Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Fr. Mario Masangcay, CSsR

  • Alternative ROUTE

    Alternative ROUTE

    January 4, 2025 – Epiphany of the Lord

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010426.cfm)

    “I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance & amend my life. Amen.”

    We say those words as an act of contrition during confession. In saying these words, we do not only regret our mistakes but we are also making a resolution to change & improve our ways. Meaning, it is not enough just to be sorry of our mistakes, but we have to do something about our mistakes by doing our best because we know that we are and God’s mercy is much better than our sins, faults & shortcomings.

    Making an act of contrition then reminds us that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not only about being sorry for our sins, but above all giving oneself & God a chance to do things right & do the right things for the better than we usually do. It is useless then to do monthly individual confession if & when we don’t change our ways & resolve to improve, but rather go back to our sinful & corrupt ways. Salvation is all about God’s grace in us rather than about our sins.

    Reconciliation then is allowing God’s mercy & forgiveness work in us, rather than finding & counting our woes, sins, faults, mistakes, shortcoming & of others. It is all about receiving God’s grace than accounting our faults. It is all about changing our ways rather than just being sorry for our sins.

    Today, we celebrate the feast of Epiphany. This is our celebration of our remembrance of God’s loving act of reaching out to us (God making Himself known to us) and our acceptance of Jesus, as God’s self-revelation. We, Christians believe that God has given us His only Son, Jesus Christ, as His first gift to us for our salvation.

    By sharing us His Son, we become related to Him and become also His children, and sharers of His divine life. Jesus, indeed, is God’s greatest gift to us. God’s offer of salvation & our reception of Jesus into our lives give another alternative meaning, directions & ways in our life. Because of Jesus, we are blessed & graced by God.

    Here in our gospel today, we are reminded us of what happened when the three kings found the Child Jesus lying in the manger in Bethlehem. Guided by the star, in great joy, they saw the Child Jesus and they did him homage.

    Their encounter of Jesus and the Holy Family in Bethlehem brought the three kings great joy for they have finally found what they are searching for. The birth of Jesus brought new promise & purpose, not only to the local Jews, but also to the migrant magi & to the whole world. With this, like us now, they are grateful, and offered their gifts in homage and thanksgiving to God’s greatest gift to all.

    But let us not forget that after they have witnessed & accepted the Son of God into our lives, they returned by an another alternative route to journey life.

    This is not because they were afraid of Herod, but because of their encounter with Jesus has also changed their lives. After they have recognized God in the child Jesus, the lives of the three kings were never the same again. They did not follow the usual path, but they amend their lives & now tread an alternative way, perspective, and attitude to life. The child Jesus brought them great joy as well as great changes in their way of life.

    The same with our experience of God’s mercy & forgiveness during confession. After celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, we know deep inside that life now & ahead could & should not be the same again. We have to change our ways & amend our paths. Like the three kings, we have to take an-other, an alternative path of life-journey, much better than our usual lifestyle. The usual King Herod-road to Jesus, our sinful corrupt ways are not anymore safe to tread through again.

    We cannot help but amend our normal ways, or else we find ourselves again with our usual unhealthy drama, blame & excuses – away from God’s grace. Because as we all know & believe, Jesus, God’s salvation for us is more than just about our sins & failures in life, but more about & into God’s love & mercy for us His children.

    As we are beginning a new year, we make an act of contrition. We give ourselves another chance to grow & do better than our life last year. As we receive anew Jesus, God’s greatest gift for us, let us diminish our tendency to account & highlight our mistakes & faults, but be more conscious of God’s grace at work in us.

    And above all, let us amend & improve our lives for the better than our usual normal ways, and seek a new alternative path, roads, & ways for God’s blessing to be always with us today & our near future.

    In other words: “We firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to confess our sins, to do penance, & amend our life.”

    Amen.

  • ADOPTING JESUS

    ADOPTING JESUS

    December 28, 2025 – Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122825.cfm)

    Christmas reminds us that God comes into our lives as a Child – not as fully grown man or as superman or as god, but as a poor child on a manger. And for a child to live and grow, God’s son Jesus needs a human parent and family like any other child. Jesus Christ, God’s son has to be taken, accepted, adopted and above all chosen by human parents and family. He grew up in life then …in, with, through his family who adopted and chosen Him to be their own. And within a  human family Jesus was born, loved, lived and have grown as a Person in the home – Not inside a monastery, convent or church.

