Archbishop Socrates Villegas delivered this homily on Tuesday, July 16, ahead of the Marian voyage for peace in the West Philippine Sea, a fluvial procession held in Infanta, Pangasinan. Villegas provided Rappler a full text of this homily, which is now published with his consent.

Katoliko ang Pilipinas pero alam ba ninyo na kamuntik na tayong naging Protestanteng bansa kung nanalo ang mga Dutch sa giyera sa Manila Bay noong 1646? Labinsiyam na warships ng Dutch navy laban sa tatlong barkong pampasahero ng mga Kastila? Nanalo ang Katolikong Pinoy at Kastila nang hindi maipaliwanag. Ang dahilan? Nagdasal ng rosaryo ang mga Katolikong Kastila at Pilipino. Ang milagro ay ang Battle of La Naval de Manila.

Noong 1986 nabingit ang Pilipinas sa civil war nang may mga sundalong tumiwalag sa tatay ni President BBM. Kamuntik na ang Pilipino laban sa Pilipino. Ang EDSA People Power ay bloodless revolution sa kasaysayan ng mundo. Nagdasal tayo ng rosaryo at nag-picnic sa EDSA. Sabi ng billboard sa kanto ng Ortigas at EDSA kung saan ngayon nakatayo ang EDSA Shrine, “a world at prayer is a world at peace!” Buong 1985 bago ang EDSA People Power ay ipinagdiwang ang Marian year. Araw-araw na rosary at tatlong beses maghapon na Angelus. Himala ng bloodless revolution.

Sa Fatima, nang magpakita ang Birhen sa tatlong bata, ang habilin ng Ina mula sa langit – magdasal, magsisi, at magpakasakit. Prayer. Penance. Reparation. Pray for the conversion of Russia. Fatima is the most political among the Marian apparitions. Talagang harapan at diretsahan iniutos ng Birhen na labanan ang kamalian ng Russia. Pray for the conversion of Russia. Pray that Russia be stopped from spreading the error of communism and atheism. 1917 ‘yon.

Sabi ng Birhen ng Fatima: “Pray. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.”

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Fast-forward to 2024. Kung susundan natin ang utos ng Birhen ng Fatima, dapat na rin natin ngayong ipagdasal ang China. Hindi tayo anti-China. Hindi tayo racist. Singkit din tayo at favorite ang pansit canton. Narito at kasama nating nagdarasal ang mga kababayan nating Tsinoy. Kapit-bisig – katutubo, Pinoy at Tsinoy, Ilocano at Pangasinan at Tagalog. Iisa tayo sa kapatiran dito sa Pilipinas, subalit alam natin ang paghihirap ng mga kapatid natin sa mainland China – oppression, truth manipulation, human rights abuses. Ang away ng gobyerno, the war of ideologies and the battle of politics can be won by the brotherhood of peoples. Before there was government, there were only loving, patriotic citizens. We are the peace that we dream for the world.

Panawagan sa mga may kapangyarihan. Pakinggan ninyo kami, kaming Pilipinong pangkaraniwan. Kaming Tsinoy na tahimik lang. Pakinggan ninyo ang Diyos. Pakinggan natin ang Diyos. Kabaliwan ang giyera. Huwag bully. Huwag magpa-bully.

Bago magkaroon ng China, bago magkaroon ng Pilipinas, bago magkaroon ng mapa ang mga bansa at paghiwa-hiwalayin tayo ng pagkakaiba, ang lahat ay likha ng Diyos. Hindi habang-panahon ang mga bansa. Sa wakas, ang lahat ay babalik sa tunay na may-ari – ang Diyos.

Mula sa Diyos at babalik sa Diyos, habang tayo ay nabubuhay sa pagitan ng creation at end of the world, maging mabuting katiwala tayo ng lupa at dagat, hangin, at himpapawid.  

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Gobyerno ng Pilipinas, paninidigan sana ninyo ang pagtatanggol sa mga dukhang mangingisda. Mga pinuno ng pamahalaan, pigilin po ninyo ang pagkasira ng yamang dagat. Hindi atin ang kalikasan. Ang kalikasan ay kapatid na dapat alagaan, hindi ari-ariang puwedeng waldasin ng mandarambong.

Sino ang may gusto ng lumpiang shanghai? Pinoy na Pinoy pang-fiesta at handaan. Madaling i-sharon at iuwi sa bahay. Alam ba ninyo na ang patron ng Shanghai ay Mary Help of Christians? Pareho tayo ng Nanay. Shanghai at Pangasinan. Mary Help of Christians! Magkalayong bayan. May iisang Nanay at iisang lumpiang ulam. China huwag bully! Pinoy huwag pa-bully.

Honorable leaders in government, you are in office by God’s design and by the people’s will. Give us the competence of statesmen, not a student council government that made vulgar men models and that glorified treason. Bring the groans and pains and anguish of our countrymen to the international institutions of justice and order. Give us a government with a sense of urgency in this time of emergency because we are standing by the precipice of continental conflict. War is not our path. Never! Diplomacy and a dialogue between equals is our path, but a diplomacy that is respectful of laws and based on truth. Our true ally is the truth. Our true defense is our dignity as God’s children.

The peace of the Philippines will not come from the hands of superpowers, but from the heart of God and the hand of the Immaculate Mother.

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We pray for our country but we also pray for brother China. Yes, brother China. It has thousands of years of civilization in the vast continent of Asia. May it use its civilization to preserve peace and harmony among nations according to the ancient teachings of Chinese wise men.

May our brothers and sisters in China who live in the darkness of religious persecution receive the light of hope of our Lady’s consoling presence. Amid the trials and pains that the Chinese people endure, day after day, may our Lady who watches over China in Sheshan in Shanghai be their source of hope and love.

In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, may the Chinese people “never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and may the Chinese people never be afraid to speak of the world to Jesus.”

Mother of China and all Asia, Mary Help of Christians, Virgen de La Naval de Manila, pray for us, now and forever! – Rappler.com

Socrates B. Villegas is the archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan. He is a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.