On this Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy presides over the Holy Mass at St. John Paul II Retirement Home for Priests.
He was joined by Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Jose S. Palma, Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Korea Osvaldo Padilla, Msgr. Vicente Rey Penagunda (Vicar General), and other concelebrating priests.
In his homily addressed to the retired and elderly members of the clergy, the Archbishop offered a tender and hope-filled reminder: God is not encountered only in strength and productivity, but also in dependence, slowness, and the quiet grace of waiting.
This, he said, is the heart of Christmas—a consoling truth that even as human strength wanes, God’s love never does. For God, he affirmed, never retires from loving His people.
“The Word still dwells among us — in your rooms, in your silence, in your prayers, in your very breath … Dear brothers, your glory is not in what you can still do, but in what you have faithfully become … the Word you served all your life has not forgotten you. He has come to dwell with you — still,” said Archbishop Abet.