    Once I received a Christmas card that say: “A child is born in our midst”. Well, that’s okay because that is the core message of Christmas. But what made me suspect then was that card was sent from the sisters’ convent. Imagine the sisters’ sending me a message that a child is born in their midst”. Me batang ipinanganak sa kanila. Hmmm???

    Yes, God’s son has a home, a family, a foster parents and family who chose Him to be their own. And He is now our own as well. Jesus is part of our family. He is our adopted and chosen brother, kapatid, igsoon, (우리 형이에요).

    Today we honor the Holy Family, the very first family who welcomes and willingly accepts the Emmanuel “the God with us” into our lives. Mary and Joseph are the very first parents who adopted and chosen the child of God Jesus into their home to be their very own as member of their family.

    Our gospel today gives us a description on how Mary and Joseph do their best to parent the child Jesus into their own lives as they observe their own local cultural and religious traditions, while conscious of the mysterious unique experience of adopting and choosing God’s blessing into their lives. Yes, Jesus with Mary & Joseph their lives become a normal human family.

    And like any normal human family, the Holy Family of Jesus has faced a lot of challenges in life. At the early stage of family life, because of persecutions, the Holy Family had be exiled to, and lived life as a migrant family in Egypt, and then coming back they have to settle in Nazareth, where it was said “nothing comes out good from Nazareth”.

    Yes, for Joseph & Mary, adopting Jesus has been & will always be life-changing experience. In adopting Jesus into our lives, surely our life then will also never be the same for us again…, but for the better than worse. And because & just as Mary & Joseph adopted Jesus, we who also welcome & accept Jesus in our homelife become members of the Holy Family- kapamilya, kamag-anak at kapatid ni Hesus.

    Thus, honoring the Holy Family on Christmas season posts the on-going ever-present life-changing challenge for us, like Mary and Joseph, to adopt and parent  anew Jesus, God’s child by choice into our lives now and always. Since God’s gift of grace comes to us as a Child – not as fully grown man or as superman or as god, but as a poor child on a manger, needing a home & family – not a monastery, convent or church, somebody has to take care of the Child Jesus & be responsible for the child to grow & mature into our very lives, so that His grace & blessing be revealed, given & share to all.

    Taking care & responsibility for Jesus by willingly accepting, adopting & choosing Him into our lives to be our own – part of our own lives as family and community, we come to know also that we are and becoming God’s adopted and chosen children and people, part of His Holy Family. Sa ating pag-angkin kay Hesus na ating kapamilya, tayo ay naging at maging ka-anak/kapamilya rin ng Dios at kamag-anak ng anak ng Dios.

    As we adopt Jesus as our chosen brother, as our family member, we are and also become God’s children and members of Jesus family, part of the God’s Holy Family. With the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph, may this Christmas season, and the coming New Year remind us always that even in times of darkness, crisis, challenges & disasters, God comes into our lives always & comes to us as a Child, who can bring us hope, promise & better life, as we willingly choose to adopt, take care & parent Jesus into our very homes now as part of our human & holy family.

    Have a Blessed Christmas & a Grace-filled new Year to us all. Amen.

  • Parenting by Choice

    Parenting by Choice

    December 21, 2025 – Fourth Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122125.cfm)

    Two brothers went for enrollment. When asked about their age & birthday, both are eight years old – one borne on August 8 & the other on August 21. When asked to explain, both smiled & said they have asked their parents about it. And their parents just reply; “we don’t remember anymore who is natural or adopted. All we know that regardless, you are both chosen & loved.

    We call God, our father. And rightly so, we call him “Father” because God did not only become our father but He also chooses to be our father. To parent us to be His children is God’s choice, not only by obligation. In the same way to parent our children is not only an obligation but more so our choice. One may disown their children, but someone has to choose to be responsible to the child as parent. 

