OUR PARISH PRIEST

  PARA SA - HINDI LABAN SA - KATOTOHANAN     image from the internet   Malungkot marinig na ang panahon natin ngayon ay post-truth na daw. Bantad na sa kasinungaligan at madaling maniwala sa mali. Kahit mga president ay kayang manloko ng mga simpleng tao. Sa social media kayang magpakilos ng tao batay sa maling text message, o kalokohang post sa FB o prank sa twitter. Ang tamad na nating maghalungkat ng libro, ng kasaysayan, ng masusing pag-aaral kasi mas madali ang tumanggap na lang at mag-send ng fake news. Hindi na pinaghihinalaan ang kasinungalingan at ang totoo ay tinatakpan at hindi pinapansin.   Hindi makayanan ng mga Israelita na madinig nang diretso ang Diyos dahil natatakot sila (Dt 18). Ayaw din nilang mapagmasdan ang mga himala niya kasi nasisindak sila. Kaya sa kabutihan ng Diyos, nangako siyang magpapadala na lang ng propeta, isang taong tulad nila; hindi nakakasindak, hindi nakakailang. Ang propeta ay taong ipinadala ng Diyos upang magsalita sa kanyang ngalan. Is

  PRO-TRUTH, NOT POST-TRUTH     image from the internet   It is very sad to hear that our time is a post-truth era. People have become immune to lies and have begun exchanging the truth for lies. When even presidents can tell lies in public to deceive unsuspecting people, when social media can mobilize people to action based on a wrong text message, FB post or twitter post, when people lazily dismiss verification of facts in history, in books, or in investigation, when receiving and sending fake news become unquestioned practice, then lies dominate; the truth is ignored and trampled on.   The Israelites could not bear to hear from God directly, for it filled them with fear (see Dt. 18). They could not bear to see miracles face-to-face for it terrified them. So God, in his goodness, promised to send a prophet instead, one who comes to the people as one of them; neither intimidating nor strange. The prophet then is a human being sent by God to speak in his name. He is a spokesman

  PERSONAL NA PARAAN NG PAGPAPAHAYAG       Ang hirap sa mga Katoliko, hindi tayo sanay magbahagi ng pananampalataya natin sa ating kapwa. Takot tayong ipahayag si Kristo sa iba.   Hindi ba ang akala natin e para lamang ito sa mga born again na hindi nahihiyang magbuklat ng Bible at magbasa nito sa harap ng mga tao? O baka ang iniisip natin e para lamang ito sa mga hinirang – mga misyonerong pari at madre na dumadayo sa mga lugar ng mga mahihirap at mga hindi Kristiyano.   Pati si Jonas sa unang pagbasa (Jon 3) ay unang nag-akala na ang hinihingi ng Diyos sa kanya ay napakahirap. Umiwas siya; nagtago pa nga para huwag maabala ang kanyang payapang buhay. Bakit nga naman pupunta sa Ninive? Ayaw niya sa mga taga-roon. At wala siyang pakialam sa kaligtasan ng mga iyon.   Salamat na lang sa balyenang lumamon kay Jonas (tanda pa ninyo ang kuwentong ito?) at nagbago ang isip niya at tumugon sa ipinag-utos ng Panginoon. Laking gulat niya nang makita niya ang reaksyon ng mga taga

  PERSON-TO-PERSON Mk 1: 14-20       The problem with us Catholics is that we do not know how to evangelize. We are afraid to proclaim Christ to others.   Don’t we normally think that this job is for the Protestants who are not shy at all to open the Bible in your face and read verses to you? Or perhaps we believe that mission work is for those who do it full time – the missionary priests and nuns who go abroad to work among the poor and the non-Christians.   Even Jonah in our first reading (Jon 3) today thought that what God was asking him to do was too difficult. He tried to avoid it; he even tried to escape from the Lord just so as not to disturb his peaceful life. And why should he go to the Ninevites? He was prejudiced against these people. He just did not want anything to do with saving them.   Well, thank God for the whale that swallowed Jonah, he finally relented and went as the Lord had directed. And he must have been surprised at the reaction of the Ninevite

  ANG BATA ANG MAG-AAKAY…       Pangalawa lamang sa Krus na itinanim sa burol ng Limasawa noong 1521, ang Santo Niño de Cebu ang ikalawang nabanggit na imaheng Kristiyano sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Regalo ito sa asawa ng hari ng tribo sa Cebu matapos siyang binyagan.   Nang mamatay si Magellan at umurong ang mga kasama, naiwan sa kamay ng mga bagong binyag ang imahen habang ang mga ito ay bumalik sa dating tradisyunal na relihyon dahil walang misyonerong gumabay sa kanila. Ang Santo Niño ay naging isang “poon” sa piling ng mga anito ng ating mga ninuno, kahit pa sabi ay mas iginalang ito dahil napatunayan nilang makapangyarihan ito tuwing sila ay magdarasal para sa ulan.   Nang dumating ang mga sumunod na tagasakop, natagpuang muli ang Santo Niño sa isang bahay na hindi sinunog ng mga katutubong tumakas papuntang bundok. Nakuha ito at naunawaan ng mga Kastila na ito ang imahen na siyang nauna sa kanilang pagdating. Nagtayo sila ng unang-unang simbahan sa karangalang ng Ban

