Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Author: A Dose of God Today

  • God Seeks the Lost and Brings Us Back Home

    God Seeks the Lost and Brings Us Back Home

    December 9, 2025 – Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120925.cfm)

    A few months ago, a friend of mine,  let’s call him AJ (not his real name) struggled a lot. He felt lost. He was depressed, discouraged, and felt that he had failed everyone around him. As a result, he stopped going to church, stopped praying, and even stopped believing that things could get better for him. Yet, one evening, a fellow friend visited him and cared to listen to him. That presence of a friend gave comfort to him, and gently encouraged him to open the door again, to hope, and to try again. Slowly, AJ began to pray. He joined small prayer groups, allowed others to care for him, and bit by bit, he found peace again. That gentle love and tender encouragement, gave him hope.

    The first reading from Prophet Isaiah reminds us of the voice of the prophet, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” God speaks tenderly to His people, telling them that their suffering is over, their sins forgiven, and their burden lifted. God promises to make paths straight, places smooth and to lead them gently like a shepherd as “He will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom.”

    Moreover, the Gospel of Matthew reminds us of the words of Jesus who said, “if one sheep goes astray, the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the one lost. When he finds it, he rejoices more over that one than over the ninety-nine.” This means that Jesus makes clear that our heavenly Father does not want even a single “little one” to be lost.

    In both readings, they tell us that God pursues those who wander, the lost, the hurting, and the hopeless. God, indeed, does not give up on us. It is us who usually giving up on God.

    AJ’s story echoes this that when he was feeling abandoned by life, a friend became a caring shepherd who showed him understanding, offering support, helping him find his way back home, back to faith, and back to hope.

    This calls us now that when we feel lost or burdened by guilt, in pain, or in doubt, or feeling lonely, know that God sees you! The Lord longs to bring us back, to comfort us, to gather us like a lamb in His arms. Whisper this simple prayer: “Lord, come find me.” Trust that He searches for you and will not abandon you.

    When we also see someone lost or hurting, perhaps a friend, a neighbor, or a classmate, don’t ignore them. Be like that caring shepherd by offering compassion, a listening ear, giving gentle words, and sharing God’s love with them. Hinaut pa.

  • Necessary Change

    Necessary Change

    December 7, 2025 – Second Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120725.cfm)

    Now, how is life at Age of New Normal?

    Not so long ago, we come to be familiar with the oxymoronic word “New Normal”. Strange & contradictory as it sounds, “New Normal” simply calls us to adapt & change whether we like it or not to the new realities that we are in. As we all know, life after COVID pandemic have really transformed our lives nowadays.

    Not only our personal immune systems have changed, we cannot help but be exposed to deal & challenge to confront realistically anew our old previous lifestyle & corrupted systems we are used to practice. Yes, we are in the New Normal realities now & it calls us to change not for the worse but for the better versions of ourselves.

    And what does new normal require of us? Albert Einstein is wise enough to remind us that “we cannot solve our problem with the same thinking we used when we created them”.  Meaning, new – (not same old) paradigm for new problem. New (not same old) system & framework for new solution. New (not same old) constants for new contexts.

    Same with new computer & smartphones systems, new normal entails system reformat & lifestyle upgrade or else we find ourselves obsolete & useless to the new realities we are in nowadays. Thus, New Normal necessitates our change towards updated lifestyle, values & thinking in life.

    We have just begun Advent season this new liturgical year that proclaims us that God’s kingdom is near & coming soon. And so we are to prepare & be aware as Jesus reminds us last Sunday, and, as John the Baptist today calls us out also to repent. As God’s reigns anew in our lives nowadays, our awareness & repentance are thus required of us faithful followers of Christ.

    This would clearly mean that constant need for our repentance is part & parcel of our Christian life. Because to repent is first of all to realize that “there is something wrong here” i.e., something is missing or lacking, or something out of sync or tune “yabag” happening in our life.

    Second, is to admit that “we are the one who is wrong here” and that there is no point of blaming others.

    Third is to recognize that “we need to change and we need help” recognizing God’s mercy and the assistance of others.