    Take for example, St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. God is the Father of Jesus. And Joseph, as Mary’s husband, becomes the foster-father of Jesus. Joseph did not need to be the father of Jesus, but he chose to become the earthly father of Jesus. He chose to be a father to Jesus who is not of his own. Not out of obligation but out of choice that Joseph became the foster-father of Jesus. 

    In the same way, unlike mothers who needs to be a mother by nature to her child, fathers don’t have to or need to be a father to his child. Some fathers do escape such responsibility. But come to think of it, our very own father are the very first person, aside from our mother, who chooses us to be his own child. As a child, we are chosen by our fathers. Fathers choose their children. You are chosen by your fathers. Our fathers own us by choice, not only by obligation.

    In our gospel today, we hear the story of the birth of Jesus as experienced by Joseph. If we really come to think of it, Joseph’s experience of the birth of Jesus is a story of being  held accountable for something not-yours. Joseph’s experience of Jesus’ birth is a story of “Nagmahal, Nasaktan, Pinapanagut”.

    Obviously, Joseph Nagmahal, – has loved. He loved his wife to-be Mary very much. He is willing to grow old and have a family with Mary. He is a just and righteous man who will do everything for his marriage and family to-be. But Joseph is also Nasaktan (of being hurt). Joseph was also hurt by what happened. Who would not be hurt and pained when you just learned that your beloved is already pregnant before you lived together and the baby is not-yours? Ang sakittttttt. Can we blame Joseph for planning to quietly divorce Mary? We can easily relate with the broken-hearted Joseph. And worse, Joseph is Pinapanagut – of being held responsible and accountable for all of these things.

    If it is hurtful and hurting to learn that your wife to-be is already pregnant of a baby who is not-yours, how much more if you are pinapanagut – being held accountable and responsible for the baby? If you are Joseph, are you willing to take responsibility? Are you ready and willing to take responsibility for the so-called “unwanted” child? Would you still love your “unfaithful” wife to-be who is now pregnant with a child not-yours?

    This is the story of Joseph as he experienced the birth of the Messiah. A story of being held accountable for something and someone not-yours. Nagmahal, nasaktan, pinapanagut sa hindi kanya. Loved, hurt, and being held responsible for something or someone not-yours.

     

    The story of Joseph is also the story of our salvation. As the Lord offers us His beloved Son into our lives, we are asked to be like Joseph, i.e. to be held responsible for God and others – someone and something not-ours. Pinapanagut rin tayo. Like Joseph, we are being held accountable for His Son Jesus, for the sake of God and others, and not for our own sake. Pinapaangkin sa atin ang Kanyang Anak – to accept His Son as our very own.

    And in doing so, in taking responsibility for God, like Joseph, we will love and be hurt along the way, and will be held accountable for something or someone not-ours. Because, only by taking responsibility and be held accountable for Jesus like Joseph, God’s grace and salvation continues to prosper and fulfill into our lives today. Thus, God’s incarnation requires our responsibility – our ability to response for God’s sake than ourselves.

    Here  we have much to learn from Joseph himself. As he went through the difficult experience of being accountable for God’s Son, he always honors and only listens to God’s message to him. Despite his confusions, frustrations, and broken-heartedness, Joseph simply listens to God’s message, honors God’s will, and hopes on God’s promise of Emmanuel “God is with us”, being responsible and accountable for Him. By always honoring and listening to God’s will and message to us, we become more responsible for Emmanuel, God with us. 

    Here we also come to realize that the history of our salvation is a story of parenting by choice. God our father chooses to be our parent by entrusting us His own beloved Son Jesus Christ, and as well as we choose to parent God’s child into our lives, God’s blessings & graces of salvation thrive always into our lives.

    Just like Joseph, by adopting & taking responsibility for Jesus into our lives, not of obligation but by choice, the holiness & sacredness of God’s become flesh & dwell amongst us… regardless since we are chosen & loved.

    Christmas is already near upon us. Actually the Lord has already came and arrived into our lives. But do we welcome Him into our lives? Do we follow Him and let Him change and influence our lives? Are we willing to be held responsible and accountable for Him, our God with us?

    The season of Advent requires  of us to  “Be awake & Be Prepared”,  “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand” , “Go and Tell others what we have seen & heard” &  “Not be Afraid to take home” . Meaning awareness, repentance, witness & parenting the Holy Family into our lives now are enough preparations for us to receive & celebrate once again & anew God’s blessings upon us now & forever.

