Snippets of the Homily delivered by Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy during the Cebu Clergy Monthly Recollection. last 17 February 2026

“Brothers, we are in the same boat, we share our priesthood, our mission, and one Eucharistic Bread. Yet, we can become anxious with our own worries or insecurities. Bisan aduna tay vow of obedience, maguol man tag asa atong assignment. Bisan aduna tay promise to live simply, mabalaka pa ta gihapon sa atong madawat ug matigom. Even if we know that we are here to serve and not to be served.

Diskompyado gihapon ta sa atong trabaho ug posisyon, despite knowing that we were ordained for others. Mag-focus ra gihapon ta sa atong kaugalingon, unya, look, listen, tan-awa, dili nata maka-appreciate sa kadako sa grasya nga ato ng nadawat. God has blessed us already with much more than what we need.

Kinsa ra man ta sa una? Nahinumdom pa mo? Unsa ra man ta. Aduna may maminaw nato no, pero sa balay lang, tingali sa atong silingan. Pero karon, mga abogado, doctor, especialista, mayor, maminaw na nimo bisan pa dili matumong. Why? Because we already received much. We are acting in persona Christi, head and shepherd of God’s people.

Sacramental brotherhood suffers when we focus more on scarcity than on grace, on survival than on commitment.

Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees, something small but powerful enough to corrupt the whole. In priestly life, that leaven can be the leaven of self-sufficiency, “I don’t need anyone;” the leaven of comparison, “why is his ministry easier than mine?”; the leaven of cynicism, “nothing will change anyway,” the leaven of isolation, “no one will understand me.” These attitude slowly hardened the heart, and a hardened heart no longer hears the call of a brother.

After Cain’s denial, the Lord said, “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”

God hears what brothers refuse to hear. Today that cry is heard in many forms, fatigue, burn out, depression, loneliness, and silent suffering among priests. Not all cries are loud, many are hidden behind smiles, competence, and faithful ministry, murag ok pero di diay ok.

Sacramental brotherhood means we learn to hear these cries, not to judge, not to fix everything, but simply to be present.

My dear brother priests, to be a priest is to be configured to Christ. To be a priestly brother is to be responsible for one another. The opposite of being my brother’s keeper is not hatred, it is indifference.

May the Lord soften our hearts, open our eyes, and.. so that when God asks us, “where is your brother” we may be able to answer not with excuses but with lives that say, “here we are Lord, we are in the boat together.”