    Fourth is to resolve that “we want and choose to be better than this”.

    And lastly, to commit to someone and something good and better in life, i.e., we declare “We believe in God”.

    The challenge of repentance requires us then the realization that “There is something wrong”, the admission that “I are wrong”, the recognition that “I need help and need to change”, the resolution that “I want and choose to be better”, and the declaration that “I believe in God”.

    Somehow Advent is akin to our experience of hosting a VIP into our home. In preparation, you realize how messy your house is, and start to worry how to welcome your special guest.

    Then you begin to realize & admit that it is not only your house, but more so yourself is at mess. Then you try to do something and ask for help. In doing so, you resolve to make your house and yourself better because you now believe that your special guest look up to you and you guest’s visit could offer you a chance to make life meaningful and better.

    And here we understand that new normal & change are all interrelated. For we all know that repentance is more than just be sorry of our faults, but more so about the resolve to change our old ways & to do better in our faith & life as followers of Christ. We consider here that necessary change towards new normal is a significant & meaningful part of repentance. Some are unable to repent because they are unwilling to change. Some also are unable to change because they are unwilling to repent.

    But whether we like it or not we have to change & upgrade our life or else we remain obsolete & outdated in our ways.

    May we dispose ourselves during this Advent season to the necessary changes required of us in life as we believe & follow our Lord in our faith journey ahead.

    So May It Be. Amen.

  • Jesus Restores Us    

    Jesus Restores Us    

    December 5, 2025 – Friday of the First Week of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120525.cfm)

    As we journey through this first week of Advent, our hearts turn toward the birth of our Savior. Today’s readings from the Book of Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew fill us with a beautiful promise: God is bringing light into our darkness, healing into our brokenness, and hope into our waiting hearts. Hence, let us open our minds and hearts to this message of restoration through faith.

    In the first reading, prophet Isaiah painted a vivid picture of God’s transforming power. He spoke of a time when the ancient land of Lebanon (which Pope Leo has just visited this week), once wild and untamed, will become a fruitful garden.

    The prophet told us that the deaf will hear the words of a book, and the blind will see clearly, free from gloom. The humble and the poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Meanwhile, the ruthless and the arrogant will vanish.

    This may sound poetic but this is not just poetry. This is God’s promise to transform the sorrows of His people. Isaiah speaking to a nation weary from exile and injustice, reminded them that God will lift up the lowly and bring justice for them. It is a prophecy of renewal, where what seems barren and hopeless bursts into life, and despair gives way to joy.

    This very promise finds its fulfillment in the Gospel, where two blind men cried out to Jesus, “Son of David, have pity on us!” They followed Him persistently, believing Jesus as the Messiah foretold by the prophets. And so Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

    Instantly, their sight was restored. Here, Matthew showed us faith in action and not as a magic trick, but as trust that opens us to God’s healing. These men, once trapped in physical and spiritual blindness, now see the world anew. Though Jesus asked them to keep it quiet, yet their joy overflowed. This moved them to proclaim God’s goodness everywhere they go.

    Together, these readings have woven one powerful message that indeed, God restores us through faith in His Son.

    Isaiah’s vision of a transformed world echoed in Jesus’ miracle. This showed us now that Advent is about waiting with hope for this restoration and transformation in ourselves and in the world.

    In our own very lives, we too all face blindness. Certainly, we may be blind to God’s love, to others’ needs, or to our own wounds. We too could stumble in the darkness of our worries, fears, illness, loneliness, or sin.

    However, Jesus, the light of the world, invites us to cry out like those blind men. Jesus also asks us, “Do you believe that I can do this?” And our “yes” opens the grace to Jesus healing touch.

    This hope moves us deeply because it is real, not an empty hope. Think of a friend who found peace and healing after loss or a community rebuilt after hardship and trauma. These are glimpses of God’s kingdom breaking in.

    In Advent, we prepare not just for Christmas lights and other glittering decorations, but for the eternal light that banishes all darkness.