  O, BANAL NA SANGGOL, Diyos na Makapangyarihan at bukal ng mga biyaya, kami ay naninikluhod sa Iyong harapan. Buong puso kaming sumasamba at nagsisisi sa aming mga kasalanan. Iniaalay namin sa Iyo ang aming sarili. Pakinggan Mo ang aming kahilingang inilalapag sa Iyong paanan (tahimik na banggitin ang kahilingan). Itulot Mo na kami ay matulad sa Iyong Kabanalan. Gawin Mo kaming maamo, mababa ang loob, matiisin, malinis, maunawain sa kapwa at masunurin sa kalooban Mo. Hinihiling namin ito sa pamamagitan Mo, kasama ng Ama at ng Espiritu Santo magpasawalang hanggan. Amen!     O BANAL NA SANGGOL, KAAWAAN MO PO KAMI!      (Bambino Gesú, Re del Mondo, original image in Bulacan private collection; sculpted by Paloy Cagayat in Paete, Laguna)

  THE CHILD WILL LEAD YOU…       After the Cross planted on a hill in Limasawa in 1521, the Santo Niño de Cebu (Holy Child) was the second Christian religious symbol mentioned in the history of the Philippines. It was a gift to the wife of the tribal king of Cebu after her baptism.   When Magellan died and his fleet retreated, the image was left in the hands of the new converts who reverted to the practice of their traditional religion for want of a missionary to guide them. The Santo Niño became one idol among other primitive idols on the altar of the natives, although it was said that the image was accorded more honor because they discovered that when they prayed to it for rain, the rains did come.   The next wave of explorers discovered the Santo Niño in the only house that was left by natives unburned. They recovered it and realized that it was the European image that preceded them to the islands. They built the first church in Cebu in honor of the Christ Child. They fo

  TULAD NI HESUS       Paano mo ba makakalimutan ang kaarawan ng kaibigan mo, lalo kung ito ay tumapat din sa kapistahan ng Pasko! Ganyan ang birthday ng kaibigan kong tinatawag kong Ate Emz.   Minsan nasabi ko sa kanyang kaya siya ka-birthday ni Jesus ay dahil ginawa siya nito na katulad niya. Dahil ang katotohanan, ang kaibigan kong ito ay may tunay na pagmamahal sa Diyos, kabutihan sa mga taong nakakasalamuha niya, at diwa ng pagsasakripisyo at pag-aalay ng sarili para sa pamilya at mga kaibigan.   Lalong lumakas ang aking kutob na ito nang makausap ko kanilang family driver. Walang kaanu-ano ay biglang nagbahagi ang driver. Sabi niya na ang kanyang amo daw ay talagang isang taong ang kagandahang loob ay madaling madama araw-araw. Nagpatotoo siya na saksi siyang lagi itong naghahanap ng pagkakataong magpakita ng pagmamahal at paglilingkod sa kapwa tao. Kapag family driver mo ang siyang pumuri sa iyo, may mas maganda pa bang parangal kaysa dito? Siya ang

  LIKE JESUS       I can never miss greeting my friend Ate Emz every year. It is not easy to forget her special day because she was born on Christmas day!   I told her one day that because she shares the same birthday with Jesus, he made her just like him. For truly, my friend is full of genuine love for God, kindness to all people she meets, and a sense of sacrificial and self-giving love for her family and friends.   My observation was further strengthened when I spoke to her family driver one day. The driver volunteered his experiences with his boss. He said this was a person whose goodness he felt every day. He testified that she was indeed always looking for a chance to serve and love others. And when your family driver speaks glowingly about you, what better tribute can you ask for?   What is the secret of Emz? What is the reason for her innate goodness? Well, being born on Christmas, I think, is just a secondary coincidence. I believe that more

SI JOSE, LINGKOD NI HESUS   IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET     Ang anak ng isang simpleng kawani sa gobyerno ay pinalad na maging iskolar sa ibang bansa. Nakasama pa ito sa delegasyong ng paaralan nila upang makipagkita sa pangulo ng USA. Nagpadala ito ng litrato sa tatay niya katabi ang nasabing pangulo.   Kaya lubhang ipinagmamalaki ng ama ang kanyang anak. Dala dala nito ang larawan kahit saan magpunta. Ipinagmamayabang sa mga kaibigan. Naka-display din lagi sa lamesa niya sa opisina. At kapag may kausap na kliyente tiyak na ikukuwento ang anak. Ganyan ang galak, pagmamahal, at pagmamalaki ng isang ama!   Sa taong ito ni San Jose, pagnilayan natin ang ama-amahan ng ating Panginoong Hesukristo dito sa lupa. Katulad ng Mahal na Birhen, ang simpleng taong ito ay hindi lubos na naunawaan ang mensahe ng anghel ukol sa Anak ng Diyos. Ang gampanin niya ay basta sumunod at magtiwala. Pero alam din niyang may mahalaga siyang misyon sa buhay.   Tiyak ako na nang maisilang ang Sanggol

  JOSEPH, SERVANT OF JESUS   IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET     A simple government clerk’s son was accepted as a scholar abroad. Once, the son was even part of his university’s delegation to meet the president of the United States. He sent his dad a photo of himself standing beside the president.   This made the father very proud of his son. He always carried that photo with him to show to his friends. He even displayed it on his office desk. When a client comes, he first talked about his son before attending to the client’s concern. Such is the joy, the love, and the pride of a father!   In this Year of St. Joseph, let us reflect on the Lord Jesus’ legal or foster father on earth. Together with Mary, this simple man didn’t quite understand all that the angels said to him about his child. His role was simply to obey and to trust. He knew of course, that he was entrusted with a mission.   I am certain that when the Child was born, Joseph felt warmly blessed. He was the one who