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GOD BLESS THE NEW YEAR It made me so happy watching kids making their rounds to their relatives and godparents for Christmas greetings – all attired in their new clothes! It reminded me of my own childhood experiences. We have a tradition of wearing our new clothes on Christmas day. But we also have another tradition when we acquire something new. Our parents tell us: wear your new shoes to church, bring your new bag to church, use your new watch to Sunday Mass. Why? Obviously, to thank the Lord! But there’s something else we intend to do. We want to ask God’s blessings on that which is new in our lives. With God’s blessing, we feel more secure, at peace and grateful. Today there is something new we bring to the altar of God. And it’s not just a thing to possess. We have a New Year – a new moment, a new opportunity, new life. And we are here, of all places, to ask God to bless it, as he has blessed many of our new years in the past. Do you

EVERY FAMILY HAS A CHALLENGE TO FACE SOLEMN FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY Once, a person visited me after a violent encounter with his family. He came with huge bags of personal belongings. I nervously thought that he might decide to stay with me. True enough, he begged me to let him stay. He did not want to return home again. Today many people want to get out of their homes. Young people want an end to the fights and quarrels of their parents. Men want to escape boisterous wives after a tiring workday. Women want an end to their experience of physical and emotional violence. Old people want to feel welcome and cared for. After Christmas, we focus on the initial experiences of Jesus, the God-made-man and the people who received him into their lives. Jesus’ first experience of human history took place within the warm environment of the loving, protective, assuring family with Joseph and Mary. This Holy Family is the ideal family that serves as model for any h

THE HUNGRY GOD CHRISTMAS 2010 Are you hungry? Yes, our body has a rhythm of hunger and satisfaction and a while after we have eaten our fill, we will feel hungry once again. Are you hungry? It is all right to be hungry. Hunger is a built-in human dynamism that reminds us we need something important for our survival. We work, we spend effort, and thus we need to recover lost energy. This Christmas, there are lots of food on the table, even for the simplest among us, we try to prepare something extra, or even to cross to the other house to join their simple feast. And yet, though people eat often at parties and gatherings, after some time, anger begins to set in. Does God get hungry? How can he get hungry? God is perfectly powerful and he is eternally satisfied with himself in heaven. Yes he works harder than all of us in keeping this world in order, but his work is not physical but spiritual. Many times, we think that God does not feel hunger. Be

THE HEROIC STRUGGLE OF A SAINT Catholics love saints. We believe in the so-called communion of saints which means not only the unity of believers struggling to be saints. We also believe in the link we have with those saints who have gone ahead of us. Thus we have the veneration, not adoration, of saints. We respect them and learn from them as well as ask them to be our friends in our daily struggles. Maybe you have your favorite saint. Mine is St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus. I keep a variety of pictures or images of St. Joseph and there is one common feature in all his depictions. He seems to be a man full of peace, full of tranquility. Whether he is shown keeping watch at the side of Mary and the Baby Jesus in the manger, or working for a living in his carpentry shop, or lovingly carrying the Baby Jesus in his arms, or at his deathbed surrounded by Jesus and Mary, Joseph always exudes assurance, confidence and serenity.

ANG PARI: KASANGKAPAN NG KALIGAYAHAN NG DIYOS HOMILY OF FR. RAMIL FOR FR. ANGEL SANCHEZ’ THANKSGIVING MASS dec 12, 2010, gatchalian, paranaque city, 10am Iba’t ibang antas ng kaligayahan May mga taong mababaw ang kaligayahan. Basta may pagkain, masaya na. basta may inumin, kuntento na. Tulad ng mga bata sa simpleng mga pamilya, bigyan mo lang ng bente pag namamasko, tiyak bida ka na. Tulad ng mga nabunot natin sa kris kringle, ibili mo lang ng pinakasimple at pinakamurang regalo, magpapasalamat na. Ganyan ang mga taong mababaw ang kaligayahan. Pero may mga tao din na mahirap paligayahin: sila yung mga mahal ang ngiti. Sila yung class ang taste. Nakakatakot regaluhan o bigyan ng anuman dahil hindi lang presyo ang titingnan kundi titingnan din kung may quality ang iyong ibinigay. Iba’t iba ang antas ng kaligayahan ng mga tao. Merong madaling paligayahin. Merong mahirap pasayahin. Gaudete Sunday at Bagong Pari Napakagandang okasyon po ngay

