Inspirations at your Fingertips!

As New Year ushers in, we reflect on blessings as proclaimed in the scriptures.  May even our hurts turn into blessings. From the Hebrew Beraka, which means "to bend the knee in worship and praise", blessings become due to God rather than his gifts.  "We bless you, Lord God Almighty."  Rightly so, because we kneel in praise and honor to the Source of all gifts. From the Greek "eulogein", which means "to speak well of" or "to praise", blessing becomes a social reality of recognizing persons as gifts. Everything becomes a blessing, even hurts.  And we bless, we give what is due to others and to God.  We can convert hurts to blessings if we allow God to bless us so we can see how He would heal us. Life is indeed a blessing!

"That which we have heard from the beginning, that which we have touched with our hands ..."  Whoever could get more concrete than these?  But these are the marks of an original witness to Jesus.  And these marks were passed on to the present in an unbreakable bond. The original experiences translated into words and life, coupled by experiences of those touched by the Holy Spirit.  These are the marks of a true Christian, the signs manifest in his very own life. This Christmas, may our our lives become mirrors of the saving power of Jesus Christ.

In a few hours, we shall be celebrating The Solemnity of Christ's Birth.  As parish priest, I feel truly honored to share this mystery and prepare the People of God to this great meeting.  Because of this, a great responsibility has dawned upon me and I would like to ask for your prayers and blessings. God must have wanted us to prepare so much to the detail so that we who receive Jesus and the world may finally obtain the salvation we are seeking for.  That is why there is the vigil mass, the midnight mass, the dawn mass, and the day mass. In the mystery of Jesus' birth, we hope to also be born in him; for God's judgement in us to be changed from "forsaken" or "abandoned" to "Delight" and "wedded".  Right this moment we shall be wedded to God. In the gospel of the vigil mass, let us recall the family lineage of Jesus because we are part of that one family that existed ever since the beginning of time.  All we have to do is to a...

As we approach Christmas, everything is in place … heaven is gearing up for its ultimate preparation before the definitive coming of Jesus Christ.  Have we also prepared enough? In Isaiah, people who following God are greater in number and force, as in the barren as compared to the wedded.  Widowhood and barrenness are no more.  The Lord God comes in His glory.  His love never ends. In the gospel according to Luke, he invites us to take a closer look at the manifestations of Christ in the world today.  Where is the messiah except in the least of all which is the greatest in the kingdom of God?  Jesus allows himself to be the "least" in the kingdom to show us that even the greatest in this world has to power over him. It is time to break the world we have created for ourselves.  It is time to let Christ in and to let His work be ours and His cause, our cause.  It is time to start with the smallest and the weakest and come up teeming with life in...

This homily is given at the misa-novenario of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish, Project 4, QC last Nov. 24, 2011. If Mary were to be the model of pardoning injuries, the best opportunity for her to reveal this virtue is during the crucifixion of her Son, Jesus Christ.  How would one feel if a mother who knows her son through and through as the epitome of goodness would be subjected to the extremest rejection ever? But she was there, totally present for her Son, with such endurance that nobody else can sustain.  We could only surmise what was in Mary's heart all along - this is for the salvation of the world and thus, she would also endure it as her Son endures it. But notice the words of our Lord to her: Woman, there is your son (referring to John); Son, there is your mother.  And John took her to his home.  Jesus still calls for a lasting relationship that no other bond could take away.  And Jesus called for the perfection of love in communio - a c...

Friday of the 33rd week, year 1 Have you noticed what the people thought is due to God in the readings? All the rites and rituals are geared toward that utmost reverence to the Almighty God, the Lord of Heaven and earth. Even in the smallest liturgy, one could feel the presence of the Divine, sanctifying the human world and filling it up with His living Spirit.  The world is animated; it becomes the incarnation of the Divine Lord and His love for us. Have we given to God what is due to Him?  Do our lives reflect the Divine Presence?  Is our involvement in the liturgy and the Church a manifestation of the presence of God?  Finally, may it be a challenge for us to reflect the presence of God in the work we are in "In Opus Ministerii"  which means, in the work of the Ministry: the ministry to love, to serve, and to adore God.

29th Friday, year 1 "Gusto kong bumait, pero di ko magawa" are the attractive lines of a song sung by a rock band to say that there is something in us that prevents us from doing good. Actually, the statement may be right considering that there is something in us that desires almost everything, from food to luxury and power.  But there's also another saying that goes "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" to tell us that desires could be insatiable and they are there to bring havoc to us all. "Who will save me from all of these?" St. Paul asks; and here is the answer: "Jesus Christ!" Recall when Jesus was born that first Christmas and the angels sang their praise: "Peace on earth to men of good will!"  We are the people of good will.  Our spiritual side enables us to be oriented towards the Divine.  And the reason we are desiring these things is because truthfully, we desire for something that will grant us true and lasting ha...

