We Are Blessed By Monsignor Nico!

"Is it alright with you if I assist you during your mass?" I asked Msgr. Nico (Bautista) after his mass the two Sundays past. I expected that he would decline my offer. Before even asking him, I had already prepared myself in case he would decline. "Yes, of course! You will be like a deacon to me?", was his answer. "Sure," I said, "I will gladly assist you!" 

I thought Msgr. Nico needed assistance after receiving information and some complaints that he was finding it very hard to read and he was skipping some parts of the mass. While it was a real sacrifice for Msgr. Nico to celebrate the mass, it was, in a way, the same for the people attending the mass. There were suggestions not to invite him anymore but I was already decided that I will invite him as long as he wants to celebrate mass in our parish. Until that time when he himself will say he can not preside anymore or the Cardinal would tell me that he is not anymore allowed to preside, Msgr. Nico remains invited. It took a lot of courage from me to make him an offer of assistance. I thought that the fact that he was trying to commit himself to preside every Sunday was a clear sign that he can still do it. Nevertheless, I believed that I could still assist him without diminishing his resolve and commitment. After the first mass I assisted, I asked some people if they were distracted or bothered by my presence. And their answer was not at all. In fact, it was a sort of relief for them to see me guiding and facilitating things for Msgr. Nico. One even said that the scene of me and Msgr. Nico together was an inspiration to them about caring and loving each other!

I know that there will be people and priests who would not agree with this. Msgr. Nico, though loved by many, he was an irritant and a bother to the conscience of many others. He was known to have stood his ground against the Marcoses in the '70's. People even from afar would travel to St. Alphonsus Church to hear Msgr. Nico's homilies against the government of Marcos. This was the reason why even up to now, there are families not from the village or from the parish, who had made St. Alphonsus as their adopted parish and in turn the parish had made them as  adopted parishioners. All of these had been revealed to me when the old church got burned.

I know that I will be criticized as somehow "sacrificing" the liturgy and the people for a priest. But that is not how I see how things are. I am sure, many in the seven-thirty (7:30) Sunday evening mass would agree with me.  In the two Sundays I had assisted Msgr. Nico, I never felt that people were impatient, irritated, or distracted. Even Msgr. Nico intimated to me that he lauds the generosity and acceptance of the congregation. I thought that if he felt he was rejected by the congregation, he would have volunteered not to celebrate mass anymore. He knew that he could not make use of the Eucharist for himself. He knew how grave a sin that would be against the Lord!

So, why does Msgr. Nico continues to celebrate mass in spite of his serious condition? Your answer is as good as mine. I wish that I could ask him that question one day. At present, I am afraid to ask. At present, I believe it should not be asked. At present, I think it would be imprudent, ignorant, and insensitive of me. If we empathize with his condition, more than anyone, he should know. If we feel pity for him, he should also know. Maybe he wants to help the Church, particularly our parish, in proclaiming the Gospel that even his weak condition is not enough to stop him. Maybe he was trying to be faithful to his commitment as a priest. When we were ordained, we made that promise to celebrate the sacrament which is a sacrament of salvation. If salvation was foremost for the Lord Jesus, it is too for His priests. It is too for Msgr. Nico! Maybe it was his faith. He was showing us an example. He, who is already debilitated with his sickness still preside, how much more are we who are more healthy and strong? I believe this is the strongest message he is giving everyone. As a priest, it is not easy to preside in a mass. Attending a mass is much much comfortable and convenient. Rather than see his difficulty in presiding the mass as a distraction or degrading to the celebration, it should be seen as an inspiration and a source of a deeper understanding of the mass. To put it simply, Jesus accepted even death in order to save us and merit again for us eternal life. Msgr. Nico, even in sickness, continues the saving action of our Lord in every Eucharist that he presides. 

Every priest is a vicar of Christ. We represent Christ in every sacrament. We have been ordained not for ourselves or for some groups but for all the faithful. When we were ordained, we have committed ourselves to the Gospel. When we were ordained, we had offered ourselves for the service of God. Msgr. Nico is just fulfilling the very reason for his ordination. Msgr. Nico truly represents Christ our Savior whenever he presides in the mass. Msgr. Nico was chosen by God for us, chosen by us for God, and committed himself to both!

God bless us for the gift of Msgr. Nico!