OUR PARISH PRIEST

REST IN THE LORD'S ETERNAL EMBRACE, BRO JUN! THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR LIFE WITH US! GOD BLESS YOU! GOODBYE, BRO. JUN, PARISHIONER, FATHER AND FRIEND! Sis. Fe’s past midnight text message sent chills down my spine that very early morning I woke up to read it. As I called Sis. Fe back, my fear was confirmed. Something happened to you in the hospital. You moved from earth to heaven, where your heart always lay, where the likes of you are destined to spend eternity, where Jesus waits for you with comforting embrace. I could not anymore return to sleep; instead I went before the Blessed Sacrament to pray for you. I prayed the Rosary that Mama Mary, whom you loved most affectionately, will accompany you to the throne of God. After praying, I tried to focus on my usual morning chores but I did not succeed. A deep sadness came into my heart and I felt a great loss. I must be truly blessed as a priest because I came to know you in...

--> TUKLASIN Nakilala ko sa youtube si Kulas, ang pinakamagaling na promoter ng turismo ng Pilipinas. Kaya niyang yakagin ang ibang tao na mahalin ang mga kagubatan, kabundukan, katubigan, kultura, at higit sa lahat, ang mga tao ng ating bansa. Punong-puno siya ng lakas at saya na ipakita ang positibo ng Pilipino. Pero si Kulas ay Canadian, hindi Pinoy. Naghanap siya sa kanyang buhay ng isang lugar kung saan  pinakamagandang mamuhay, manirahan, at makipisan. Iniwan niya ang pamilya sa Canada at trabaho sa Hongkong nang matuklasan niya ang ating bansa. Inaanyayahan tayo ng Panginoong Hesus ngayon na maglunsad ng isang paglalakbay. Hindi para maghanap ng mas may pagkakakitaan, o ng lugar na mas aliwalas at payapa ang buhay. Hinahamon tayo ni Hesus sa malalim na paglalakbay ng puso – tungo sa Kaharian ng Diyos. Para sa Panginoong Hesus, wala nang mas kapana-panabik, mas kaakit-akit, mas kahali-halina, kaysa Kaharian ng Diyos na pangako ...

--> THE DISCOVERY One day on youtube, I saw Kulas, probably the most convincing and dedicated tourism ambassador for the Philippines. He brings people to appreciate the waters, the mountains, the culture, and the people of our country with his inexhaustible energy and infectious joy in presenting the positive side of being Filipino. Surprisingly, Kulas is Canadian, not Filipino. He went through a personal search for the ideal place to live, interact, and enjoy life. And he left behind his family in Canada and his job in Hongkong and embraced the great discovery of his life in our country. The Lord Jesus invites us today to undertake a journey too. Not a journey for greener pastures, nor for a land of more possibilities. Jesus takes us on a deeper journey of the heart – a search for the Kingdom of God. For Jesus, there is nothing more exciting, more attractive, more desirable, than the Kingdom that God promises to those who yearn for it....

--> ANYARE? Sa kasagsagan ng Marawi crisis, maraming haka-haka tungkol sa mga utak ng kaguluhan doon. Isang teacher ng isa sa mga magkapatid na terorista ang na-interview sa tv at takang-taka siya kung paano humantong sa ganito ang dating tahimik at mabait niyang estudyante. Habang akala ng marami ay likas na masama ang terorista, ang teacher ay nagtatanong: Anyare? (ano ba ang nangyari?) Sa kasaysayan ng mundo, lagi tayong naghahanap ng paliwanag sa kasamaan. Natural bang masama ang tao o nahahawa lang siya nito? Ang Mabuting Balita ngayon (Mt 13) ay may paliwanag sa presensya ng kasamaan. May mga anghel ng Diyos na naghahasik ng mabuting butil na nagiging kapaki-pakinabang sa bandang huli. Ang demonyo naman ay naghahasik ng masamang butil na nagiging pahamak sa kalaunan. Kung pagbabatayan ito, madaling sabihing may mga taong ipinanganak na mabuti at meron ding isinilang na masama o may mga taong nakatakda maging dakila habang may mga nakatak...

