VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
I am a devotee of our blessed Mother. I was born on the feast of Mary, Our Lady of Peace when it was celebrated on Jan. 24. Consequently, I had built a small chapel dedicated to the patronage of Our Lady of Peace in our barangay (Philippine barrio) after I returned from Afghanistan. Someday, after I retire I want to build a rectory there and say Mass for the people. It is a way of giving back to the Lord what I received.
As I look back on my life, I see that it has always been connected with Mary. I was a member of the Children of Mary, then the Legion of Mary and all kinds of other Marian associations.
As a young boy, I remember my mom bringing me to the cathedral. She had a devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and would always pray to her. Being so small, I couldn’t understand what was going on. After praying the novena, she would wipe the picture of Our Lady with the handkerchief she had. The saddest part of it, she would transfer all the dust on the picture onto me as she wiped it over me! Maybe she was praying for me to be a good boy, or someday to become a priest. She never told me what was on her mind.
One Sunday, after finishing my elementary education, I remember praying in the church. As I looked up at the altar and the altar servers, I got the inspiration that someday I would be the one saying the Mass. So I then studied, entered the seminary, and the rest is history.
St. Michael the Archangel could also be considered my guardian angel. He was the patron of the barangay where I was born. The first parish I was assigned to was also named St. Michael. And when I was deployed to Afghanistan, the first six months were spent in Kabul where the people had a devotion to St. Michael. I told the soldiers to pray to Mary and St. Michael to lead us to Jesus and give us protection.
Sometimes, when I would visit the soldiers on the front lines, they would ask me, “Chaplain, why is it that you don’t have a weapon? It is very dangerous in this place and anything could happen at any time.” I told them, “Don’t worry, I have the most powerful weapon.” I show them my rosary and say, “This is a 50-caliber round clip,” referring to the 50 beads.
How do I cultivate my spiritual life? Every morning I wake up at 4:30 a.m. I prepare myself, pray my morning prayer and reflect on the Gospel and the readings of the day. The whole day then I would intentionally relate the Gospel to whatever experiences I encountered letting the words become more a part of me. So even if I am busy, there are at least a couple of gems from Scripture I can carry with me. Thus, when I say Mass, it is not hard to give a spontaneous homily, as it is already in my heart.
Father Mario Palanca is from the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, Philippines. He is a U.S. military chaplain serving in Hawaii at Tripler Medical Center and has been ordained 34 years.
