I Have Called You Friends

Homily during the First Religious Profession of Bro. Andreas Nabu, FdCC and Bro. Jonas Lopes, FdCC

                It is heart lifting when somebody that is famous recognized us as a Friend. That is why it is quite natural for a person to take photo with prominent and famous personality. It is photo op as they said. Why? Because when we have a picture with them we can identify that once in our life we are with them. It makes us happy and boasts ourselves. With show business people, we show the best we are in front of the camera with them. Then we claim he or she is our friend. Nice! However, in today’s very special event is not a show. It is a commitment though for a year but aim for a lifetime. Today our brothers, Jonas and Andreas will give their temporary profession to our Lord Jesus in full awareness of being so much love and this is also the reason why they love and love more in serving the youth and the little ones. Because it is given in love it is for eternity.

I have called you friends

                This is not an ordinary love! This is a love of a friend and this friend is not just anybody else but our Lord Jesus himself, who loved you till the end. He gave his life for you. He never gave up on you. He haunted you wherever you are. He looked for you. God never tired of looking for his beloved friends. When he found you, he gave his spirit of courage to leave your homeland and come to the Philippines to meet other friends of Jesus in our Canossian community. It is courage to go to unknown reality but you trusted your friend. Now, in your first profession, you also trusted the friends of your friend, your Canossian family.

Real friends is forever

                As you go along your journey, you can see other friendly love. But be careful because they might not be love of a real friend. All of these other love will not last long. But the love of our Lord is eternal because God is eternal. As Jeremiah heard the words of God, “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” Indeed you are destined for God. You are not for anybody else but for God and for God alone! Thus hold on to God because he is your only and real friend and real friend is forever.

Real friend will tell the truth

                Take up your cross and follow me! This is what Jesus told to his friends. Without a cross, you cannot be his friend. Without carrying your cross, you cannot be his friend. Without following him, you cannot be his friend. Thus love your cross because that is your ticket of friendship with the Lord. But even if you have a cross, if you will not carry it you cannot enter into the feast of friends of the Lord. But even if you have a cross and carry it but you will not follow the Lord, you will end up nowhere (pupulutin kayo sa talongan ninyo!). Take up your cross and follow the Lord and you will be a real friend of Jesus in his kingdom. Thus a real friend will tell the truth even it hurts. But before you were hurt Jesus went through all the pains just to make you his friend. He emptied himself, took the form of a slave, he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross. That is how God sacrificed for you. He lives the truth that is why he tells you the truth. The truth is he loved you so much and he will take all the suffering so that you will not forget. When you are tired and discourage, when your prayer is so dry, when people talk against you, when you are not appreciated, when everything seems to fall down because of your love for Jesus your friend, don’t ever forget he never gave up on you and he will never leave. God said to Jeremiah, “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you!”

Love the friends of Jesus

                Later you will proclaim your profession and part of it will say, “And you, my brothers, help me, that I may continue to offer with renewed love, this gift consecrated in full freedom so that the kingdom maybe extended and every tongue proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to the to the glory of god, the Father. Amen” I remind you to remember this part of your profession. You are begging the friends of Jesus to help you. Keep begging. Don’t ever run away from the friends of Jesus. This is your family. This is your community. Even how limited and sinful we are, your brothers, we are always your brothers. We are brothers because we are friends of Jesus. We are not here because we like each other. We are not here because we stay together, we eat together, we worked together, etc., we are here because our real friend, Jesus on the Cross, loved us so much. And this love is what he commanded us to be our source of loving each other.

Love one another as I love you

                As you see and you have been with your brothers for four years now, you realized that we are not angels 9some could be a fallen angels even). We are not perfect people. We committed a lot of mistakes. We even hurt each other. We are sinners. But we are loved. For so many years, we will try again to love each other. Many years also we will fail to reach that perfection of loving each other. But the perfection of love is not only when we love perfectly because we never can attain this love. But it is also when we allow ourselves to be loved imperfectly. When Jesus said, “Love one another as I have love you!” It is this love, to accept the imperfect love of each other. By doing this, we indeed love our brothers perfectly as Jesus love his disciples. By doing this we are indeed friends of Jesus.

Patience, Patience, Patience

             

Lastly, just to share the wisdom of our forefather, our Lolo Giochinno, who died more than 90 years old. He told me when I was with him. To make you strong in loving our Lord, remember these three words 1. Patience 2. Patience 3. Patience. Though patience means suffering. But patience for a friend is to wait and stay joyfully. Thus as you live your consecration meaningfully, be joyful. Choose always to be happy because the friends of our Lord are meant to be joyful and happy people. Jonas! Andrea! Remember. Patience, Patience, Patience!