OUR PARISH PRIEST

AVAILABLE NOW AT ANY ST PAULS BOOKSTORES! AND FOR SUNDAYS OF YEAR A

PANAHON NG PAGBABAGO   “Darating na ang pagbabago.” Iyan ang pangakong pinanghawakan ng marami noong nakaraang eleksyon. Gusto natin ng pagbabago kaya marami ang naloko. Ano ba ang nagbago? Wala nang traffic sa Edsa? Hindi na nasisira ang MRT? Wala nang patayan at krimen? Ang mabilis magbago ngayon ay ang kahulugan ng mga salita: Ito ang sabi ko… a, hindi pala ganun… e, hindi iyon ang ibig kong sabihin. May pangarap na pagbabago ang Diyos para sa kanyang bayan. Habang nag-aanyaya siyang lumapit sa kanya (Is 2: 1-5) nangangako siyang tuturuan niya tayo ng wasto. Ang Salita niya ay malinaw at tapat, tunay na gabay sa pamumuhay na ganap. Pag natuto sa Salita ng Diyos, darating ang pagbabago. Nanaisin ng mga tao ang kapayapaan higit sa digmaan, ang liwanag higit sa kadiliman. Ang pagbabago ay darating, una, sa tulong ng Diyos. Si San Pablo (Rom 13: 11-14) rin ay may pahayag na pagbabago. Darating ang kaligtasan ng Diyos para sa kanyang mga mi...

TIME OF CHANGE   “Change is coming!” That was one of the most unforgettable promises of the elections early this year. People want change and so it is easy to get their attention when you have the guts to proclaim change. But has change really come? Is traffic in edsa a distant memory? Is the MRT nightmare gone? Is criminality a thing of the past? The only thing that changes the most is the meaning of words: I am saying this… no, I mean this… uh, it’s not what I said. God has a vision of change for his people. As he invites them to approach him in his holy mountain (Isa 2: 1-5), he promises to teach them his ways. His Word is clear and definite, a sure guide to living life to the full. Learning from the Lord, change will come, as people will love peace more than war, and light more than darkness. So change comes first with God’s help. St. Paul (Rom 13: 11-14) also proclaims his vision of change. Salvation is coming to God’s beloved people...

SAINT FOR CHRIST THE KING! CANONIZED OCTOBER 16, 2016 His dying cry: Viva, Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King! Mabuhay ang Kristong Hari!

--> IKAW ANG AKING HARI Nasa huling linggo na tayo ng kalendaryo ng simbahan, ng taong liturhikal, at dinadala tayo ng mabuting balita sa paanan ng krus (Lk 23). Ang pagdiriwang ngayon ay nakatuon sa Paghahari ni Kristo, at ipinaaalala sa atin ang tagpo ng kanyang kamatayan sa Krus. Bakit po ganito? Habang nakapako sa krus si Hesus, naitala ang reaksyon ng mga tao sa paligid niya. “Tinuya” siya ng mga pinuno ng bayan dahil sa kanilang galit at poot. “Nilibak” siya ng mga sundalo na walang pakialam sa kanyang nararamdaman. At “inalipusta” siya ng isang nakapakong kriminal dahil sa pagkamakasarili nito. Wala sinuman sa kanila ang kumilala sa kanyang paglalahad ng sarili. Tinanggihan nila ang kanyang pagkatao, buhay at misyon. Para sa kanila, si Kristong nakapako ay hindi maaaring maging hari nila. Ang Kaharian ng Diyos, ang Paghahari ni Kristo, ay hindi isang pagpapataw ng kapangyarihan at kontrol mula sa itaas. Sa Bibliya, ang Kaharian ...

--> YOU ARE MY KING We are now in the last week of the church year, the liturgical year, and the gospel transports us to the foot of the Cross (Lk 23). Our celebration centers on the kingship of Christ, and the gospel reminds us of the scene of the crucifixion and death of the Lord.  Why is this so? As Jesus hanged on the cross, suffering and dying slowly, the gospel describes the reactions of the people around him. The rulers “sneered” at Jesus because of the hatred in their hearts. The soldiers “jeered ” at him because of their indifference. A crucified criminal “reviled” him because of his self-centeredness even in the face of death.  In other words, none of these people acknowledged who he presented himself to be. They rejected his person, life and mission.  For the unbelieving crowd around Jesus, this crucified man, could never be their king. The Kingdom of God, the kingship of Christ his Son, is not a divine impositi...

