12/01/2024
A "BEC Bishop" and a "BEC Priest" are pivotal to the sustainability of the new way of being Church. Their tasks of immersing themselves in the lives of the suffering poor and the marginalized sectors of our society by walking with them and listening to their passion and hopes. Bishop B**g will be remembered for his legacy as a BEC Bishop.
Bishop Ronald "B**g" Lunas of the Diocese of Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur was laid to rest in the Good Shepherd's embrace at noon on January 11.
Days earlier, hordes of mourners paid their respect to a Shepherd who walked with them, defended and protected them, and led them to the verdant pastures of Christian faith. They felt Bishop B**g's arduous journey of battling with two seizures and a bypass procedure and, amidst this, his high spirit and peaceful disposition assured them that all is in God's hands. Their days of vigil coalesced them as one flock and not to be afraid to pursue their journey of faith.
On the morning of the burial day, the dark cloudy skies gradually dissipated. Throngs of lay faithful wore white shirts. The liturgical celebrations started with a somber mood and gradually picked up and turned convivial.
In the audio-visual presentation, homily, and testimonies, Bishop B**g's flock affirmed the graces of being a community of disciples through his exemplary leadership. In their view, Bishop B**g's vision of BEC as the new way of being Church and the realization of the Church of the Poor flows effortlessly in his mission, ministry, and lifestyle. He leads by walking his talk. He is a BEC Bishop.
Bishop B**g hails from the Diocese of Digos, Davao. Only 57 years of age, he grew up and entered the Davao Seminary at a time in the Church when the Vatican II's model of the Church as God's pilgrim people has spawned the spread of BECs in Davao and Mindanao. Bishop B**g was a BEC Priest. He grew up in a culture where the presence of BECs in Davao and Mindanao has injected the missionary character of the Church and this has spearheaded the move to go to far-flung barrios and evangelize the marginalized. In the process, the Church's mode of operation began to get deinstitutionalized and its clerical lifestyle seriously examined. BECs became the road to faith conversion, lay participation and the growth of the Church of the poor. Bishop B**g's teaching stint at the Regional Seminary in Davao gave him the platform to form priests-to-be along this new way of mission and ministry.
Bishop B**g failed to attend the 5th National Assembly of BECs in the Philippines held in the Diocese of Bacolod in November 2023. He regretted that he could not attend on the doctor's advice. And he obeyed.
A "BEC Bishop" and a "BEC Priest" are pivotal to the sustainability of the new way of being Church. Their tasks of immersing themselves in the lives of the suffering poor and the marginalized sectors of our society by walking with them and listening to their passion and hopes. Bishop B**g will be remembered for his legacy as a BEC Bishop.
At his burial site at the Cathedral, before the sealing of the tomb, countless GKK or BEC members, young and old, offered their stems of roses, thanking their beloved shepherd for his fidelity to walk with them to the very end of his earthly journey and promise him that they will continue treading on the pathway he has chosen.
