Standingontheshorewasamantheydid not know. He asked if they had caught anythingtoeat.Thatquestioncouldsound provocativetoagroupthathadlabouredall nightwithoutsuccess.IfIwereoneofthe disciples,Iwouldhaveretorted,Hey,dont youseethatourboatsareempty?Dontyou see?Areyoublindorareyouinsultingus? Butthediscipleswereprobablysotiredto arguewithhim.Thenthestrangerissueda

surprisingcommandtocastthenetoverthe right side of the boat. He also promised theywouldfindsomething.Theyfollowed him and had a catch to so bountiful they couldnotpullitin.Thisstrangerwasnot blind after all. He saw where the fishes were. What the disciples of doubters and unknownsdidnotsee,hesawclearly. At this moment the disciple whom Jesus lovedexclaimed,ItistheLord.Theeyes of the beloved disciple were opened. His stare moved from the catch to the loving presenceintheirmidst.Thismanisnota stranger. He is the loving Lord. The long darknightisover.Morninghascome.Itis theLord! This simple story teaches me valuable lessons about the mission of the Church andmyministryasabishop.Firstofall,the

mission of the Church should be wholly directedbytheLordwhoisalwayspresent as Shepherd and guide. Human efforts shouldcontinuebutunlesstheLorddirects thecatch,welabourinvain.Weknowthat the Lord guards His Church. He keeps watch with us on those long nights of confusion and helplessness in mission. Wheninspiteofourgoodintentionsand efforts there are still the multitude of hungry people we cannot feed, homeless peoplewecannotshelter,batteredwomen and children we cannot protect, cases of corruption and injustice that we cannot remedy, the long night of the disciples in themiddleoftheseacontinuesinus.Then we grow in compassion towards our neighbors whoselivesseemtobeanever endingdarknight.Butinourweariness,the Lordcomes.DumaratingSiya.Adventnever ends.Heistheshepherdpromisedinthe

firstreadingfromEzekiel.Hewillcometo hissheepwheretheyarescatteredwhenit is cloudy and dark. He is near. He is Emmanuel.Butweneedtohearhisvoice andtofollowhisdirection.Weneedtosee realities with His eyes. We need faith. Without faith fuelled by love, we cannot truly be a missionary Church of Jesus Christ.Itisonlybythevisionprovidedby faith that the Church could meaningfully castitsnetsinthevastseasoftheworldand history.Theymaybemurkytohumaneyes, buttheLordseeswherethefishesare.The newevangelizationrequiresputtingonthe mind and the eyes of the Lord again, a transformation coming from prayer. Then whenwepray,wearetransformed,wesee differently.Achild,especiallytheunborn, isnotlongerseenasaburdenbutagift,the youth are not a problem but a promise, womenarenotobjectsbutpersons,laborers

arenotmachinesbutpartners,thepoor,the differentlyabledarenotanuisancebutour jewels, and creation is not an object of manipulationbutasighofGodssustaining love. These and many more comprise the Churchsmiraculousharvestfromtheseas ofmissionifonlyweseewiththeeyesof Christ.WheneverweseeastheLorddoes, thereishope! Secondly,weneedtofollowtheLordinour missionnotindividually,buttogetherasthe disciples did. Mission is an event of the Church.Wewillbetogetherinfailure,but wewillalsobetogetherinlisteningtothe Spirit,inbeholdingGodsmiracles,andin haulingthenetstoshore.Asitwasthen,so itistoday.Theordained,thereligiousand the lay faithful, including nonCatholic Christianarecalledtoonemission,though invariousstatesoflifeandwithadiversity

ofgifts.Whenwetakedifferentboatsand evencompeteagainsteachothertogetthe better portion of the catch for our own teams, we are not engaging in mission. Divisiveness and destructive competition willonlyhelpsinktheboat.Letuslookto the one Shepherd who gathers his sheep insteadofscatteringthem.ItistheLord! Finally,letusturntothebeloveddisciple, thedisciplewhomJesusloved.Hewasthe one who recognized the Lord who had lovedthembylayingdownhislifeonthe crossandnowastheRisenOnewhocould turnnightsofdespairintodawnsofhope bythepowerofHisWord.Werealizethat the beloved disciple does not occupy any knownrankamongthedisciples.Peterwas clearlytheleaderandspokespersonofthe group. My dear brothers and sisters, this episode teaches me that merely assuming

thepositionofArchbishopofManiladoes notguaranteethatIwillrecognizetheLord. IfIamnotcarefulthispositionmighteven blindmetotheLordandtomypeople.Itis rather by being ahumbledisciplecontent withtheloveofJesusthatIwouldseethe advent of him whose love propels us to mission. Notice that at this moment the beloved disciple taught Peter. Later Jesus wouldaskPeterthreetimesifhelovedhim more than the others. Love makes one a trueshepherd,notposition.Ipraythatmy Episcopalministryandallministriesinthe Church may be rooted in humble and lovingdiscipleship.Itellmyselfasthough itweretheLordtellingme,Chito,donot think you have become great because of yournewposition.Begreatratherinbeing abelovedandlovingdiscipleoftheLord.