THE SECRET OF REAL JOY Gaudete Sunday It is quite easy to be sad these days. It is also easy to be angry. When one is angry, is sadness not far behind? Almost yearly before Advent, people get angry at many things – rising costs of commodities, oil price hike, abuse in government. The news shows only people with deep grudges and regrets about the society. Notice though that when tragedies strike, like the usual storms, landslides and floods to which we have grown accustomed, we forget our gripes and fix our attention on the miserable victims. As we begin to worry for the welfare of the children, the elderly and the sick, our hearts release its anger and give way to compassion and concern for others. Our anger melts away and love prevails! Joy returns! Joy, this is what we desire for our lives. But we will not be really joyful if our eyes are fixated on our own selves. If we live in complaints, regrets and arguments, the more we condemn our selves to perpetua

A JOHN THE BAPTIST FOR EVERYONE Our Advent guide this Sunday is St. John the Baptist. And there are two pictures of St. John the Baptist that are familiar to our biblical and popular imagination. The first one shows John as the popular baptizer of people. He even baptized Jesus on the Jordan River. This is what we celebrate in many fiestas around the country when people drench each other with water to signify John’s vocation. But the second picture of John the Baptist is of a preacher and let me qualify, an angry preacher! Yes, listen to his words: you brood of vipers – referring the to the Pharisees and scribes. He ruthlessly exposed their sins and shortcomings. He told them that like a useless, fruitless tree, they will be cut down. But John was not angry just to threaten people or demean them. He was not a judgmental person branding negatively the faults he finds in others. Rather, he has a purpose, an aim in speaking shockingly to his audience. Joh

WAITING FOR THE GOOD THINGS OF GOD Advent1 At a bookstore recently, I got bored waiting in line at the cashier. I scouted for another possible cashier and I hastily transferred to her section. But the line was even longer and so I returned to my original cashier, but the line there was by now doubled. One of the most difficult things to do today is wait. Why wait when you can have what you want, what you need in an instant? Letters and cards are getting passé due to email and fax machines. Telegrams give way to text messages and Facebook updates. The home computer gives you information, product orders and entertainment! But the irony of it all is that in life, you still must wait. You must wait: outside the doctor’s clinic, for the taxi, for visa processing, for love to be reciprocated. There are two types of waiting. First, we wait for something that will surely happen. This is the normal waiting of everyday. We wait and we know that in the e

Survival of the weakest CHRIST THE KING There is no doubt, Manny Pacquiao is the king of boxing. The whole world has just seen Filipino sports power at its best in the latest Pacquiao – Margarito match. Manny brought home his 8 th title and an enormous amount of esteem, pride and honor to his country. What makes a person king of the ring, king of the road, king of rock and roll, king of anything? We have a principle in life called “survival of the fittest”. You survive when you prove to be the strongest, eliminating or dominating the weakest. You ensure your success by the blow of defeat you bestow on others. This is what happens to Manny and his opponents; to SM malls and the smaller stores, to multinational corporations and cottage industries. The stronger one tramples on the other, destroying, swallowing up, asphyxiating the other. Today we are before another King, unlike any other king. He comes to set the standard for a new kind of kingship, a n

3 W’s About the End 32nd Sunday We can make sense of the gospel message on this second to the last Sunday of the liturgical year with three words that start with the letter W. The first word is “wait”. But what do we wait for? We wait for the end. There will be an end to things, to all things, to our life, and all life. There are two approaches of people when it comes to the end. Some people simply don’t care. Yes, in our modern world, many people live only today. They see only what’s before their very eyes. They care only about the urgent matters that need attention now. Others anxiously anticipate the end. They cannot focus on the present because of their fear of the end suddenly coming. How many people lost touch with reality because they set their sights on a future that they were not so sure about. Whether or not people believe in the end, God’s Word is very clear. There will be an end to things. In fact, it will not need God’s s

