OUR PARISH PRIEST

Warning against worry 8th Sunday What man or woman on earth does not have a worry or concern? A sick person is wondering why after lengthy medications, her back still aches and her throat is too painful and dry. A young man graduating from college is perplexed as to the next step he will take. Friends of a Filipino worker jailed abroad are concerned about his condition in that foreign hostile surrounding. A young husband is worried where to get money for his wife’s nearing childbirth. Waking up every morning, we meet an avalanche of personal problems and the problems of the people close to our hearts. There is a Filipino saying that only the dead and the mentally ill are free from worries. Jesus knows the complexities of human life. He is aware of the confusions in people’s minds and hearts. He was worried too, about the situations of others. His heart was troubled for the sick, the suffering and the poor. He too, shared in the human experience of

TOWARDS FORGIVENESS AND FREEDOM 7th Sunday We express anger in many different ways. Angry people have been known to kill their opponent. Others, while not killing their neighbor physically, instead malign them, killing them morally. Some people treat others with indifference. Others secretly pray for the death of their enemies. Anger is a natural, valid human emotion. In response to anger, people normally yearn to get even, to take revenge. Jesus’ audience could surely identify with the law He mentioned: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This is one of the oldest human laws. Its original intention was to impose justice – return what you have taken away. Another intention was fairness – take only what was taken, nothing more. Still the law was insufficient to bring harmony among peoples. It did not remove the desire of men and women to retaliate when they are aggrieved. It did not resolve the root of conflicts or teach men and women the way

LOVE MUST BE PURE 6th Sunday Most of us can speak of the experience of falling in love. As we are growing up we open our eyes to the beauty and goodness of people and we are attracted to these people, their qualities, their bodies, their attitudes, their persons – we fall in love! Are you in love today? Our gospel today continues the Sermon on the Mount, delivered by Jesus to his disciples and still a source of wisdom and inspiration for us today. In this part of the sermon, Jesus invites us not only to be good but to be “very good” in living out our faith. He encourages and empowers us to be live lives of virtue. Among the teachings in the gospel today Jesus challenges us to love authentically. As we are celebrating this month the secular feast called Valentines Day, it is good to see how we practice the art of loving in our dealing with each other. Jesus reviews our knowledge of the Old Testament: You must not commit adultery. But he goes beyond it and

Panigan ang Buhay, Tanggihan ang RH Bill (Liham Pastoral ng Kapulungan ng mga Katolikong Obispo ng Pilipinas) Aming mga kapatid na Pilipino, Pinahahalagahan ng Estado ang dangal ng bawa’t tao at tinataguyod ang ganap na paggalang sa karapatang pantao (Art II, Seksyon 11). Kinikilala ng Estado ang kabanalan ng buhay pampamilya at ipagtatanggol at palalakasin ang pamilya bilang isang batayang institusyong panlipunan na may karapatang itaguyod ang sarili. Ipagsasanggalang din nito ang buhay ng ina at ang buhay ng di pa isinisilang mula nang ito ay ipaglihi (Art II, Seksyon 12). Bakit itong Liham Pastoral? Nagsimula tayo sa paghalaw mula sa Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas. Ginawa namin ito dahil nilalayon naming gawin ang sulat na ito batay sa saligang pinahahalagahan at mga hangarin ng sambayanang Pilipino at hindi batay sa mga katuruan ng Simbahang Katoliko lamang. Bilang isang bansa tayo ay nasa sangandaan. Hinaharap natin ang ilang bersyon ng isang panukalan

Light is contagious 5th sunday Just a few days ago, we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, a Christmas feast outside the Christmas season. Formerly it was called the feast of Candlemas because during the Mass, candles for devotion are blessed. A candlelight is amazing. A candlelight is contagious. A single candle can give light to a thousand people. A single candle can share its light to a thousand other candles, without itself diminishing. Such is the importance of a candle that is lit, blessed and shared. Today we again encounter the image of light in the Gospel. “You are the light of the world,” Jesus encourages us. What better way for Jesus to describe his disciples than by comparing them to himself, “the true light of the world.” Becoming light is a tribute to the faith of a true follower of Jesus. Jesus the light shares his light with us and then it is our turn to share this light with others. Today we