Peace that Searches, Speaks, and Shines
Homily of H.E., Rufino “Jun” C. Sescon, Jr., D.D., Bishop of Balanga
25th Episcopal Ordination Anniversary of Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, D.D., Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
August 31, 2026 | Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag
Their Excellencies, the Archbishops and Bishops of the Philippines, Reverend Fathers and Sisters, Deacons and Seminarians, public officials, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and of course our beloved Jubilarian Archbishop Soc Villegas:
Nothing can stop us from celebrating this jubilee, because nothing can stop God from loving us and blessing us. Amen? So, let us give the Lord a clap offering.
During the funeral Mass of my mother, then Bishop Soc revealed a secret about Cardinal Sin and me. Now it's my turn.
I remember one time, I accompanied Cardinal Sin (whose birthday we celebrate today) in the nunciature; and Cardinal Sin was asking the [apostolic] nuncio then, “What has happened to the nomination of Father Soc as bishop?”, and the nuncio expressed everything, including his reservations and observations. The cardinal, in his usual wit and humor, replied, “But you are not looking for a saint. You are looking for a bishop. You are not submitting his name to the causes of saints, but you are submitting his name to the congregation of bishops. You are not looking for a saint. You are looking for a bishop.” Perhaps the nuncio realized Cardinal Sin was right. That is why not long afterwards, Father Soc was elected bishop.
He is not a saint. After 25 years as a bishop, Archbishop Soc will be the first to admit to everyone that he is not a saint. At least not yet. But there is something unmistakable about his vocation: from Manila to Balanga, to Lingayen-Dagupan. He has spent his years as a priest and bishop inviting others to become saints. Perhaps that is also why the spirit which has accompanied his priestly and episcopal ministry can be summed up in that wonderfully disarming invitation.
“Let us be saints together.”
I'm sure you have heard that invitation time and time again. “Let us be saints together.” Yes, let us be saints together, because holiness is not a solo project. We do not become saints alone. We become saints with one another, through one another, sometimes despite one another; but always because Christ has gathered us together.
Archbishop Soc is relentless in calling us to holiness, because he bears and proclaims “Pax” (Peace), his Episcopal motto. Today, let us unravel that peace of Christ, which has guided and empowered our Jubilarian for the past 25 years.
Peace that Searches
Peace that searches. The first reading gives us a beautiful imagery of a shepherd. “I myself will search for my sheep.” This is the first characteristic of peace. Peace does not simply wait. Peace searches.
If there is one image of Archbishop Soc that sticks to us, it is always he is on the go. As if telling us, “Catch me if you can,”. Because the peaceful shepherd is never passive. He goes looking for the lost, the wounded, the forgotten, those who have wandered away. Sometimes bishops and priests imagine that if they build enough structures and programs, if they produce enough documents and activities, everyone will eventually come; but the prophet Ezekiel gives us another image: the shepherd goes looking.
This is one of the great gifts of Archbishop Soc’s Episcopal Ministry. He has never been afraid to look. To look at the wounds of the Church and society. To look at the wounded conscience of a nation. To look at the sufferings of ordinary Filipinos.
A true bishop is a shepherd who goes…
to priests who have wandered from their calling,
to the young who no longer come,
to the poor who feel invisible,
to the oppressed who have stopped trusting,
to those who have become angry with the Church,
to those who are searching for God.
Peace is not sheer stillness. Peace is a heart so rooted in God that it is free to go where love sends it. A bishop has to keep searching, even when tired, even when misunderstood, even when the answer is not immediate, because the sheep do not belong to him; they belong to Christ.
Archbishop Soc is always on the lookout. He knows the priests who are absent during recollections and meetings. I'm sure, dear fathers know that very well. He notices those who have distanced themselves even from the Church. Like the hound of God, he goes after those who need to return to God's mercy and peace.
Kaya po huwag kayong mabahala ‘pag hinahanap kayo ni Archbishop Soc. Mas matakot po kayo kung hindi na n’ya kayo hinahanap. Don't worry, it will never happen. That is why we can say to Archbishop Soc today, “Thank you, for reminding us that the shepherd must never stop searching and going after the sheep.
Peace that Speaks
The second characteristic is more difficult: peace that speaks. The world often thinks that peace means avoiding difficult conversations:. “Don't say anything anymore,” “Just keep quiet,” “Just maintain the harmony,” “Good vibes, nalang,” but that is not always peace. Sometimes silence is simply fear wearing a peaceful face. The quiet born from convenience or compromise is fake peace. The prophets knows this, and so does the Shepherd.