The narrative we have been reflecting on servesasagooddescriptionofthemission of the Church: Discerning the Lords presence, following his word, celebrating his love and proclaiming It is the Lord. The Church cannot stop proclaiming the WordofGodasthesecondreadingsays.In seasonandoutofseason,wedirectpeople tothepersonoftheLord.Evenifitisan inconvenienttruththatweareproclaiming, itisalwaystheLord.Loveyourenemies isinconvenient.Sharewhatyouhavewith the poor is inconvenient. Bless your persecutors is inconvenient. But through theseinconvenientwords,theLordcomes. Hespeaks.Hebringstruelight. As I embark on my new ministry as ArchbishopofManila,Ifeeldeeplyunited withthemanybeloveddiscipleswhohave taughtmetorecognizetheLord::myloving

parentsManuelandMilagrosandbrother Manuel Jr. They have always provided a havenofloveandcommitmentforme;my aunts,uncles,cousinsandclanwhonever failtonurtureme;myselflessandcaring teachers and mentors in St. Andrews School, the Ateneo de Manila University, theLoyolaSchoolofTheology,theCatholic University of America and San Jose Seminary; the dedicated people of the commissionsthatIhavebeenpartofinthe CBCP, the FABC, and the Vatican; my formerstudents,seminarians,thereligious andthepoor,thebelovedpoor,whohave taught me to be more sensitive to the presenceofJesuswhocallsmetomission. YourlovehasenabledmetoseetheLord. Thank you very much. I remember in a specialwayBishopArtemioCasas,Bishop FelixPerez,BishopManuelSobrevias,the clergy, the religious, the seminarians and

thelayfaithfuloftheDioceseofImus.You havelovedme.Youhavedirectedmetothe Lord.Pleaseremembermeaslovingyou. Now I face my new mission in this great Archdiocese of Manila that is rich in tradition, culture, history and religiosity. I tremblebeforethelovethatcallsmetolead thepeopletotheLord.Butmypoorsinful person finds rest in Him who is the ChurchstrueShepherd.Iamalsoconsoled toknowthatwewouldbebuildingonthe legacyoflovingserviceof31archbishops, notablythoseoftherecentpast:Archbishop Gabriel Reyes, Cardinal Rufino Santos, Cardinal Jaime Sin and my immediate predecessor, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales. As I look at the clergy, the religious and faithfuloftheArchdiocese,Ifeelhumbled. There is much thatIwill learnfromyou. Teachme.Bepatientwithme.Letuslove

oneanotheratalltimes.Extendyourloveto all,especiallythepoorandtotheChurches in Asia. As one Church we will journey together even if the night is long and wearisome.Wewillwelcometheevernew dawn who is the Lord, the light and the shepherdoftheChurch.Everydaywillbe anadventoftheLord. Wearestrengthenedbythematernalloveof Mary who 480 years ago appeared to the lowlyJuanDiegoinGuadalupe.Sheisthe Adventwomanwhocomestothepoor;she walkswiththemindarkpaths;shebrings hope.Werejoicetohearagainherwordsto JuanDiego,asthoughaddressedtous,Do notletanythingafflictyouanddonotbe afraidofanyillnessoraccidentorpain.Am Inotyourmother?Areyounotundermy shadow and protection? Do you need anything else? Do I not hold you in the

foldsofmymantle,therewheremyarms meettogetherandIcankeepyouclose?To you dear Mother I entrust the Church in Manila,theChurchinthePhilippines,the ChurchesinAsia,theentireChurchandmy Episcopal ministry. You come to us, as I have experienced so many times and ten years ago this day when I was ordained bishop.BringJesustous.TakeustoJesus. In the never ending advent of life and mission,helpustoseeyoursoncomingto usasourlovingshepherdtodispelallfear. WehopeforthedaywhentheChurchand the whole creation would joyfully declare withonevoice,ItistheLord!Amen.