ALL GLORY TO THE FAITHFUL GOD Jn 13: 34 Easter - 5th Sunday We use the word ‘glory’ many times in our worship and prayer: ‘Glory to God in the highest…Glory be to the Father…Glory to you, O Lord.’ This biblical word describes a special relationship between the Father and Himself. The Father is glorified in Jesus – his total person, his life, his mission. At the same time, the Father glorifies Jesus his Son, because of his faithfulness and Jesus’ obedience. As Christians, how do we read the gospel so as to experience the glory of God and return all glory to God? First, the gospel shows how Jesus gives glory to his Father. He accomplishes this through the Cross – not through pleasure, comfort, or superficial efforts. The Cross was Jesus’ gift of love to his Father. Through the Cross, he showed his obedience, his surrender, his reverence for the Father’s plan for his life. We too, give glory to God and to the people around us, when we willingly accept
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MINISTERS OF DIVINE JOY Jn 10: 27-30 Easter – 4 th Sunday I was outside the room of an elderly, sick woman. I overheard the conversations inside. The relative of the lady informed her that the priest has come. “Bring him near me. I want to hold the priest. I want to feel the priest.” I was surprised at those words. When I entered, I realized that she never said “I want to see the priest,” because the woman was totally blind. She expressed her joy at my visit by holding my hand and clinging to me the whole time. I was amazed at her joy in encountering a priest! At Easter time, the Risen Lord reveals to us his heart. There is a great commitment in the heart of Jesus for his flock. He describes himself as a shepherd deeply concerned for the safety of the flock, desiring only to give life, to protect, to guide, to unify. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, willing to suffer and die for his people. This courage to sacrifice for others is so authentic that dea
i ask your prayers as i start my ministry as parish priest in my fourth parish, Sagrada Familia Parish, bgy. bagumbayan, taguig city. may the Lord grant me the grace to be a shepherd. may the people allow me to serve them and be part of their lives of faith. may people and priest both grow in the love and knowledge of the Lord through this humble ministry. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, i give you my heart and my soul!
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “I LOVE YOU?” Easter - 3rd Sunday So many people exchange “I love you’s” everyday. And various meanings are given to this sentence by different people. Addressed by children to their parents, it means ‘trust.’ Uttered by parents to their children it means ‘protection and security.’ When young men and women whisper it to each other, it denotes ‘desire or attraction.’ Friends use this to mean ‘support and camaraderie.’ Love expressed to others is a necessary ingredient to happiness and security. The Gospel tells us that love must be elevated to a higher level. Apart from just the human circle, love must be expressed between God and a person; between the Creator and his creature; the Master and his disciple. We see Jesus, Love Crucified and Risen, and his struggling disciple Peter who weakly but sincerely says ‘I love you, Lord.” Without a convinced love for God, our faith cannot be considered genuine. The first of the apostl
HIS MERCY WILL FIND YOU Jn 20: 19-31 Easter - 2nd Sunday When I was preparing a couple for marriage, the groom admitted that there was a difficulty. Though he was Catholic, he couldn’t say that he really believed or would follow what the Church teaches. He was a graduate of a state university and he thought that the church celebrations did not inspire him much. He found homilies boring and stupid. He thought he could do better than the priest. Today we live in a very challenging religious environment. Even in the Philippines you cannot anymore presume that the one you’re talking to is Catholic. The religious landscape is so varied and rich that there are many Christian groups and non-Christian groups around. Even among baptized Catholics, not all are believers. Many don’t have a grasp of the faith. Many are drifting away from the faith. This is a result of the growing influence of secularism and modernity, a tide we cannot overturn. People are
THE RISEN CHRIST
STRENGTH IN THE RISEN CHRIST! no matter how dark it seems, no matter how long it takes, no matter how successfully your enemies push you down, if you have faith in the Jesus Christ, God will bring you from Good Friday to the Easter Sunday of your life. God is always faithful and He will finish what He has started in your life! a Blessed Easter to the whole waiting world!!! HALLELUJAH!