    Remember this, God is faithful. And the Lord will turn our deserts into gardens and our tears into joy. So, let us live this hope today. Reach out to someone hurting, pray with deeper trust, and watch for God’s miracles in the ordinary. Hinaut pa.

  • The Lord God Wipes Our Tears

    The Lord God Wipes Our Tears

    December 3, 2025 – Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120325.cfm)

    Two years ago, on a Sunday morning meant to mark the beginning of joyful waiting, our community was shaken by darkness. Lives were taken, bodies were wounded, and many hearts, including most of you here present today, still carry unseen scars. Advent, which should have been a season of hope, became for us a moment of fear and grief. And yet, here we are, gathered again, breathing the same air of faith, standing on the same ground of hope. This alone speaks of a God who continues to hold us together.

    Today’s first reading from Isaiah gives us a powerful promise, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.” Isaiah speaks of a God who prepares a great feast, who destroys death, who removes every stain of sorrow. Indeed, this is not a distant dream. This is God’s heart revealed to us now. The Lord God does not stand far from our suffering. The Lord God bends down, touches our wounds, and wipes our tears with His own hands.

    Such character of God is revealed in today’s Gospel. Jesus climbs the mountain and there, people bring to Him the lame, the blind, the mute, the sick. And upon seeing all of them, “Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them.”

    This is the Jesus who sees our trauma, our memories of that painful day, our fears that revisit us in the night. He does not avoid these wounds. He sits beside them, feels them with us, and slowly transforms them not by erasing that horrifying past, but by filling it with His presence.

    Moreover, Jesus also does something even deeper. The Lord feeds the crowd. After days of hunger and exhaustion, Jesus refuses to send them away empty. This is the same Jesus who now tells us: “I will not let you remain empty of courage, of peace, and of meaning.” Where violence tried to take life away, Jesus continues to give life. Where hatred tried to silence us, Jesus continues to speak His peace. And where darkness tried to dominate, Jesus becomes our light.

    Certainly, many of you have carried silent pain for two years now. Perhaps others still tremble at loud sounds or crowds. Others are still carrying inside their body those splinters that pierced them. Some might have also wondered if peace will ever be possible for us.

    However, hear once more the promise in the Book of Prophet Isaiah, “On this mountain, God will destroy the veil that covers all peoples.” Even the veil of fear that covers our hearts. Even the cloud of trauma that shadows our memories. God is not finished with us.

    Let us remember, Advent is the season when a small light begins to shine in the dark. That light is Jesus and no bomb, no violence, no hatred can put Him out. The same Lord who fed the hungry crowds, who healed the wounded, and who wept with the broken is here with us at this very moment. And our Lord Jesus wants your heart to live again.

    Tonight, as we remember that painful tragedy, we also stand before the God who wipes tears and restores life. We honor our dead (+Janin, +Riza, +Evangelin and +Junrey) and not only by remembering their pain, but by choosing to live with greater hope, deeper love, and stronger unity as a Christian Community here in Marawi. What happened two years ago does not define us. God’s promise does.

    And so, I leave you now two simple invitations as we commemorate this day.

    First, choose healing every day. We know that healing takes time. It takes support. And it takes grace. Allow Jesus everyday to touch your wounds as He touched the wounded in today’s Gospel. Open your heart to conversations, to prayer, to our community and anything that helps your spirit breathe again.

    Second, be bearers of peace where you stand. Do not let violence have the last word. In your home, at our University-Community here at MSU-Marawi, at your workplace, and with your friends, always choose peace. Choose respect and choose compassion. These small acts rebuild what hatred tried to destroy.

    Remember this,God has not abandoned us. The LORD GOD is here, and He is wiping our tears. May this anniversary not only remind us of what we lost and what was deprived from us, but lead us to discover again the God who restores, heals, and gives the fullness of life. Hinaut pa.

  • CHOICE NOW

    CHOICE NOW

    November 30, 2025 – First Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/113025.cfm)

    A mother once knocks at his son’s door and have this following Convo or exchange of words.