    We pray then that like Joseph and Mary, we may be willing responsible people and accountable parent for the Lord into our lives by always listening and responding to God’s message and will for us, now & always. So May It Be. Amen.

  • Joyful WITNESS

    Joyful WITNESS

    December 14, 2025 – Gaudete Sunday

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

    After Eucharist, a man once approached me and asked for an advice. He said, “Father, my daughter is engaged to her boyfriend. But seemingly the guy’s family does not approve of their relationship because they have learned that I am now unemployed. They thought that I am lazy and irresponsible parent to my daughter. You see, Father, I am a retired seaman. I subsist now from the pension and time-deposit I’ve earned. I just wish to spend the rest of my life with my family after long years of absence from them. I really love my daughter and only wish for her happiness. Father, is it a sin to be unemployed, and enjoy my own family? What shall I do, then?”

    Like that man and John’s disciples in the gospel today, sometimes we become restless with life in anticipation for the Lord’s reign that we ask the practical question: “I believe that the Lord will come again, but what must I do, then?” Yes, we do believe that God so loves us that He gave his only begotten Son for our salvation. He has been good to us and continually showers us His love and blessings. But as faith necessitates actions, “what is the right thing to do then? What then does God require and demand of us?”

    If we reflect deeper on our readings today, we see that like any parents, God desires nothing much from us but our happiness. He simply wished us JOY in our relationship with Him. As what Jesus said to restless disciples of John, “Go and report what you see and heard here.” Meaning, Jesus wants us to see for ourselves and enjoy the great things happening and what God is doing us here and now.

    As God shares to us His life and salvation, He does not ask for our heroic acts or sacrifices but our whole being to enjoy, savor, and share his love and work with others. God does not demand of us so-called “holy” extra-works of doing physical penances, or attending or organizing bible studies, miracle crusades, or prayer meetings.

    But rather, He simply requires us to be as best Christian as we can be, that is, to love Him and our neighbor, follow His precepts, celebrate liturgies in worship, share responsibilities with our fellowmen, and make them feel and realize that we are God’s people. For God, then, what matters most are not our sacrifices but our obedience, not commandments but our faith – a loving & joyful relationship with Him, through Jesus Christ.

    Basically, God simply invites us not to be heroes, martyrs, or saints. But like John the Baptist, and the farmer who joyfully anticipates for the fruits, Jesus wants us to be His living and willing witnesses of the revelation and unfolding of God’s work of salvation. In other words, He simply wants us to joyfully witness God’s salvation here & now.

    For what is a witness? Like a best man in a wedding ceremony, a witness is someone, who first, let God’s work of salvation to happen before his very eyes, not controlling or programming, but simply experiencing the event. Second, a witness is someone who let the event disturb, influence, and affect His life, for God’s work is good news to those who recognize accepts & believes his experience. And a witness is someone who stand for, share & witness joyfully what he experiences and believes to others, for “Happy is the man who does not lose faith in me”.

    Through our faith-responses to God’s revelation and act of His love, by our encounter and acceptance of His son as Emmanuel “God-with-us” in our lives now, by being affected and changed by the person of Jesus, by sharing our faith to others, – in other words by being His living eye, ear & heart joyful witnesses of Christ, God’s blessings begin and continue to prosper within us today and forever.

    And so, in response to that man’s questions, I said to him, “it is never a sin to be unemployed. You are not only what you have or what you have done in life or what others say about you. But you are who you are before God now – His beloved child. Just Be the best and responsible father and husband you can be. Let God do the rest, and never to forget to enjoy the moment.”

    We began our advent journey with His challenge to: “Stay awake & Be prepared”. Then we are invited to “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”. And today, the Lord calls to “Go & tell others what you hear & see”. And what are we to do then? Awareness, repentance & joyful witness.

    As we continue our advent journey in preparation for the birthday of our Lord in our lives nowadays, may we open our hearts, minds, body, soul, ears & eyes in joy to recognize & believe in Him always in our midst, & hope for another spirit & grace-filled year with Emmanuel, the God-with-us now & always. Amen.

  • 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.