--> PAGTUUNAN NG PANSIN ANG “GITNA” Masaya kapag nararating natin ang dulo. Maging dulo ng telenovela, o ng isang aklat, o paglalakbay o ng problema. Pag nasa dulo na, masaya na tayo. May isang dulo na nakakatakot para sa atin, ang dulo ng kasaysayan, ang wakas ng daigdig. Ang dami pa namang mga propeta nagpapanggap na alam ang wakas ng mundo. Sa Mabuting Balita, makikita nating ang karaniwang patunay nila sa wakas na mundo ay hindi akma sa turo ng Panginoong Hesukristo. Dadagsa daw ang mga mangangaral sa ngalan ng Panginoon. Pero hindi ito ang wakas. Magkakaroon ng maraming giyera at hidwaan. Pero hindi rin ito ang dulo ng lahat. Kabi-kabila ang sakuna at kalamidad. Pero muli, hindi pa ito ang katapusan. Daranas ng hirap ang maraming tao, kasama na ang mga Kristiyano, pero hindi nagbigay ng payo ang Panginoon ukol sa wakas ng buhay kundi tungkol sa pagsusumikap at katapatan sa harap ng pagsubok. Sa panahon ni San Pablo ang daming mga...

--> FOCUS ON THE “MIDDLE” It makes us happy when we reach the end. Whether it is a movie, or a book, or a long travel, or a problematic situation, when it ends, we rejoice. But there is one “end” that makes people, even devout Christians, afraid – the end of the world. In the spiritual sphere, many self-styled prophets pretend to know how to predict the end. The gospel today shows how far away from Jesus’ idea of the end the usual proofs we hear about the end of the world. Preachers will come in my name, the Lord Jesus tells us. But it is not the end. There will be wars and destructions. But the Lord assures us, this too is not the end. There will be a string of calamities around the globe. Again, not the end of the world. There will be sufferings and tribulations in the lives of many, but Jesus does not give teachings on the endtimes, but rather encouragement to perseverance and patience. In the time of St. Paul many people did nothi...

Trials are necessary in order that we may be convinced our own powerlessness to do good by ourselves. But trials too, are a necessary prelude to receive all the great things God has prepared for us when he acts in our lives by the power of his grace.  (NOTE: all subsequent entries under the "ON PEACE" posts are inspired by/ derived from the works of Jacques Philippe, french priest...)    

ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AT JACOB Sa ganitong bahagi ng taon, dumadalaw tayo sa mga puntod ng mga yumao. Ipinagdarasal natin sila hindi lamang sa simula kundi sa buong buwan ng Nobyembre. Sa mabuting balita ngayon, makikita natin ang dahilan. Ang mga nauna sa atin na pumanaw ay buhay sa harapan ng Diyos, dahil siya ang Diyos ng mga buhay at hindi ng mga patay. Ipinagdiinan nito ni Hesus habang inaalala ang mga patriarka o ama ng Israel. Ang Diyos ay Diyos ni Abraham, Isaac, at Jacob. Kahit matagal na silang wala, silay ay malapit sa puso ng Diyos. Mga kaibigan sila ng Diyos sa lupa at maging sa langit man. Sinubok si Abraham maraming beses. Inutusan siya ng Diyos na lisanin ang kanyang lupain upang hanapin ang bagong buhay na itinakda para sa kanya. Kahit hindi naintindihan, sumunod si Abraham at dahil dito naging “ama ng pananampalataya.”   Nang bigyan siya ng anak, hiningi ng Diyos na patayin niya ito bilang sakripisyo sa bundok. Kahit masak...

--> ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB At this time of year, we visit the tombs of our departed loved ones. We pray for them in remembrance, not only at the start of November but throughout the whole month. Today’s gospel gives us in part the reason for this pious action. Those who have gone before us from this life are alive in the presence of God, for God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Jesus emphasizes this truth by invoking the name of the patriarchs (fathers) of Israel. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Though they have long been gone, they were dear to God and close to his heart. They were his friends on earth and so remain his beloved ones in heaven. Abraham was put to the test by the Lord many times. The Lord asked him to leave his land and go where God had planned for him a new life. Abraham did not understand but he obeyed, becoming thus, our “father in faith.” When God gave him a son, the Lord tested his faith on...

Often we have to go through failures, trials, and humiliations in life, permitted by God, so that we may realize that God is our only strength, not only in our minds, but also in the concrete experiences of life.