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Category: Fr. Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Called to Shine: Young Hearts Bearing God’s Light Today

    Called to Shine: Young Hearts Bearing God’s Light Today

    December 16, 2025 – First Day of Misa Aguinaldo

    National Youth Day | Isaiah 56:1–3, 6–8 | John 5:33–36

    Maayong Good Morning! As we begin this first day of Misa Aguinaldo, the Church also celebrates National Youth Day. What a beautiful grace to begin our nine-day journey to Christmas by celebrating the hearts, dreams, and even wounds, and hopes of our young people.

    Today, we focus on one truth that even in the darkness of our times, God calls the young to shine.

    To help us enter this sacred story, we first welcome a young sharer. Her story becomes our doorway into the Word of God on this First Day of the Misa Aguinaldo. Her voice represents for us this morning the many Filipino youth who are also questioning, struggling, hoping, searching for love, and searching for God.

    And so, as a community celebrating the gift of the young to the Church, let us welcome Miss Allysa Joie Ambos.

    (Guide Questions for the Youth Sharer)

    1. As a young Catholic today, what is the biggest struggle or challenge that makes it hard for you to feel close to God? (This brings out real battles like pressures, family issues, identity, faith crisis, loneliness.)
    2. Despite these struggles, when and how have you experienced God reaching out, guiding, or comforting you?
    3. As you look forward, how do you hope to shine God’s light in your family, school, friendships, or Catholic Community despite being young and imperfect? (Invites hope, mission, and  desire to grow as a young disciple.)

    Faith Sharing of Allysa

    I grew up having few friends to spend time and play with. And this has made me feel insecure. As a child, I often wondered what was wrong with me. I felt alone and detached from people. I became guarded and judgmental. There was even a point when I accused God to be the cause of what I thought were my misfortunes in life.

    I never really liked socializing just to fit in. However, I exactly did so with the intention of being seen and accepted. I hated being ignored so much, that I was desperate to do the things that are against my will. But even when I had a lot of friends, I felt uneasy, sensing that something was amiss.

    You see, I had a very poor understanding of who God is. I’m not sure when I had recognized it. My thirst to knowing Him came from a need, a calling, a search that I thought unrealistically must be satisfied, followed and found.

    At first, I relied upon books to know Him. Later on, I switched to fishing affirmations and chasing people. Up to this point, I’m still confused.

    In the loudness and overpopulation of our modern world, I realized He is actually nowhere to be found.

    To know someone, you must be able to converse and soak in their presence. But God’s language is the hardest to learn. You have to really listen, because He speaks in silence.

    I nearly thought this treatment implies His lack of love and care. I’d often ask when praying, “Why do you hide yourself from me?” I figured I was unworthy and that if even God doesn’t love me, who will?

    It took me a couple of years to realize and admit that it was me who was in hiding. I was too focused on myself that I failed to consider what others might feel because of my dismissive words and behavior. I subjected myself to the wrong kind of introspection and censure, overemphasizing on my faults and lapses. I was worried I couldn’t keep up with the fast paced world. I felt helpless and anxious as I thought how uncertain I am of Him and even of myself. I was scared and terrified.

    But God has always been there. Whenever I secretly starve myself as punishment for my unpreparedness or poor performance at school, my family would always remind me to take care of myself. My mom and sister Janna personally cooks me delicious meals that’s hard to resist. Whenever I’m dejected and in isolation, my Kuya AJ knocks on my door, offering his weird humor and comforting presence. He is the reason why I joined CSO. Although I had the intention of avoiding house chores then, God has indeed, a way of transforming our hearts.

    Sojourning with my family and peers in CSO has taught me invaluable lessons. They taught me that faith does not mean we know all the answers; that in spite of the uncertainty, we still dare and have the courage to let our questions be asked, unafraid, to be convinced of the reliability of God. And that the service we offer in helping each other to believe may be the best and authentic service we can render.

    After listening from a young person speak, we cannot also ignore that our youth today are carrying heavy and often silent burdens. Recent youth studies in the Philippines reveal that…

    1 in 5 Filipino youth aged 15-24 wrestles with depressive symptoms, anxiety, or emotional distress.And most consider ending their lives by suicide.[1]

    Many also face family instability—broken families, long-distance parenting, financial strain, or domestic conflict.[2]

    With 8 hours and 52 minutes online per day,[3] youth battle comparison, insecurity, identity confusion, cyberbullying, and disinformation.