This is a question posed by non-Catholic Christians to those who do not belong to their group. However threatening this question may seem to be, this also bears the Good news: with Christ all of us are saved!  He sacrificed his life so as to win reconciliation through faith.  God justified everyone who believes in Jesus" (Romans 3:21-30) This statement marks the universality of faith: God is a God of all and Jesus died for all.  Secondly, it stresses who we are: we are children united under one Lord.  We don't have to go on our own.  We need to insure that all others are receiving the very life we are receiving from God. So, instead of being anxious whether we would be saved or not, let us utilize all time, talent, and treasure gaining others for Christ until everyone experiences the gift of redemption!

Tuesday of the 26th Week in ordinary time year 1 What an irony for the first and second readings.  In the first reading, people would want to journey with the Jews in going up to Jerusalem because of their God.  But in the second reading, people abhor Jesus who is going up to Jerusalem.  Why? If we invite people to be active in the Church, why do they remain inactive? In the readings we can infer that God is irresistible.  We must have done something to not make God irresistible.  We may have conditioned ourselves not to resist other things like material things in place of God. Second, we may have failed to incarnate Jesus in our lives and failed to share him to others.  This lack of dedication has sacrificed the excitement of children to be active in the Church. Let us constantly evaluate within ourselves if truly, we admit that God is high above any priority in our lives; that his truth and values be incarnated in us; and that we passionately sha...

Lunes ng ika-26 linggo,  Taon 1 Ang kasiyahan sa isang bata ay hindi kung ika'y umaarteng parang bata kundi ang laman ng iyong puso'y singwagas ng isang bata. Ito ang Sion na tinutukoy ng Panginoon sa pamamagitan ni propeta Zakarias; ang Sion na kung saan itatayo muli ang templo ng Diyos.  Ang Sion ay ang taluktok ng bundok kung saan magkikita ang tao at Diyos; larawan ito ng langit kung saan magkakaroon ng masayang pagtatagpo ng Diyos at ng tao. Ngunit nawa'y taglay natin ang kasiglahan ng mga batang naglalaro; buhay at nagdudulot ng kasiyahan sa iba.  Kailangan din natin pusong payak tulad ng sa bata; hindi mapag-alala sa napakaraming alalahanin sa buhay kundi masaya lamang sa piling ng minamahal.  Tayo'y parating nasa piling ng Diyos; masaya ba tayo? At higit sa lahat, kailangan natin ng pagtalima ng isang bata tulad ng pagsunod ng bata sa kanilang mga magulang at guro.  Bata ang papapasukin ng Ama sa kanyang kaharian; tayo iyon na may puso ng isang ...

Tuesday of the 23rd week, year 1 An inspiring idea today is what our new faith that is deeply rooted in Christ could do. This is in contrast with the values and philosophies of this world that is devoid of the presence of God. Don't believe in secularist theories or even pro-structuralist theories.  God is unchanging.  He is not a set of beliefs.  He is real. His teachings change us to the core of our being. Christ makes us unto Himself.  He changes our hearts to be like his. Imagine a world where Christ dwells in every heart; where the theme of life is in giving; where all can see the hand of God in everything we do.  There is life for all.

Friday of week 22 of the year, year 1 Lk. 5, 33 - 39 St. Paul gave a mini-Catechesis about Jesus and how the Church is linked with him.  It is with this link that marks our being Christians.  This is the good news: we are new creations in Jesus Christ.  It is the potential power within us: our capacity to change for the better and to be authentic images of God.  It can be possible if we give due attention to knowing the ways of Christ.  This is what the saints are made of.  To be modern-day saints does not only connote leading holy lives; it also means we are capable of bring life to the world - hope for the down trodden, a new beginning for the poor, and healing to the infirmed. Give due attention to serving the Lord and nobody else!

thursday of the 22nd week in ordinary time, year I Gospel: Lk. 5: 1 - 11 The Christian community slowly grows in the knowledge of Christ and reaches the kingdom of Heaven. The growth of a community always has a beginning and a period of growth.  Like a child with whom the parent is so patient in forming, the Christian is conscious of his growth in the Lord.  He is also conscious on how his community is growing in faith. "Grace builds on nature."  The miracle happens when, despite our human nature, we respond to grow in our knowledge and love of the Lord. Learn from Peter himself.  Though he is submerged in his own world, he still has the docility to accept Jesus' offer to be "a fisher of men."  By following the Lord, we shall also reach the fullness of our being.

