“Seek true happiness,” says Archbishop

By Myrna Bermudo

“Do not allow yourself to be robbed of [the] simple things in life, more burloloys and more gadgets might bring you a dissipated spirit,” warned Archbishop Alarcon. “It’s not so much material preparation; let us not forget also the spiritual preparation progress. The reality is we cannot bring material things when we pass away. What we can bring is what we have given away. In the end, what will bring you happiness are the moments when you have given and shared what you have. True riches are the things you gave and shared.” 

Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon offered these pointers during his homily on December 8 at the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Quipayo, Calabanga.  

Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon preaching at the Parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Quipayo, Calabanga, Camarines Sur on December 8. On his right is Fr. Charlie Audal, parish priest. (Screenshot/Archdiocese of Caceres FB)

Prepare the way for the Lord

The prelate mentioned that “Christmas preparations are sometimes focused on the externals. We are reminded not to forget the more essential things in life. This is the time to stop, a time to reflect because in the midst of busyness, we might be – out of focus and have a dissipated spirit. Prepare the way of the Lord- this is the message of St. John the Baptist on this second Sunday of Advent,” he continued.  

Speaking on the importance of the feast of the Virgin Mary, he said that the Immaculate Conception is the grace given by God to Mary to prepare her to be the Mother of God. “When she was conceived, she had no stain of sin. For us, we experience the consequences of original sin. In baptism, this is washed away but we still experience the effects of sin. Thus, we need to be aware of the enticement of material things and progress which leads us to be more materialistic, more tech-savvy, prone to anger, and no longer capable of being sensitive to the needs of others. Your life has been robbed of [its simplicity]. You find yourself having more gadgets and multi-tasking but [without] focus. You have more social media friends but no real friends.”

“The message of St. John the Baptist and Mary, the Immaculate, is for us to prepare the way of the Lord. This is our challenge -to prepare our hearts, cleanse our hearts, minds and souls. Even if we don’t have Christmas decorations, [what is important is our] internal preparation, [which] is the better preparation. Let us prepare our hearts where Christ will be born anew, Christ, our hope. He is the assurance that God does not abandon us,” said Alarcon.

“[Again], let us not forget the spiritual progress. True happiness and riches are the things you gave and shared,” the Archbishop emphasized.  

History and identity

Archbishop Alarcon greeted the parish priest, Fr. Charlie Audal, the parish pastoral council, the barangay pastoral council, members of the religious organizations, parish ministries and the young people on the occasion of their parish fiesta.

He extoled the brick church of the Quipayo parish saying that it is one of the most beautiful churches in the Archdiocese of Caceres. It is also one the first parishes of Caceres founded in 1578 together with the churches in Nabua, Bula and Naga City. He challenged the parish community to preserve the church because with the structure comes the history of the Christian community.  “History is very important because it gives us our identity,” explained Alarcon, who is a church historian.