    Mother: “Son, wake up.” But the son said: “Mom, I don’t want to get up.” Mom continued: “Son, Get up now. You have to go to the church today.” Son said, “I don’t want to go to church today”. Mom asked: “Why not?” Son replied, “I will give you three reasons: “I’m too young to go church, it’s dull and boring in the church, and people there don’t like me.” Mom persisted, “Now, I will also give you only three reasons you should go to the church. Today you have to be there, you are already 30 years old and it’s your wedding day. So, Wake up and get up now. You are already grown up – enough to just go back to sleep again.

    Which is more difficult nowadays: to lay down and go asleep in the evening …or to get up and stay awake in the morning? Waking up and getting up in the morning, and staying awake the whole day have always been our daily struggle. We always want to go back to sleep. All day long there is a longing in us to go back to bed and sleep again. Even when we are up and awake, we still have bouts of daydreams and musings the whole day through. That is why we have a Filipino saying: (Mahirap gisingin ang taong gising). “It is not easy to wake up someone who is already awake”. In other words, how can you wake up someone who is already arise & awake?

    We may not only be dealing here about our getting up physically in the morning and the whole day through, but this may also be true about getting up and staying awake in our whole life. This may also be about how awake and aware are we in living our lives.

    As we go through our lives, there are many moments that we are more asleep than awake. Habitually we may have found ourselves already physically awake but still actually unaware, out of sync, lukewarm, numb, and out of touch of reality.

    In life, we find usually ourselves in situations where we are already yet still – already awake yet still asleep. It is like, you already realize your mistake, but still doing the same mistake all over again. Same way as that son, who is already awake but still find reasons and excuses not to get up but to go back to sleep on his wedding day. Or worse, number of people have already died not only cause by natural disasters but also political & government corruption yet still making excuses, blaming & politicking.

    Remember waking up and staying awake in life may be a struggle but it is also a choice. In other words, “to get up and stay awake OR to go back and remain asleep” in life is perhaps the first decision we have to struggle with and make daily in life. What is significant here is not only the action and decision taken but moreso on the awareness, realization, and choice of the present NOW in facing life. Since now you know your mistake, now you have the choice to continue the same mistake, or do something about it. Since you know NOW you are old enough to go to church today because it’s your wedding day as your special Day with your spouse before the Lord, you may get up OR to go back at bed to sleep again. Since now we are aware that corruption causes people’s lives, we rise up & voice our dissent & disgust against crooked ways of our government & leadership; OR remains asleep & silently tolerant about these social realities.

    This is why on the first Sunday of Advent in preparation for the coming Christmas day, the Lord has very simple message to us: STAY AWAKE, and BE prepared.

    Human as we are, the Lord knows that we rather stay asleep than awake in life. He recognizes that we are already awake yet at times mostly asleep in life. He also knows however that we do have the CHOICE NOW whether to stay awake or asleep. That is why He is particularly calling us to stay awake, be prepared, get up and go forward for He promises that there are more and better in life yet to come & happen in life. His words in our gospel today are not His warning but a wake-up call to us to brace ourselves to the New Normal Life Ahead.

    To remain awake and stay aware in life, is indeed a struggle yet a choice in life. But if we continue to heed and do our part in the Lord’s invitation of staying awake and being aware now in our life, we will see more and eventually become witnesses to fullness of the New Normal life God can offer us now & the near future ahead. Same way with smartphones, new system upgrade is to happen soon. It is up to you to remain with the old slow system OR prepare for an upgraded system that make the best of your smartphones.

    By the way, today on the first Sunday of Advent at the occasion of Bonifacio Day (our Philippines national hero day), the Archdiocese of Cebu calls for SUPAK, in English “Against” but a rough acronym of (Sugbuanong Pakigbisog Kontra Kurapsyon) in that would mean – People of Cebu’s struggle against Corruption. This is wake up call & constant reminder among people & faithful of Cebu Province that we choose not to remain asleep but be vigilant & ready for life-upgrade (not downgrade) soon.

    Because as the Lord reminds us today and always: “Therefore, Stay awake and be prepared… for the Son of Man will come.” In other words, Hoy Gising… Wake up for I am on-the-way coming NOW & sooner than you expect.

    So May It Be. Amen.