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED? During the terrorist attempted control of Marawi City in the south of the Philippines, speculations arose about the brains behind the violence. A teacher of one of the two brothers who initiated the invasion was interviewed on television and he was perplexed at how a silent, good-hearted kid turned out into a terrorist.    While many people simply thought of this man as wicked, the teacher asked: What happened to him? Throughout history, we have tried to explain the problem of evil. Is evil natural to humans or is it something that infects them later in life? The gospel today (Mt. 13) gives us an explanation of the presence of evil in the world. The angels sow good seeds, which turn out fruitful at the harvest. The devil sows bad seeds, which turn out disastrous in the end. Judging from this illustration, we can easily conclude that some are born good and some are born evil or some are destined for greatness whi...

--> FRUITFUL WORD Words are powerful and they affect us deeply. The careless words of a political leader can bring a whole country to shame, lower the value of the currency and sow division in the nation. The malicious words of bloggers and pseudo-journalists can propagate fake news and deceive a lot of people. The words of terrorists can undermine security and order and destroy peace in the land. Hurtful words we speak to each other linger in the minds and hearts of those we have attacked. Even the words of preachers of religions can be used for profit, condemnation and self-promotion. The Lord Jesus gives us this day the parable of the word (Mt 13).  He has come to speak the word that comes from the Father, the word that gives life, the word that heals and rebuilds. The word of God is so powerful that it bears fruit. The word of the Lord grows and multiplies; it spreads and scatters all around. Just as the word of God brought about the entire cosm...

--> SALITANG MABUNGA May kapangyarihan ang mga salita at madali tayong ma-apektuhan nito. Ang hindi pinag-iisipang salita ng isang lider pulitiko ay nagbibigay kahihiyan sa bayan, nagpapababa ng halaga ng pera, at nagdadala ng hidwaan sa bansa. Ang intrigerong salita ng mga bloggers at mga tao sa social media ay nagpapalago ng maling balita at nanloloko sa kapwa. Ang salita ng mga terorista ay sapat na upang mangatog sa takot ang mga tao. Pati ang mga salitang binibitiwan natin sa isa’t-isa ay nakapananakit sa mga nakapaligid sa atin. Ang salita ng mga mangangaral ay nagagamit din para kumita, magkondena at magbuhat ng sariling bangko. Ibinibigay ng Panginoong Hesus sa atin ang talinghaga ng salita (Mt. 13). Naparito siya upang bigkasin ang salitang mula sa Ama, ang salitang nagbibigay ng buhay, ang salitang humihilom at nagbubuong muli. Makapangyarihan ang salita ng Diyos kaya ito ay namumunga. Tumutubo, lumalago, at namumunga ang salita ng Diyos; kuma...

--> ANG PINILI NG DIYOS  “Pinupuri kita, Ama, Panginoon ng langit at lupa, dahil ang itinago mo sa mga marurunong at matatalino ay ibinunyag mo sa mga maliliit na tao” (Mt. 11:25). Akma at angkop sa panahon natin ang mga salitang ito ng Panginoon sa kanyang pagpupuri sa Ama. Ngayong 2017 ang ika-isandaang anibersaryo ng pagpapakita ng Mahal na Birhen sa Fatima sa Portugal. Ang debosyon sa Fatima ay kalat sa buong mundo at halos lahat ng parokya sa atin ay may mga programang nagpapakilala ng mensahe ng Fatima sa pamamagitan ng Block Rosary Movement. Sa pagdiriwang ng sandaang taon, pinili ng simbahan na ituon ang pansin sa dalawang pinakabatang pastol na nakakita sa Mahal na Birhen at kapwa namatay din sa murang edad. Halos 11 taon at 10 taong gulang ang magkapatid na sina Francisco at Jacinta nang sila ay pumanaw, ilang taon matapos ang aparisyon ng Mahal na Birhen sa kanila. Ngayon sila ang pinakabatang mga santo ng simbahan na hind...

--> GOD’S PREFERENCE "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones” (Mt. 11:25). How fitting and appropriate to our times are these words of praise to the Father that we hear today from our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. This year 2017 is the centennial jubilee of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima in Portugal. Devotion to Our Lady has spread all over the world and most parishes in the Philippines promote the message of Fatima to families and communities through the Block Rosary Movement. In celebrating this great moment of faith, the church chose to focus the attention of Christians to the two youngest visionaries, who died very young, some years after they saw the Blessed Mother. These blessed siblings, Francisco and Jacinto, were declared the youngest saints of the church who did not die of...