OUR PARISH PRIEST

CHOOSING A CHRISTIAN NAME Baptism of the Lord Have you experienced standing in as godparent to a child’s baptism? Since I was ordained a priest, almost all my neighbor’s kids became my godchildren. A Filipino baptism is a sight to behold; a truly exciting event. Every godparent relishes the experience; even guests feel honored to be invited. It is due to this excitement that often, we neglect the real meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism. Today, as we reflect on the Baptism of the Lord, we re-visit the significance of this religious experience. The gospel shows Jesus baptized by John his cousin, and the Holy Spirit descends on him. This presence of the Holy Spirit testifies that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. In baptism, we too, are revealed as children of God. We, adopted children, are placed alongside Jesus, the natural Son of God. At baptism, we formally receive a name: Carlos, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Challenging us to be Wise Epiphany of the Lord In Scripture and Tradition, the figures of Magi are presented as key to understanding the mystery of the Christ Child, his birth and his future mission. They were called Magi – learned astrologers – who traveled far to discover the mystery brought by a dazzling heavenly light. In my breviary, I saw a minute caricature of the Magi huddled together, each holding a gift close to his heart, and above them all, a star that seems to shelter them and protect them in their journey. This illustration is significant, because the life of the Magi will forever be transformed by that light that aroused their curious minds. What made the Magi wise? These men were educated people in their time, given to the study of a difficult and exalted science. But the Magi were not described as intelligent kings – but better, wise. What made them wise? First, they were wise, because they followed the inner impulse of their heart to

START SEEING THE GOOD IN THE NEW YEAR New Year: Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God Why do we have this uncontrollable urge to see the ugly, to spot the bad? It makes us all the more sad and miserable. Many families are shattered, many lives are meaningless, many opportunities are lost – all because we focus on complaints, criticisms, non-appreciation of people and situations. Look at the shepherds, what did they choose to find? They sought the Child who was the Savior of the world. Look at Mary, what did she do with her dilemma? She turned it into a discovery of God’s movements in her life. The shepherds and Mary the Mother of God, most specially, are our models in starting the year by looking at the positive, appreciating the beautiful, encouraging the good. We want to banish evil and bad luck by superstitious tricks – round items around the house, polka dots on our clothes, firecrackers. Why not try another strategy? Why not start looking around

CHRISTMAS IS THE BEST IN BEST PARISH IN THE WORLD! HAPPY, HAPPY FEAST DAY OF THE HOLY FAMILY!

DIALOGUE SAVES FAMILIES Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph After Christmas, we focus our reflection on the family. In the Christmas gospel, the shepherds, following the angel’s advice, searched for the Child and found him in the company of his mother and foster-father. To see Jesus is to see the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. For Christians too, the discovery of Jesus is the discovery of the family. How do we solve the problems of the family? It might seem insurmountable at first but we have to start with the small solutions, the small keys that can help us in our aim. One of these keys is called dialogue. Families can start a three-fold dialogue that promotes cooperation and understanding. DIALOGUE OF AVAILABILITY DIALOGUE OF COMPASSION DIALOGUE OF SHARING more from my book "Rejoice and Be Glad"

On this year for priests... I will try my best to pray for them more. My prayers for their spiritual strength and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Priests have been a part of the most important events in my Catholic life, and I cannot do enough to repay them for all they have done to me, especially when I receive the sacraments. I can only offer the most powerful prayer for priests to touch more lives the way Jesus has touched our lives. I also hope that more will embrace this calling. leah pedernal jocson

The Color of Christmas 2009 Our country experienced so many drab and sullen colors this year.   If we are to paint a portrait of the national situation, we will definitely miss the bright hues of years past, the luminous shades of “those happy days”. Cory Aquino died this year, yielding to cancer of the colon.   With her demise, we lost not only a leader, but as the whole world acknowledged, the mother of democracy and freedom after martial law.   We once again saw the flood of yellow, but this time, yellow was not a color of courage and defiance.   When Cory died, yellow became a color of bereavement. We experienced the color of mourning. Then came Ondoy, the eldest of the brood of storms that devastated the major city of Manila and nearby provinces.   Soon came the rest of the family – Pepeng, Santi, etc…, all destructive and deadly typhoons that finished off in faraway provinces what Ondoy, their eldest brother, started in the urban center. After the floods, we walked in a