    Many struggle with self-worth, nomophobia[4] or smartphone addiction, pornography, or the pressure to appear “okay” even when they are breaking and hurting inside.

    A significant number feel far from the Church, saying faith seems distant from real-life problems. Yet, “Filipino youth are more and more looking for authentic expressions of faith that they would not necessarily find in conventional practices or conventional piety.[5]”

    And so countless youth worry about their future, education, safety, jobs, and mental well-being.

    These ate realities that can create darkness. Sometimes quiet and sometimes overwhelming where many young hearts would whisper, “Lord, am I enough?” “Do I still belong?” “Is there a place for me?”

    Now, allow me to bring you into our readings today and let us also realize how God invites us.

    Isaiah speaks to a wounded community who have just returned from exile but broken, unsure, and feeling unworthy. Some believed they didn’t belong in God’s house because of their status or imperfections.

    But God proclaims in the Book of Prophet Isaiah something radical and touching. God says, “My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples.” Yes, for all peoples not just the perfect, not just the strong, and not just the holy.

    This is God’s message to the Filipino youth and to everyone. You belong. You are welcome. You are seen. Yes, your struggles do not disqualify you. Your wounds do not push you away. And your doubts and questions do not make you unworthy.

    Isaiah’s prophecy tells us now that belonging comes before perfection. God gathers first then God heals us. This speaks powerfully to a generation longing for acceptance, for identity, for a safe place to return to, and for a home to be embraced.

    Moreover, in the Gospel, Jesus describes John the Baptist as a “burning and shining lamp.” John is not the Light but he reflects the Light he receives. Jesus affirms that God’s work in the world is shown through our real action of healing, loving, welcoming, lifting people up.

    This is the invitation for every Filipino youth now that you do not need to be perfect first to shine. Just receive God’s light and share it. Our young generation longs for authenticity. You are indeed, searching for faith that heals, not just teaches; a Church that listens, not just speaks; and a community that embraces, not just corrects.

    John the Baptist shows that shining for God is not about age, power, educational attainment or status. Bringing light is about courage, our honesty and humility, and our heart willing to love and be loved.

    Our readings today, Allysa Joie’s faith story, and the realities of our time converge into one powerful truth that God certainly, calls young people to shine not later, but now.

    And your context is there in  our families struggling with tension, in schools full of pressure, in online spaces filled with noise and disinformation, and in a society hungry for justice. These are the spaces that the youth can be God’s light.

    Remember that your compassion, your creativity, your voice for peace, your desire for truth, all these can illuminate the darkness around you. You are not the Church of tomorrow. You are the Church of today. This is what Pope Francis had told us, and now Pope Leo reminded us. God calls you now to witness, to serve, to love, to hope, and to shine.

    With all of these, I leave you now two takeaways.

    First, grow in God’s Light. You may choose one small spiritual commitment this Misa Aguinaldo. This can be a short daily prayer, or reducing online noise, in forgiving someone, or helping at home. Remember, small lights change dark rooms.

    Second, share God’s Light. You may do one act of kindness or honesty each day. You can encourage a friend, listen without judgment, stop online negativity, or say a sincere “thank you.” Be a lamp so that others can follow.

    Indeed,may this first dawn of Misa Aguinaldo awaken our young people and inspire every generation present this morning. Embrace this now that – You belong. You are loved. And You are light. Hinaut pa.

    [1] https://www.uppi.upd.edu.ph/news/2022/pinoy-youth-in-worse-mental-health-shape-today

    [2] Donna B. Dioquino, UNRAVELING LIVES: THE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES OF BROKEN FAMILIES, https://eprajournals.com/pdf/fm/jpanel/upload/2024/December/202412-01-019460

    [3] https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/social-media-statistics-philippines

    [4] Nomophobia is the fear of having no smartphone or losing it.  See https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291120300243

    [5] From Jayeel Cornelio, see https://preda.org/young-filipinos-keep-the-faith-but-shun-conventional-piety/

  • Rejoice, God is near and working even in our waiting    

    Rejoice, God is near and working even in our waiting    

    December 14, 2025 – Gaudete Sunday

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121425.cfm)

    We, Filipinos, know what it means to wait. We wait in long lines for government services. We wait for traffic to move. We wait for our salary and benefits to come in. We wait for relief goods after a disaster. We wait for healing when sickness enters our home. We wait for loved ones who work abroad, praying that they come home safe.

