Bishop Louie P. Galbines called on the La Consolacion College Bacolod community to use the gift of freedom in the service of others, drawing from the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the institution celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Consolation.
In his homily, Galbines centered his reflection on the celebration’s theme, “Journeying with Mary: From Consolation to Transformation,” presenting authentic freedom not simply as the ability to choose but as the capacity to freely choose what is good and to place oneself at the service of God and others.
“One of the greatest gifts of God for all of us is the gift of freedom,” Galbines said.
He challenged members of the LCC Bacolod community to consider how they exercise that freedom in their everyday relationships and responsibilities.
“The challenge for all of us is: How can we use our freedom to serve others?” he said, emphasizing the freedom to pursue what is good, beautiful and true.
Galbines illustrated his message through what he described as Mary’s two significant “yeses.”
The first was Mary’s response to the Annunciation, when she freely accepted God’s call despite the uncertainty of what lay ahead. Her response, Galbines said, demonstrates that service begins with a willingness to say yes — not through compulsion, but through a free decision to make oneself available to God and others.
He connected this willingness with Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, pointing to the humility of the Mother of God who went not to seek recognition but to serve.
The second “yes,” Galbines said, can be seen in Mary standing at the foot of the Cross as Jesus suffered and died. In that moment of profound loss, Mary remained faithful, allowing suffering to become part of a deeper relationship with God and a wider motherhood represented by Christ entrusting her to the beloved disciple.
Through Mary, Galbines presented the movement from consolation to transformation as one that can require letting go — including the surrender of pride, expectations and attachment to status — to become more available for service.
He also recalled personal encounters illustrating how titles and positions can sometimes obscure the deeper measure of a person. Humility, he suggested, allows people to recognize that genuine greatness is found not in being served but in serving.
Citing Christ’s example of coming “not to be served, but to serve,” Galbines stressed that service has a transformative effect beyond the person who performs it.
“When we serve, we transform every day. When we serve, we change the perspective of other people,” he said.
He reminded the LCC Bacolod community that transformation does not depend primarily on outward change. Rather, it begins within a person who freely chooses to do good and becomes willing to place his or her abilities at the service of others.
Even simple acts of kindness, he said, can communicate recognition and belonging. A smile, for instance, can tell another person that he or she has a place in one’s mind and heart.
The bishop’s message echoed the Gospel proclaimed during the Mass from John 14, in which Jesus tells his disciples that love is demonstrated through keeping his commandments and promises them the Holy Spirit as their Advocate. The passage concludes with Christ offering his disciples peace and telling them not to allow their hearts to be troubled or afraid.
Galbines urged the school community to understand freedom not as permission to act solely for oneself but as an opportunity to build others up, support their dreams and allow them to experience God through acts of goodness and service.
The celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Consolation holds particular significance for LCC Bacolod, whose Augustinian educational tradition looks to Mary, Our Lady of Consolation, as a model of faith, hope and compassionate presence.
Galbines concluded by expressing hope that the LCC Bacolod community would continue its journey together as a community marked by compassion, service and faith in Jesus.
The feast brought together the Augustinian Sisters, administrators, faculty, personnel and students of LCC Bacolod in honoring the institution’s patroness and reflecting on the call to move from receiving consolation toward becoming instruments of transformation in the lives of others.