Christmas Proclamation   Today, the twenty-fifth day of December   Unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth And then formed man and woman in his own image.   Several thousand years after the flood, When God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.   Twenty-one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah;   Thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.   Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges;   One thousand years from the anointing of David as king;   In the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.   In the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad; The seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.   The forty-second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus; The whole world being at peace,   Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, Desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,

having priests as friends is truly a meaningful blessing from God. I always have this thought at the back of my mind that they are representatives of Christ that's why having them as a friend who empathizes, lives, and prays with you, is just very special. as for me, having an uncle who is also a priest and just seeing priests visit our home in a daily basis, (our family business is making liturgical vestments) i just feel special because we have these prayer warriors who stand by us through life's trials and joys. and for sure, we always pray for them for guidance and strength to stay true to their vocation. Luis and Rachell Guico, and Salazar family, USA "All faiths assure us that various religious of the world are like different rivers coming from different altitudes and flowing through different lands but going to the same ocean of the Omniscient and Omnipotent Creator God. The goal of every religion is to inspire all mankind to live in love, peace and harm

On this year for priests, I will appreciate the commitment of all the priests all over the world. It helps me to reflect with heartfelt gratitude on the countless gift which the priests represents not only for the church but also for all humanity. also we should pay tribute to their apostolic labours, their tireless and selfless service. Oftentimes, priests are underappreciated and underpraised but come to think of it, they perform a job that is lonely, difficult and most of the times physically, emotional and spiritually demanding. So this is the time to affirm their importance. Celebrate and reaffirm support for all priests who daily bring the love of Jesus to the world. Whether we realize it or not, priests offer many facets to our daily lives. No matter what we wanted to do, they always loved us and direct us to the right choice of doors. That is why we need to take a time to think about that appreciation, to support and celebrate with them and most especially "PRAY FOR ALL

The Real Countdown Begins We hear it often: 100 days to Christmas! 77 days to Christmas! 15 days to Christmas! Yes, we have been so accustomed to the Christmas countdown because that is what we see and hear in the media. But for Filipino Catholics, the real countdown begins tonight. We have started to wait and prepare for the Christmas season through the season of Advent, a time of joyful anticipation but also of patient and reflective waiting. Too bad, many people do not feel Advent at all. Many people jump into the Christmas spirit or the Christmas feeling too early because of the lures of commercialism. How many people I know shop for gifts in October or start their caroling as early as the calendar turns to December 1. The countdown gives a sense of excitement. But the countdown is a commercial device meant to induce panic in buying, spending and hoarding goods. With this Mass, however, we can truly say that the countdown is on for Christmas. After star

OUR HEARTS ARE WAITING FOR YOU, JESUS!

Now, let’s here it from the young! having a priest as a friend....... heaven`s marvelous gift from above... human as they are, they are a true inspiration of holiness weak as they are, they are source of strength and hope a Priest`s life is the imitation of Christ’s life... a great reminder that though each of us has his own path we can imitate Christ on our chosen vocation ... Key Ann Caindoy, young educator My priest friend is a great priest, a great friend, and a great father to me. Whenever i need him, he's always there, he never leaves me. Though he is far from us, he still has time for us (my barkada and my family). When he was in our church, his main concerned was the youth. Fortunately, he succeded in his plans for our youth. There is one thing i always remember about him, he has the X-factor to lead the people. Christian Gorayeb, visionary, hardworking young man

MORE TRIBUTES FOR THE YEAR FOR PRIESTS! “having priests as friends.......is one blessing that our family is always grateful for. we are certain that we are always in their prayers, and this sustains us in our daily struggle. in the same way, we always pray for our priest friends, because we know they have a far more challenging life that needs constant guidance from the Holy Spirit. Fight the good fight of faith dear priests! your vocation is life giving to us!" richelle araneta-novales, dagupan city “It is indeed a blessing having a friendship with a priest...It means so much to us...Its like you are close to Jesus because of them. You are personally guided and inspired by them. As we are inspired by them we are more encouraged in serving. I thank God for sending us priests close to our hearts." miss grace quilaquil, taguig city

from dina roque of taguig city... in being close to a priest, There's a feeling of comfort and closeness to God."

now, from a fresh law graduate in singapore... on the year for priests Having a priest as a friend made me aware that behind the cassock that he wears, there is a human being too. A human being that is susceptible to temptations, problems, and trials. In spite all of these; they continue to dedicate their lives serving God and His Church. They continue to spread God’s message of hope, love, and forgiveness. This helped me realize that even if we are in turmoil and nothing seems to go right in this world, there is no reason why we should stop being Christians. We can always be the message of hope, love, and forgiveness everyone is searching for. To have a priest as a friend reminds me that God continuously works for us to be closer to Him. Like a priest, we should also allow God to work through us and help others remember His great love. thanks to dhandee grafil! all the best in your adventures there in another country!