    Even in our personal lives, we also wait for many things. We wait for our parcel to arrive. We wait for our relationships to be repaired. We wait for our friend to speak to us again. We wait for our anger to cool down, for peace to return to our hearts. We wait for our debts to be paid. We wait for our dreams to come true. We wait to be loved, accepted, and embraced again.

    However, we also realize that some people wait longer than others. And the longer we wait, the more discouraged we become. And so we lose patience. We lose peace, become anxious, irritated, tired. Some even begin to stop moving forward, to stop dreaming, to stop hoping because it has been already exhausting to wait.

    These are our very real experiences. Many are exhausted emotionally. Some feel lifeless, controlled by bitterness or guilt within the heart. Others feel stuck, as if nothing will ever change.

    This is why today’s readings are so beautiful because God speaks directly to people who are tired and exhausted of waiting.

    The prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, spoke to a people who had suffered for decades. The Israelites were exiled to Babylon. It was about 1,700 miles away. They were forced to walk for months in misery. They believed it was because of their failures and the failures of their leaders and forefathers.

    They waited for God to rescue them. But years have passed and nothing changed. They felt abandoned and miserable. Yet, deep within the heart, there was that voice of hope that continued to pray, “Lord, come and save us!”  This is what our Psalm proclaims today.

    Indeed, many of us could have felt that way too. And so Isaiah stood  up and proclaimed with a loud voice, “Be strong, fear not! Your God will come and save you!”

    And then Isaiah painted images of hope, “the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the lame leaping, deserts blooming, sorrow and mourning fleeing away.” These images are God’s promise of healing, reconciliation, restoration, and freedom. This is why Gaudete Sunday is all about JOY because God has not forgotten His people. In fact, this is symbolized by the third candle in pink which reminds us to rejoice!

    St. James, in the second reading, taught us something important, “Be patient.” He used an image we understand well referring to the life of a farmer. A farmer cannot harvest tomorrow what he planted today because everything takes a process.

    And certainly, healing is a process. Forgiveness is also a process. Reconciliation is also a process. And so growth takes time. Healthy relationships take patience.

    James taught us now to trust God’s process and to trust God’s grace working slowly but surely in our lives. Powerfully, James also added, “Do not complain about one another.” Why? Because complaining, bitterness, and negativity in the heart blind us. They make us forget that God is actually moving and working.

    Moreover, John the Baptist in the Gospel was also tired and discouraged. John was already in prison this time. John was surely suffering. And he asked Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come? Or should we look for another?”

    This is the cry of hope from a man who is barely holding on, at the brink of giving up. Have you also ever prayed like this? “Lord, are You really there? Are You really coming to help me?”

    Jesus replied in the most tender and powerful way; “Go and tell John what you see: the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, lepers are healed, the poor receive good news.” In other words, Jesus was saying: “John, do not lose hope. I am already working. Salvation is already happening.”

    We realize now that Gaudete Sunday is not a denial of suffering. It is not pretending that everything is fine. Gaudete Sunday is courage. It is choosing to rejoice even when life is difficult not because our problems are solved, but because God is already here, moving quietly, faithfully, and lovingly.

    Realize this too because there is an even greater truth that Jesus becomes present today when we become more like Him. Meaning, when we choose to heal instead of hurt, when we choose to reconcile instead to remain angry, when we choose honesty over corruption, when we help the poor and encourage the discouraged, then we become signs of the Messiah in our communities. We become Christmas for others. And that is a real reason to rejoice.

    I leave you now three concrete invitations as your takeaways on this Gaudete Sunday.

    First, encourage one person who is tired of waiting. Send a message or make a short visit and remind the person, “God has not forgotten you.”

    Second, do one small act of healing. Forgive someone, greet someone you avoid, or pray intentionally for someone you struggle with.

     Third, spend 5 minutes in silence and say: “Lord, You are near. Teach me to trust Your timing.” Let this prayer soften your heart and make room for joy.

    And so, rejoice, not because life is perfect, but because God is near. God is faithful and God is already at work in our waiting. Hinaut pa.