WE CAN POINT THE WAY 32nd Sunday Seven brothers were brought before the king. They were asked to deny their faith and to do something that according to Jewish religion is abominable in God’s sight. Each of the brothers stood up to the king. From the first to the last, each one bravely died rather than compromise their faith in God. Each one also died reminding the king that though he will die, there is a heaven that will receive his soul and give him eternal life. This biblical story never fails to move me to serious reflection, specially these days, when many Christians are pressured to give up their faith, even their lives, for God. Iraqi Christians were recently hostaged and killed while attending Sunday Mass in their church. Let us pray that they will remain courageous and steadfast. But what is most instructive is what the reading did not fully explain to us. The seven sons were strong in their faith because of their mother. The mother brought her

Whats wrong about pride? 30th Sunday Is it wrong to be happy about your good qualities? You are really beautiful or handsome or intelligent. Is it improper to boast of your achievements? Your hard work truly earned you success, riches and fame. What is wrong in having a sense of fulfillment in the good things that happen in your life or in the rewards due to your honest labor? Does God not appreciate all these things? And does he want to suppress your instinct to enjoy the good and beautiful things? The gospel today depicts two people praying – a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Lord Jesus is repulsed by the Pharisee while he praises the tax collector. Why is this so? The Pharisee prays approaches God in a spirit of pride. The publican prayed with total humility and dependence on the Lord. What is wrong with pride? First, it is not improper to be satisfied with our achievements. There is cause to celebrate each time we sense that we have co

FAITH EMPOWERS PRAYER 29th Sunday One of the most encouraging images to come out of television in a long time was the successful rescue of the Chilean miners buried under the ground for 70 days, history’s longest surviving victims of a mining disaster. The media, their president and families and friends cheered the men on as they emerged in the daylight they have not seen for a long time. What was the key to their survival? Under ground, the miners were united, even rationing the scant food available and encouraging one another. Above ground, the families and friends of these men camped out and kept vigil until help finally came from the government and from abroad. Most importantly, the trapped men kept their faith in God, praying ardently, invoking St. Lawrence, the patron of miners and even building an altar in their bunk to inspire them. Their relatives too, built shrines and asked for Masses to be celebrated for the safety of the men. Chile reported an increase in M

BE THANKFUL 28th Sunday Some of you woke up this morning feeling sad. Some of you lived through the week depressed. Others, surely, trekked to the church today full or regrets. Why is it that many people have a difficult time fashioning a great day for themselves? Or a great week? Or a great life? I think one of the main reasons is that we have forgotten the secrets of a joyful life. Today’s gospel shows us Jesus giving to his disciples the key to a life of peace, fulfillment and joy. It is quite simple and easy: be thankful! After healing 10 lepers, the Lord saw how the 9 lepers each went home filled with wonder at their new-found freedom from the scourge of their former situation. While they walked away, one of them, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus to give thanks. And Jesus praised the man and blessed him more. Today many of us are unhappy and lifeless because we are a people trained to complain, to begrudge, focus on the ugly and the bad.

FAITH…BIG or small 27th Sunday It is delightful to see that game shows in our country reveal the faith of the contestants, and even of the hosts. I remember a man in ‘Deal or No Deal’ who refused to yield briefcase number 2, maintaining that in prayer it was disclosed to him that it contained the P2 million. Indeed, he went home 2 million pesos richer. Another guy admitted that the night before the program, he hardly slept. And in the early morning visited and prayed at his favorite church for guidance. He went home with a brand-new Toyota Innova car. In the gospel, the disciples approach Jesus for an increase of faith. And Jesus assures them that even if faith is as small as a mustard seed, it can indeed perform miracles for people. A mustard seed is certainly small, as tiny as a crumb of bread. Yet Jesus says that the size of faith is not the primary factor in life. It is the strength and sincerity of faith that truly matter in the end. Some peop

INDIFFERENCE: THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE 26th Sunday The gospel today speaks of two men – one is rich and the other is poor. But the gospel is not about money or riches at all. The Bible does not support the idea that the poor always go to heaven, or that the rich always go to hell. Heaven is God’s offer to all. Jesus’ parable shows the rich man going to hell, not because he was rich. It was because he did not pay attention to the suffering of the man just outside his door. He turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the one who needed his help. The gospel is about relationships. God is challenging us to form meaningful relationships with one another - to be concerned for one another, to take care of one another, to assist one another specially in moments of need. If there is one sure way to lose the chance of going to heaven, then that is the way of indifference to the feelings, the pain, the burden of our neighbor. Yet, how many people live live