Reflections, Easter Thursday There are many definitions of peace.  I chose three definitions from dictionary.com that resonate with the peace Jesus gave to his disciples: First, a state of countries in accord; a time of peace among countries is a time of development.  In this situation fullness of life abounds among peoples; Second, a state of calm or quiet; an interior state of peace; solitude with God and self, possessing harmony with self, God, nature and others.  This brought about by a quiet, lively relationship with the living God; third, rapport and amity between peoples and parties.  Here we emphasize the gift of relationships and the love that binds them. Peace is God's gift to us; God who is the source of peace is also our destination.  For His peace is our fullness of being.  Peace is not escaping from problems.  Peace is in confronting problems and courageously resolving them through the power of Jesus to change us and breathe lif...

Easter Reflections The story of Mary Magdalene seeing the risen Jesus should inspire us in our zeal to resurrect our Christian convictions this Easter. Like many of us who are subjected to all sorts of trials and temptations, it is easy for us to lose our sense of sight on the One, true God, Jesus Christ. Mary's sensitivity to the Divine Master enabled her to see despite her feelings of confusion and sadness.  Jesus calling "Mary!" is enough for her to recognize him.  We too have to be extra sensitive to the signs of faith inside and outside of us.  Inside of us is our consciences formed to listen to the voice of goodness.  Outside of us, we recognize the instruments that deepened our faith - our parents, our religiosity, the Church, etc. In being able to see, it is almost impossible to stay in the dark or keep others in the dark.  Even in the world of gossip, people just couldn't keep things to themselves.  In a world where people who are touched...

The night prior to the celebration of Holy Thursday recalls the betrayal of Judas.  It also marks the descent of man away from his true identity in reference to God who created him in His image and likeness.  The effects of sin upon the human heart are far beyond any man could imagine; the death and the horror of sin and the destruction it causes upon every human being in history, at present, and in the future are so much that we choose to feel a total distaste for the world of sin and secondly, to make a firm decision to put an end to its sad influence in the world. On the other hand, there is Jesus and his total adherence to the Father.  Jesus is going to "pass over" from death to life, all for our sake.   His time is at hand; at this time his glory would be proclaimed.  Darkness would give way to Easter morn. On this day prior to the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, commit only one thing: commit to be on His side; commit to join our Lord in...

This day, March 27, both of us priests, Fr. Maico Rescate and I, are celebrating our priestly anniversary.  I am 18 years in the priesthood while Fr. Maico is 1 year befor he celebrates his silver anniversary. Taking the gospel of Jesus and the Samaritan woman as my point of reference for reflection, allow me to reflect on  our priesthood as the outpouring gift of the Holy Spirit like a stream of living water promised by Jesus to the Samaritan woman. I was inspired by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Solemnity of the Annunciation when the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and she conceived Jesus our Lord.  I believe that when we said yes to this vocation, the Holy Spirit allowed us to conceive Jesus also.  I could still remember when Jesus asked me, "Do you love me, and I answered like Peter did, "Yes, Lord, I love you."  Then Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."  We need to say "yes" before the outpouring of the living water can ensue. Secondly, like the Sama...

Thursday of the 2nd week of lent; Gospel: Luke 16:19-31 We have come to rationalize that life is neither black nor white but shades of gray.  Actions are justified as neither moral or immoral.  We appeal in the end that God would understand us in the end. The readings for today are filled with binarisms or opposites - the just and the foolish man, the rich man and Lazarus, the rich and the poor, the sumptuous food above the table and the scraps down below, and heaven and hell. It would thus seem that for God, life is indeed black and white and not shady as we claim.  There are norms that God wants us to live out and sins that he despises. There are only 2 responses to God's offer to us - to accept or reject; to listen to remain dumb; and to be hot or cold in our faith.  Take your pick.  After that, in everything, God is the ultimate judge of all our actions. Choose what will bring us life and salvation.  Choose God.

Gospel: Mark 10, 46 - 52 From the gospel of St. Mark, it may seem almost unbelievable for God to ask us the same question a waiter would, "What can I do for you?"  since he is God and does not deserve to be treated as a servant. But God chose to be a servant and to be totally available for us, to help us, to fill us up with His graces. There was a time when I stopped asking God what I wanted.  It may be because I realized He answers prayers not exactly as I wanted it but how He wanted me to receive it for my greater good.  But I learned a valuable lesson on prayer - I ended up not thinking about myself but more about asking what He wants.  I realized that He will would always be better than mine and that even now, He is fulfilling what is best for me.  His question therefore would connote the deepest sense of service one could ever receive, "What can I do for you?"  as if He is saying, "I am and will always be with you, answering your every prayer a...

