Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Homily on the 2nd Day of Misa de Gallo, 17 Dec 2025, Lower Tanay Chapel, Pulangbato

Maayong buntag kaninyong tanan! Nindot kaayo ang pagkanta sa atong choir, di ba? Tagaan nato sila og masipang pakpak. Karon pangutan-on nato sila.

Kinsa kaha sa inyo ang nakahibalo kung unsa ang unang libro sa Bibliya? (Genesis) Karon, pangutan-on naman nato ang mga Lectors. Kinsa sa inyo ang nakahibalo kung unsa ang ikaduha ug ang ikatulo nga libro sa Bibliya? (Exodus ug Leviticus)

Karon, ang sunod nato nga pangutan-on mao ang mga Lay Ministers. Unsa ang ika-upat ug ang ika-lima nga libro sa Bibliya? (Numbers and Deuteronomy)

Mao kini ang unang LIMA nga mga libro sa Bibliya. Mao kini ang gitawag sa English nga Pentateuch. Is there anyone of you here who has already read all these first five books? If yes, which book is your favorite? And which book for you is the most boring?

Kadtong high school pa lang ako, gisugdan na nako ang pagbasa sa Bibliya gumikan sa Genesis, hangtod sa Deuteronomy. Ug ang akong paborito mao and Exodus kay ganahan kay ko sa istorya sa mga Israelita labi na katong giluwas sila sa Ginoo gikan sa pagkaulipon nila didto sa Ehipto, hangtud nga nakaabot sila sa gisaad nga yuta didto sa Canaan.

On the other hand and pinaka-boring para nako mao ang Book of Numbers. Kini ang libro nga naghisgot sa tanang statistics ug mga pangalan sa kada tribo sa katawhan sa Israel. Nevertheless, gitiwas jud nako pagbasa kini. I wanted to be able to say that as a Catholic I have read the whole Bible.

Today I’m sure many of you felt bored listening to the Gospel passage I read earlier – all the names of persons in the genealogy of Jesus. Maayo gani, once a year lang nato kini basahon sa Liturgy – on the second day of the Christmas Novena. However today I would like you to learn a new attitude when listening to these names. Mao kini ang 3 attitudes nga importante sa atong pagpaminaw sa genealogy: una sa tanan (1) wonder; (2) second, excitement; and (3) third, gratitude.

First is WONDER. Kining genealogy nagpakita nga si Jesus matuod nga tawo. He is fully human as he was born with a long human ancestry. Aduna siya’t taas nga listahan sa iyang mga katigulangan. When Jesus came to this world, he did not just drop down from heaven like a bomb. Wala siya moturok sa yuta sama sa usa ka uhong o mushroom. No! Jesus was born of parents named Joseph and Mary who were both part of humanity, belonging to the chosen people of God.

Ang labing kahibulongan mao kini: Jesus had ancestors who were Kings, aduna siyay mga katigulangan nga mga hari. Apan si Jesus adunay usab mga katigulangan nga mga eskandaloso ug mga ulipon. He also had ancestors who were shameful scandals and worthless slaves.

The good news is this: despite coming from a long line of Kings this Jesus who was born in Bethlehem did not develop a sense of entitlement. In fact it was okay for him to be born in a manger, to grow up being a son of a carpenter and to work as a carpenter. On the other hand Jesus never developed an inferiority complex nor any feeling of shame knowing that some of his ancestors were scandalous sinners. On the contrary he developed a heart of remarkable mercy and compassion esp. for sinners. So what is the first attitude? WONDER!

The second attitude is excitement. In this genealogy you should mark the first and the last names, that is, Abraham who is the first, and Jesus who is the last. And then you must have noticed the names of some of the more famous persons, among them Isaac, Jacob and Judah; Boaz, Jesse, David and Solomon; and then, also Josiah, and Joseph. These are names often mentioned during our Sunday Masses.

There are also a few names of women, like Tamar, Ruth, the unnamed wife of Uriah, and last of all Mary. As these names are read one by one, we should get excited especially towards the end of the list when we come closer to reading the names of Joseph and Mary, and most especially the name of Jesus the promised Messiah awaited by countless generations. So, what is the second attitude? EXCITEMENT!

Finally, the third attitude is gratitude. We thank God for all these persons who played an important role in the history of our salvation. Above all we thank him for having remained faithful throughout all generations. Despite the sins and infidelities of his people, he did not abandon them. On the contrary, he sent His only Son to be born as Savior of the world.

These three attitudes – wonder, excitement and gratitude – are precisely what also we need even now during this final period of our advent preparation.

May this Eucharist inspire us and increase our wonder, excitement and gratitude in the succeeding days of this novena. May these help us intensify our spiritual preparation for the coming Christmas so that Jesus may find a worthy place in our hearts, where he can be born. And we pray that through us he may also be born in the hearts of other people who are in dire need of a Savior even today. GiGsss!

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