“With great power comes great
responsibility.” This is a wonder line in a Spiderman movie. Moreover, I would
like to rephrase such line by saying, “Great power needs great humility.” This
is applicable to a great man whom I would like to talk about briefly.
Though an Archbishop, people call
him “Fr. Soc.” This is not a lack of respect to his authority, rather, it is
what he prefers to be called. He would reason out that no matter what position
he is entrusted with, he would always be a simple priest forever.
Fr. Soc is a spiritual person.
His routine in praying is something astonishing. If you would send him a
message at five in the morning, you would get a reply quickly. This is because
he would wake up early and pray at four o’clock in the morning until five
o’clock in a small chapel adjacent to his room for adoration. He would remind
us, his beloved seminarians, that we need to have time for a holy hour a day
for the Lord.
Before he goes out of the
Archbishop’s house, he visits first the adoration chapel adjacent to the
Cathedral to pray for some minutes. Not only that, if you are going to ride
with him, be sure that you have a rosary with you, for he will surely invite
you to pray with him the mysteries of the rosary for the day before having a
casual conversation. Moreover, he is actually a devotee of Our lady of the Most
Holy Rosary. He prays the twenty mysteries of the rosary every day. Despite his
busy schedule as an Archbishop and as the CBCP President, he remains consistent
with his prayer life.
Fr. Soc is a simple person. He
does not care about luxurious things. What he needs is all that he has. It is a
fact that many people give him gifts. His brothers and sisters provide him
clothing. However, when he knows that he has enough of the basic things, he
actually gives it to other people like his seminarians. I, myself, have
received many.
He is not choosy of food to eat.
Some may be wondering what he is eating. Some have judged him as someone elite
due to his looks and bearing. However, he eats what we also eat. He is like
anyone else. He also eats burger in a fast-food. He is a simple person.
With great responsibility, it is
natural to have an assistant or secretary. However, this is not the case with
Fr. Soc. He is a person in authority who does not need a secretary. When asked
for a speech or message, one would be assured that Fr. Soc is the one making
it. He is the one writing all the letters and documents that he needs. He would
tell us that he does not need a secretary for he had been a secretary for a
long time. He is a responsible person.
He is a loving Father to his
sheep, to his seminarians and priests. Though busy, he sees to it that he has
time for all of us. He knows his seminarians well that he can name all 120
seminarians by heart. He makes sure that he talks to them, be with them on
Christmas and Easter and he visits them in the seminary. He even has a room in
the seminary where he sleeps for a day during his visits. It is also the case
with the priest and his sheep.
Fr. Soc, a spiritual man. Fr.
Soc, a simple man. Fr. Soc, a responsible man. Fr. Soc, a loving father. Such
descriptions may not be enough to describe the person of Fr. Soc. A
seven-minute speech may not be enough to narrate all about him. If you would be
walking with Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, you are like walking Jesus for
Fr. Soc is a faithful follower of Jesus.
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