OUR PARISH PRIEST

FULFILLER OF PROMISES 1st Sunday of Advent Have you heard of the latest scam that again duped thousands of our countrymen? Very ordinary people are now crying their hearts out to recover their precious savings.   Many people nowadays succumb easily into scams.   Why?   Because people are entranced by promises a better economic and social life. I too was once scammed by glib, attractive proposals of a person I hardly knew and who later appeared as a seasoned deceiver.   We hold on to promises when we find ourselves walking through the dark. Promises become irresistible as we try to wriggle our way out of difficult situations of poverty, indebtedness, shame or desperation.   Promises become so tempting to believe when we are most in need of hope. But as the saying goes, some “promises are meant to be broken”.   And when they are indeed broken, this results in shattered dreams and broken hearts.   Look at the sadness of spouses whose marital vows to ea

DEAR JESUS OUR KING, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THIS BRIGHT, HAPPY, HOLY MAN AS THE NEWEST FILIPINO CARDINAL! MABUHAY KA YOUR EMINENCE, CARDINAL LUIS ANTONIO “CHITO” TAGLE, DD METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP OF MANILA

THE KING OF GLORY IN SIMPLICITY How do you know that an important person is arriving?   Easy, he comes in a flashy, bulletproof car, with police escorts clearing the traffic for him, with bodyguards to protect and shield him.   And he doesn’t shake hands with anybody outside of his guest list. But not all famous people arrive at an appointment like this.   Pres. Cory Aquino used to stop at all the red traffic lights, walk relax in the middle of a crowd and stand in line at a supermarket cashier to pay for her groceries.   Of course, it took some time for people to notice who she was! In our first reading (Daniel 7), the prophet beholds a heavenly spectacle.   The Son of Man comes in glory and majesty.   Without mentioning the word king, all the details reveal how exalted this figure is.   Thus, it is not difficult to take notice and to stand at attention at his arrival. In the gospel (Jn 18), the same Son of Man, to whom the first reading really refers, comes to d

THE END AS WE KNOW IT Are you already preparing for Christmas? Many Filipinos surely are! But some people are “prepping” for something else – the end of the world!   Whoever managed to direct our attention to December 21, 2012 (12-21-12) surely got the whole world on a year-long suspense mode.   There is much talk, speculation and discussion about the end of this world or of something else we have yet to know! A new program on television shows people preparing for the “end” by stocking piles of food and supplies, burrowing tunnels, practicing shooting skills and defense tactics against human, natural or robotic intruders.   A woman stacked up spaghetti enough to feed two thousand people in case groceries run out! The first reading from the Book of Daniel (Ch. 12) is a prophecy of the end.   In the midst of distress, the great archangel Michael will appear.   Some people will be ushered to life eternal while others consigned to horror unending.   The

YOUR JAR WILL NEVER GO EMPTY 32nd Sunday Foremost in people’s mind today is security.   We want ourselves to be safe, our money to grow, our businesses to flourish, our studies to be smooth, our lives to be prosperous. To be secure, we resort to accumulation, hoarding, investing, piling up supplies and keeping to ourselves valued necessities.     In every election period, people screen candidates according to their capacity to deliver a more stable life for all. The readings today address our quest for security.   In the heart of God and of His Son, what is the secret to living peacefully, plentifully and abundantly?   We are in for a big surprise:   it is not supplying my needs, but giving to those in need.   The first reading (1 Kings 17) shows us a poor widow preparing her last meal for herself and her son, after which they will surely die because of their poverty.   The prophet Elijah surprisingly challenges her to share her meager food with him.   In th

THE WORLD’S GREATEST CHALLENGE 31st Sunday It is very tricky to mention love these days.   People pose as experts of love.   and why not, when kids have “puppy love”, adolescents have “first love”, adults have “true love” and the elderly claim “endless love.” But love can turn to tragedy.   What starts out as love can end up as a mere affair. I noticed that so many of our entertainment materials these days are fascinations about affairs:   A Beautiful Affair, A Secret Affair, My Neighbor’s Wife.   We may be experts in talking about love but we are also experts in escaping from the real demands of love. The Gospel speaks of love as the greatest commandment.   The Lord Jesus is absolutely right in combining into one the two facets of love – love of God and love of neighbor.   This is in fact, the greatest commandment of all time and to us certainly, the greatest challenge of all. In combining the two loves into one, the Lord however is giving us t

PRAYERS FOR OUR USA BROTHERS AND SISTERS AFTER HURRICANE SANDY prayers for and with our brothers and sisters in the usa. you are remembered by a people who are often visited by natural calamities and who overcome them with prayer, smiles and selflessness... "Conscious of the devastation caused by the hurricane which recently struck the East Coast of the United States of America, I offer my prayers for the victims and express my solidarity with all those engaged in the work of rebuilding.” - pope benedict XVI