  • Continuing to shine even in difficult times

    Continuing to shine even in difficult times

    December 12, 2025 – Feast of St. Lucy

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121325.cfm)

    During the strong typhoon Tino last November, a young man volunteered with a group to rescue trapped residents. His team was assigned to help a community buried by a landslide. It was raining, muddy, dark, and there was no certainty whether anyone was still alive.

    When they arrived, they found several children and parents still alive. They wept in gratitude and relief because in the middle of darkness, hope has shone when help came.

    This story reminds us that sometimes, a small action, a willing heart, and a readiness to help can, indeed, become light in someone’s life.

    In the first reading, we heard the powerful image of the Prophet Elijah. He was described like a blazing fire, standing firm against evil and guiding the people back to God. He became the light of his time. Not because he was strong on his own, but because God strengthened him and filled him with courage.

    In the Gospel, Jesus said that Elijah had already come, referring to John the Baptist, a man who brought light. Yet, John was not immediately recognized by the people. His mission was not easy, but John remained faithful to how God called him.

    These two figures in today’s readings, Elijah and John the Baptist, show us that the light of God is not always easy to see and recognize. Sometimes it exists inside our shy courage, our silence, our small and random acts of kindness, and our perseverance even when no one notices. Yet, that light remains and continues to shine for others.

    And now we look at the life of Saint Lucy, whose feast we celebrate today. Lucy was a young woman, yet strong and unwavering in her faith. She suffered greatly, faced threats and even gave up her life for the truth she believed in. Tradition says that even when her eyes were taken from her, Lucy’s spirit shone even brighter. In her martyrdom, she became a light in a time filled with fear and cruelty to the Christians.

    Saint Lucy’s life and example tells us today that the light that comes from God is surely cannot be extinguished. This light can dwell in our hearts, when we also allow God to enter and lead us.

    So in this Season of Advent, we ask ourselves, “Who is waiting for my light? Who needs my help, my forgiveness, my presence, or even my small acts of kindness?”

    We realize that this season is not only about putting up decorations or making celebrations. It is a time to rekindle the light of hope and faith within us so that others may also see.

    After looking at Elijah, John the Baptist, and Saint Lucy, may we also have the courage to say and to live that “even when it is difficult, I will continue to shine.”

    To help you live this out in daily life, here are two simple things to do:

    First, before you begin your day, give God two minutes of quiet prayer: “Lord, let Your light shine in me and through me.”

    Second, do one small act of kindness today that brings joy or help to someone. Just one, but it may become a light for their day. Hinaut pa.

  • Let God Surprise You With His Nearness

    Let God Surprise You With His Nearness

    December 12, 2025 – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121225.cfm)

    (A homily given to a group of Philippine Army.)

    The Season of Advent always carries with it a gentle sense of surprise. It is the kind of surprise you feel when something good happens in a place you never expected, or when someone shows up at a moment you had already resigned yourself to being alone. Advent tells us that God’s coming is never loud, never forced, but always unexpected but gentle. And that is the greatest surprise that the Almighty choosing to come close, choosing humility, choosing to enter our ordinary days, choosing to be within our human history.

    This is exactly what we hear in our Gospel today. Elizabeth did not expect a visit. She was living her normal, hidden life, bearing both her age and her long years of waiting. Then one day, Mary walks in simplicity, young, carrying not only her presence but the very presence of God Himself dwelling in her womb. The surprise was so overwhelming that even the child in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy. John recognized what words could not yet express because God had visited them through Mary.

    Our Lady of Guadalupe is another moment in history when God surprised His people. This is the feast we celebrate today. Through Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego, God showed the tender concern for the poor, the oppressed, and the overlooked. It was God’s way of saying, “I have not forgotten you. I see your suffering. And I come close to you.” Every true surprise from God is like this, it reveals God’s heart, especially God’s love for the weak and the powerless.

    This is what the prophet Zechariah announces in the first reading. The Prophet said, “Sing and rejoice, daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you.” Not from afar. Not in theory. But to dwell among us. The reading emphasizes that God does not live distant from the anxieties of His people. His promise is always presence which is also the gift to us.

    Brothers and sisters in uniform, this message is especially for you. Many of you will spend Christmas far from home, far from family, children, parents, and your familiar traditions. Some of you may have already spent many Christmases this way. And it is never easy. There is a loneliness in that kind of sacrifice that most people will never see. But the Lord sees it. And today, through this Gospel and through the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, God tells us: “I come to visit you where you are.”