What Friendship with Priests means to me and my family... and from our favorite dentist, wendi... Most of the Priests i have known more than a decade ago have a great sense of humor and we enjoy talking about food. i think that is our common denominator....food. With only two other siblings, our family is relatively small. When we were orphaned last June 16, 2009, our grief on the loss of our mother was a reality we cannot escape. And yet, our family never felt alone at that point in time because of the overflowing support and presence of the Clergy. And for this, I will be forever indebted to those Priests who came to console us, and to those who were not able to come but assured us of their prayers for our mother. Thank you Reverend Fathers, our family could not have made it through if it were not for your support and presence! You can count on our support and prayers ;-) Wendi tan…

here's one for the year for priests... Having priests as friends means a lot to me and to my family. I have high respect for them and i continually tell my family to do that up to next generation because i believe loving, caring and respecting someone who is not your relative or close friend but a priest who happens to be related to you in one instance or in one place, the relationship will be perpetual. i know you will agree with me. It’s good knowing the priests deeply and starting to pray for them. And when you need prayers, ask that priest personally and he will pray for you ALWAYS..... For me all priests are the same but there are special ones to my heart due to some reasons... from Lita delas LLagas, Pasig City

Fourth Week of Advent Wondering why the very early entries? As a new boss came to Galilee Center, Tagaytay, I tendered my courtesy resignation and now I plan to spend the rest of my sabbatical year in another venue. Please accompany me with your prayers as I bring before the Lord my humble discernment. As I am not certain that I will have easy access to the internet, I decided to post these earlier. As for Simbang Gabi (the Filipino Novena Masses for Christmas), I will try to post my reflections from time to time, given the very busy schedule of priests in these shores during this season of hope, joy and festivities. God bless you... For the rest of the season, again we acknowledge the reflections of Kathy Coffey from the Catholic Update… Sunday: Startled by Good News Today Elizabeth gets the last word: praise for God’s stunning intervention in a lonely life. Through her story, we can learn to trust God as biblical women did, sure that surprising interven

Third Sunday of Advent Joy comes when we learn to embrace the Son of God. His joy enters our lives when we accept his forgiveness and his love. It is then that we learn to let go of our fears and anxieties and we begin to think of loving and serving others in spite of our limitations. This is the joy I sense in my friend who traded a high paying job for an NGO that forms and trains the poor. This is the same joy in the heart of our bishops who now courageously stand for the truth and lead the crusade for vigilance. Cardinal Rosales of Manila recounts the story of a child who was dying of cancer and who passed his remaining days by being preoccupied with filling up his empty softdrink cans with coins that will be shared with the poor. Christmas sadness will linger if we only focus on ourselves . Christmas sadness will vanish the moment we focus on loving not our selves but loving others around us. Let us decide to welcome joy! With Jesus, let us focus o

CONVICTED MURDERER, CANDIDATE FOR SAINTHOOD FROM ASSASIN TO ASSA-SAINT! Recently I read that Pope Benedict XVI met with the sister of a candidate for beatification. The amazing part of the story is that the candidate was a convicted murderer who was given the death penalty. It was while he was in prison that he experienced the journey from atheism to faith, from darkness to devotion and deep spirituality. In this season of Advent, season of hope, what more beautiful image of hope can his story illustrate for us? Here is a short biography, from internet, of this future saint JACQUES FESCH. Jacques Fesch: A Saint Who Killed Executed for murder in 1957, the Church is considering his beatification. "Only five hours to live! In five hours, I shall see Jesus.” As day dawned over Paris, a slim, dark-haired young man stepped through a doorway into the courtyard of La Santé Prison. Surrounded by guards, hands and feet shackled, he walked to the guill

SMALL OFFERINGS, BIG MIRACLES 17th Sunday, Ordinary Time Filipino Catholics are very generous. They contribute a lot to society, to the Church and to so many institutions of learning, charity and other worthy causes.   I have witnessed first hand the overwhelming desire of the faithful to share what they have with others. In my last parish, we seldom resorted to fundraisers to solicit funds.   We just explained a project and issued an appeal before the end of the Mass.   Donations kept flowing and projects blossomed. While the rich gave hugely, those of moderate means and even the less privileged compete with them in generosity. While repairing the termite-infested church ceiling, our rich parishioners pledged substantial amounts. But while I was praying in the church one morning, a lady came from behind me and whispered in a low voice: “I am sorry Father, this is the only money I have, but I offer it for Jesus and the church.” She pressed into my hands a crumpled 200 peso bill a