There are moments when love requires us to speak. As Saint John tells us in the second reading, “We love because he first loved us.” A true Christian does not speak because he enjoys being right. He is not someone who enjoys criticizing and loves controversy. The prophet does not shout because he hates the world. He speaks because he loves. He speaks, because he believes the world can be better, the Gospel is worth defending, the poor deserve justice, the truth must be proclaimed. A prophet is someone who loves enough to speak and proclaim the truth.
This is particularly important in our country today. We need a Church that can speak. Speak for the poor, for truth, for the integrity and dignity of every human person. We need prophets who speak when corruption becomes normal, when the vulnerable are forgotten, when political power becomes more important than the common good.
Peace is not keeping everybody happy and comfortable. Peace is reminding everyone to be on the road to holiness, on the way of Christ. This is the kind of peace our Lord has given Archbishop Soc to bear and proclaim.
Archbishop Soc is not talkative. I know that very well, having lived with him for some time. He is a frustrated monk. That is why he loves silence and solitude. (Kaya huwag na po kayong malungkot kung tahimik si Archbishop Soc minsan ‘pag kasama kayo. Mas matakot po kayo ‘pag nagsalita na siya.) Because he is a shepherd and prophet who loves. He is unstoppable whenever he has to speak out for the good of the flock and for the glory of God.
Thank you for that voice, Archbishop Soc. A peace that speaks.
Peace that Shines
Finally, Jesus tells us, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” To be the salt of the earth and the light of the world is to be a saint. Like salt and light, ours is a peace that shines. We are called to be light, not the spotlight. Archbishop Soc knows that very well. He searches, speaks, and shines, not so that people will look at him, but so that through him people may see Christ. He is not a rock star. He is a signpost. He is a disciple of Jesus. His is the peace of a bishop who can work tirelessly without believing that everything depends on him. The peace of a man who can say, “I am not the Messiah; I am only His servant.” “Christ must increase; I must decrease.” That is a bishop who truly shines. That is the peace that shines.
The wonderful thing about the shine of Christ's peace is that it glows even more in darkness. No turmoil, persecution, hatred, or evil can shatter that shining peace of Christ. I have seen that in Archbishop Soc. He is not Superman. He is also human. He can get tired and hurt, problems, conflicts, and complaints, bashers, and false accusations. Sometimes even the same hurting people. But the glow in him never fades, because the peace of Jesus shines in him. You cannot fake that glow because it is a peace that shines. Kaya ‘pag nalulungkot po kayo, nade-depress kayo, naiinis na kayo, tignan n’yo nalang po si Archbishop Soc, because even if he also undergoes those same things, he has a peace that shines.
Here To Accompany You
Dear Archbishop Soc, perhaps the most fitting way for us to celebrate your jubilee today is not to place you on a pedestal, because pedestals are very lonely places. You are just there alone. Pedestals separate you from us; and that is why instead we are here to accompany you, just as you have accompanied us through the years.
We from Manila, Balanga, Lingayen-Dagupan, from Pateros, Letran, San Carlos Seminary, EDSA Shrine, from near and far, we are here to stand beside you, to pray with you, to laugh and cry with you, and above all, to walk with you and with your flock towards the holiness and peace of Jesus Christ.
You have called us here in Manaoag so that we may know your hidden wealth and power. The Lady Who Calls, the Lady who accompanies, the Mother who consoles, and always points us to her Son. She is the Queen of Peace.
Dear Archbishop Soc. We join you in lifting your grateful heart to the Lord.
Not because your journey has been easy,
but because God's grace has been sufficient.
Not because your ministry has been without crosses,
but because Christ has carried them with you.
Not because you have always been successful,
but because through every season you have continued to proclaim and bear Pax.
The peace that the world cannot take away, the peace that only Jesus can give.
Ad Multos Annos, Archbishop Soc! Pax is not only engraved in your coat of arms, but in the hearts of so many people. May these same Pax continue to nourish and shape your ministry. Today we say thank you, or perhaps even better, thanks be to God. For every bishop, every priest is God's gift before he is an instrument.
May the Good Shepherd, whom we have served so faithfully, continue to strengthen you in that peace that searches, that peace that speaks, that peace that shines.
Always remember, Archbishop, Father Soc, we are always here with you as you tirelessly invite us, “Let us be saints together.” Amen.
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