#It’sNotAboutMe

HOMILY FOR THE MASS IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF PEÑAFRANCIA
Fr. Harvey C. Mateo SJ, Bonoan Campus Chaplain | September 4, 2020

“When Ina sings of how God lifts up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things, showing his mercy from age to age, dispersing the arrogant of mind and heart, that’s us as well. We are being invited to do God’s work and help build up his Kingdom.”

I have been asked a few times why many of our images of the Blessed Mother in the Philippines are so exquisitely adorned with gold, jewelry, and intricately embroidered, oversized robes. Mary after all was a simple and humble woman; I think of her as a heavenly mother, the INA, more than an earthly queen. Without consulting the work of art historians and liturgical experts, I interpret these ornamentations this way: it’s about us- it is how we manifest our love for her, how we cherish and treasure her. It is very human, very Pinoy, and certainly, very Bikolano. The Bikolano devotion to the blessed mother, the INA, would not have prospered through the centuries, had it not been for the collective experience of being genuinely feeling loved and protected by her. The devotion is a very human expression of gratitude and admiration for the creature who represents the very best of us and what awaits us if we follow her example. This year, however, the flowers, processions, and hymns will be subdued for reasons beyond our control. Rather than feeling sorry for ourselves, we adjust and adapt, finding new ways of celebrating the maternal care extended to us by our heavenly mother. Perhaps with the festivities stripped to a bare minimum, we can again listen more intently to the message of our INA in the gospels. At the wedding at Cana, she said, “Do whatever He tells you.” Think about it. Every depiction of Mary in Scripture is about Jesus, she is always pointing to Him. If she were to put a hashtag on it, she would probably write, #it’snotaboutme.

We have just read the canticle of Mary from the first chapter of Luke, otherwise known as the Magnificat. I think it is more popularly known among you in its modern interpretations: for the Baby Boomers and GenX who can easily sing the Hontiveros classic Ang Puso Ko’y Nagpupuri, for the millennials who prefer its jazzed up acoustic version by Hangad or the David Haas composition Magnificat often sung as a duet and otherwise known as “All that I am…” This lengthy prayer is basically the blessed mother praying #it’snotaboutme. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . .The mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Of if you prefer the popularized version, “All that I am sings of the God who breathes new life to me, My spirit soars on the wings of my Lord.” #it’snotaboutme. With this canticle, this song, Mary magnifies the Lord— not that God needs to be glorified by such a lowly creature. God does not need any of that from us. But in singing this song and praying this prayer with our Blessed Mother, we are reminded of what God has done for us, and of what we in turn are also called to do and become. Mary has magnified the Lord with her life—it is her song. And so, she in turn has been magnified by God because of her quiet obedience and discipleship. This got me thinking. Perhaps these adornments and ornamentations of our Blessed Mother are but a reflection of that magnification. In dressing her up with resplendent robes and crowning her head with jewels, we are imagining her heavenly glory, that it, the glory of God that is merely reflected in her. Yup, #it’snotaboutme, but in a strange and paradoxical way, it IS about us. When Ina sings of how God lifts up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things, showing his mercy from age to age, dispersing the arrogant of mind and heart, that’s us as well. We are being invited to do God’s work and help build up his Kingdom. This is especially true during this Pandemic when focusing on our own woes and fears, our lost opportunities and inconveniences make us forget that there are those who struggle more with so much less. Our feast day celebration reminds us to be like our Ina. We are being asked, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, to also reflect God’s goodness and mercy -that is to be magnified by magnifying the Lord.

The other component of our devotion, the Divino Rostro emphasizes this even more. A depiction of the face of Jesus is flashed before us reminding us of the passion and death that won us our salvation. It can also be a reassuring image that tells us how in becoming one of us, Jesus already knows our pain and accompanies us in our suffering. But the face of the persecuted Jesus is also seen in our brothers and sisters who continue to suffer because of COVID and because of the inequitable distribution of health care resources and the greed of others. On the other hand, those who serve them selflessly and whole-heartedly are the face of the transfigured, glorified Jesus to those who are afflicted, lonely, and without hope. The face of the divine is embedded on these heroes of healthcare and no amount of PPE will cover the magnanimity of their service and dedication. In the same way, let us take care that the pandemic will not drive us to despair and self-centered preservation, but with God’s grace, allow us to bring the face of God, his active presence in the world, to others. This year, the temptation to focus on ourselves is stronger than ever. However, the celebration of Our Lady of Peñafrancia and our devotion to the Holy Face calls us to magnify the Lord and to allow him to be magnified in us.  

Viva la Virgen! Viva el Divino Rostro!

#adnujhs #prayathome #stayathome