    Perhaps the surprise of God this Christmas is not that you will be home because of you won’t. The surprise may simply be this: that even in a distant assignment, even in quiet duty posts or long night watches, God draws near. God dwells with you. God visits you through moments of peace, through your camaraderie with one another, through unexpected strength that rises when you feel tired, through simple joys that you recognize in the middle of your routine.

    But for God’s surprise to reach us, our hearts must learn to be less guarded. Advent invites us to put down our judgments, our suspicions, our indifference, our anger and hatred. This also includes even our inner defenses that we think can protect us. Sometimes we are too careful, too defensive, too close-minded or too hardened by life. And that prevents God from entering. When we allow ourselves to admit our limitations, our sins, our failures, our woundedness that is when God can finally surprise us with healing, joy and freedom.

    And when God surprises us, like John in the womb, may our hearts also learn to leap with joy. May that joy not end with us. If God surprises us with His kindness, may we then become a surprise of kindness to others especially in a season when compassion and understanding is needed most.

    I leave you now with two simple invitations which you can do concretely in the coming days.

    First, make one small gesture of kindness to someone in your unit. You can expressed this through a word of thanks, an apology, an offer to help, or a listening ear. Surprise someone with kindness.

    Second, spend five quiet minutes each day asking only one prayer: “Lord, surprise me with Your nearness today.” Let that simple prayer open your eyes to how God visits you. Hinaut pa.

  • Fear not, I will help you.

    Fear not, I will help you.

    December 11, 2025 – Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121125.cfm)

    This season of Advent draws us once more into a kind of waiting. Yet, this is not just any kind of waiting but waiting filled with hope, longing, and readiness.

    In today’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah we hear the Lord say, “Fear not, I will help you.” This is not a distant promise, far removed from our lives but a personal and present invitation. Indeed, God does not speak to crowds only. The Lord reaches out to you, to me, to us, holding out His hand in love and assurance.

    Imagine a world shaped by God’s promise where deserts are turned into springs, where dry places become alive into gardens with trees uncorrupted by human greed for power and profit.

    This is God’s divine plan not only for the world but for each heart parched by fear, pain, loneliness, or doubt. God says to us, “I will help you. I will bring life where there seems to be no life.”

    Yet taking that divine help means also trusting. It means accepting that yes, certainly, we may feel like “worms” and “maggots,” as Isaiah says. We may feel unworthy, frail, and small but God promised and said, “Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, will not abandon you.”

    What Isaiah proclaimed was set in a context when Israel felt being abandoned and discouraged. The people were exiled into Babylon after the war. They lost many things in their life including loved ones. This is how war create deep pain and anguish in the human heart. Yet, the Lord has promised salvation and freedom.

    And so for us today, as we also prepare for the coming of our Lord both in the memory of His Nativity, and in the hope of His coming again, God whispers to us, “Fear not, I will help you.” This is the heartbeat of Advent, a God who draws near, who rescues, who renews us.

    Indeed, we may be filled with uncertainty, anxiety, and suffering, yet the words in the Bible are not just ancient. These words give us a living hope. Each of us may know weariness, struggle with relationships, health, finances, and loss. Some may have felt like giving up. Some may have felt unseen and forgotten by friends and family. But God sees, God knows and God promises help.

    This means that advent invites us to trust again. To believe that even in our deserts, God can make springs. Even in our fears, God is our help and refuge.

    I leave to you now two simple and doable invitations for this Advent season.

    First, pause each day for a moment of quiet trust. Set aside few minutes maybe early in the morning or late at night and pray quietly: “Lord, I trust in You. I open my heart to Your help.” Let this be a daily turning toward God, especially in moments of fear or worry.

    Second, reach out and share hope. Choose one person, a friend, a neighbor, a colleague, or a family member who may be hurting or alone. Send a message, give a call, or visit if possible. Remind them that “God has not forgotten you and you are not alone.” In doing this, we become signs of God’s help to someone else.

    And so, may this Advent be for each of us a season of deep trust, renewed hope, and courageous faith. May we step forward not in fear, but in light because our God is our Helper, our Redeemer, our constant companion. Hinaut pa.