This day is known as the World Day of the Sick and this day every year, the Pope gives us a message on the world of suffering and what communities can do to assist our suffering brethren. The Holy Father stressed three things among others for this day: 1. that Jesus took upon himself the suffering of man.  By his wounds we are healed (1 Pet. 2,24).  It is Jesus who is the cause of our salvation. 2. that we, like Thomas, are moved to respond to the overwhelming love of Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20, 28)  This is the proof of Christ's victorious love. 3.  that it is through the wounds of Christ that we are able to see.  Jesus showed us the way to love and hope. In the midst of suffering, may we be consoled only in Jesus.  Pope Benedict also appealed to authorities to invest more in health-care structures and provide help and aid to the suffering and support those in need.

God created woman, the complementary of man to be his "helpmate". What is a helpmate? In Tagalog, it means "katulong, katuwang, kasama." In English, a helpmate is a helpful partner, a companion, who is a spouse, a compliment to one's existence.  We are never complete by ourselves, but are made so by the presence of another who is also a part of us. Jesus tried to isolate the Jews from the others but learned deeply from the Syrophoenician woman to asked to cure her daughter.  We are all connected, "Ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay sakit ng buong katawan."  Learn from the words of Scripture: "As long as you did it to these least ones, you did it to me." Treat everyone who is a child of God a "helpmate" or a "companion"; a partner in the work of bringing all things under God's rule.  Open our eyes to see that we are never alone; there are people alongside with us, living, thinking out the same things, and deserving th...

"Who will resist the day of His coming? Who will remain standing when he appears?" (Malachi, 3:1-4) The reading tells us of the immense power of  Jesus.  Like the power of fire, he will purify us. The Feast of the Presentation should give us an insight of the Light who is Christ himself.  Do not belittle that light.  Make sure the light is shining brightly. Unveil all the potentials of the Christian faith.  We are Christian soldiers; let us not be cold in our faith.  Reach out to all people through this light; expand to the next generation the presence of God.  What we sow today, we shall reap tomorrow.  The future of our children and our children's children will depend on how we live out our faith today.

Search "beatitudes" in the internet and you'll find this definition: a state of supreme happiness. I don't think that there is an event in our lives when we felt "supreme" or "utmost" happiness.  But Jesus tagged beatitudes to the meek and humble, the poor, sorrowing, and persecuted, and not to those who grew rich by luck or hard work, or to the powerful and influential. I think there is more more than outcasting the rich and the powerful and exulting the poor.  After all, who is the really rich and powerful in this world except those who are blessed in the sight of God. The beatitudes teach us a valuable lesson on choosing the real wealth, peace, and happiness.  For even in sorrowing, the Christian is consoled; even in pain the Christian feels peace.  Even in death, the Christian has life. Only God in Christ could give the Christian real and everlasting happiness.

The kingdom of God may be seen after our lives here on earth; but the kingdom of God resides in each of us right now. Our life stories could be the unfolding of the kingdom of God right here on earth.  If we make sure that our every decision would lead others to life and give glory to God, heaven would be right here on earth.

I believe the Lord doesn't ask us for anything less.  Because he has given everything of Himself, let it be upon us to give Him what He deserves - our whole lives. there is a saying that caught my attention of a priest who said, "Magis" taken from the Jesuits' "All for the greater glory of God".  It means more, be more, give more, use more.  "Lubos, buhos, ubos". Let it be the same for us in our devotion, love, and service to our Divine Lord.

I believe that far beyond any good work, moral living, or any accomplishment that is worthy in the sight of men are the words from the book of Hebrews 7:25-8:6: "Jesus is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him." Have we realized the implications of this sentence?  It is Jesus, only Jesus throughout our lives.  Jesus who is the cause of all life; Jesus who is living forever to intercede for all who come to God through him.  It is only through Jesus that we can come to the Father.  It is only through Jesus that life can be possible.  It is only through Jesus. In today's world where people are dreaming of a better life, of wanting to earn more, to be more, to have more,  it is only through Jesus that all these can be possible and much more besides.  Because if we possess the very heart of Christ, none of these would be as important that what is to come - the gift of Jesus himself and his everlasting love. If we still yearn ...

God gives a hundredfold for those who do His will. Let's just persevere because God's love is overwhelming. What happened to us?  Why did we turn negative or pessimistic?  The pharisees here become symbolic of those who do not want to see the success of others or blessings abound. The question in all of our decisions is "Who is ending up fruitful?"  When we focus on our self-interests, we are fruitful only to ourselves, but empty to others. Every decision reaches horizontally, vertically, and now in front and at the back of us.  Every small decision affects all others, the littlest of children; our decision affects the past and the future till the next generations.  That is our accountability before God - unlimited time, space, and eternity.