Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: AUTHORS

  • Maturing in faith through time

    Maturing in faith through time

    December 30, 2025 – Tuesday, 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/123025.cfm)

    As the days of Christmas pass, the noise slowly fades. The lights remain, but the excitement becomes quieter as most of you might have observed. Yet, it invites us to notice something important that Christmas is not meant to rush us, but to deepen us.

    The Church, on this 6th Day of the Octave of Christmas, gently reminds us to slow down. We should ask ourselves what kind of people we are becoming. This reflection calls for our growth not only in age, but in faith, wisdom, and love. As Christ was born for us, Christmas calls us now how our hearts should be formed over time to recognize what truly lasts.

    This is why the Gospel today brings us to Anna, the prophetess, a woman whose life had been quietly shaped by years of faithfulness. She did not rush through life, and she did not allow loss or loneliness to harden her heart. Her many years in the temple were not empty waiting but faithful presence before God. And so, when the child Jesus was brought to the temple, Anna immediately recognized Him. While others may have seen only an ordinary child, she saw hope being fulfilled. Her long journey of trust had trained her heart to see what truly mattered.

    Anna showed us that faith deepens when we stay rooted, grounded. She waited long, but her waiting did not turn into bitterness. Her years did not make her cynical. Instead, they sharpened her vision and her spirit more attuned to God’s coming presence. Thus, she could see hope because she had learned how to trust God through many seasons of loss and silence.

    Moreover, the first reading from the First Letter of John speaks to different stages of life. John addresses children, young people, and fathers. He recognizes that faith looks different at each stage of our life. Children know forgiveness. Young people are strong and have overcome evil. Elders know God deeply because they have walked with Him for a long time.

    However, John also gives us a serious warning. He said, “Do not love the world or the things of the world.” He is not saying that the world is bad. John, rather, reminds us not to build our lives on what does not last such as power, pleasure, possessions, and pride. Though these things promise satisfaction, but they fade quickly and leave hearts empty.

    Hence, this message is very relevant today. We live in a time when many are pressured to prove their worth through success, appearance, or status. Even during Christmas, many could have felt that pressure to have the best food, the nicest gifts, or the happiest photos we can post of our social media platforms. Yet Anna’s life quietly tells us another truth that certainly, a meaningful life is not measured by what we accumulate or show of to others, but by who we become.

    Hence, true maturity in faith is learning to long and desire what lasts. Anna desired God above all else. That is why, when salvation stood before her, she recognized it.

    For us today, this is an invitation to examine our hearts. We ask ourselves. What are we holding on to? What consumes our energy and attention? Are we forming our children only to succeed, or also to love and serve? Are we using our strength as young adults only for ourselves, or also for what is good and just? Are we allowing our elders to be teachers of wisdom, or have we forgotten to listen to them?

    Remember, Anna did not keep the good news to herself. She spoke about the child to others. Faith that matures always becomes generous. It shares hope.

    As Christmas continues, we are reminded that Christ is still growing among us. And like Anna, we are called not only to see Him, but to point Him out to others through our lives shaped by patience, simplicity, and trust.

    May this Christmas season teach us not just to celebrate, but to mature in love, so that when Christ passes by our lives, we will recognize Him and rejoice. Hinaut pa.

  • Learning to See the Light

    Learning to See the Light

    December 29, 2025 – Monday, 5th Day in the Octave of Christmas

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122925.cfm)

    After the joy of Christmas Day, after the lights and songs, the Church gently asks us today an important question. Do we still know how to see the light, and are we willing to live by it?

    In the Gospel, we met Simeon, an old man who had waited his whole life for this moment. He carried no title, no power and no influence. What he had was patience, faith, and a heart trained to recognize God’s presence. When Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple, Simeon saw what many others did not. He saw salvation and the light. And holding the child, he said, “My eyes have seen your salvation, a light for revelation.”

    Simeon teaches us something important. Seeing the light is not about having sharp eyes, but about having a faithful heart. Many people were in the temple that day. Only Simeon recognized the Messiah. Why? Because he waited, listened, and remained open to God even when the years were long, boring and quiet.

    However, Simeon also spoke words that were hard to hear. He told Mary that this child will be a sign of contradiction, and that a sword will pierce her heart. Indeed, Christmas joy is real, but it is not shallow. The light that comes into the world will reveal what is true in every heart. Hence, as light brings comfort to us, but it also exposes. As light gives warmth, but it also demands a response from us.

    This is where the first reading from the First Letter of John speaks clearly to us. John told us that knowing God is not just about words or feelings. “Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not keep his commandments, is a liar.” These are strong words, but they are honest. Thus, faith that remains only in speech is incomplete. And love that is not lived becomes empty.

    Now, John even went further. He said that those who walk in the light do not hate their brother or sister. It is when we linger to hatred, resentment, jealousy, and indifference that we belong to darkness. Because they blind us and make us stumble without even realizing it. This is very close to our daily lives. We may celebrate Christmas, attend Mass, and speak about love, yet still carry anger, silent grudges, or coldness toward others.

    Hence, the message of today is simple but challenging. We are reminded that to see the light of Christ is to choose to walk in love. This tells us that light is not just something we admire from a distance. It is something we follow.

    Like Simeon, we know what it means to wait. Waiting can make us tired. Sometimes it can harden our hearts. But Simeon showed us that waiting with faith sharpens our vision. It teaches us to recognize God even in small and ordinary moments.

    Today, Jesus is still presented to us not only in the temple or in our Churches, but in people. Jesus comes to us in those who are difficult to love, in those who test our patience, in those who need forgiveness. How we respond to them reveals whether we are walking in light or still choosing darkness to linger in our hearts.

    As we continue the Octave of Christmas, let us ask ourselves honestly, “Do my actions reflect the light I claim to see? Do my relationships show that I am walking in love?”

    May Simeon teach us patience. May John teach us integrity. And may Christ teach us how to live as children of the light not just in season, but every day in our ordinary lives. Hinaut pa.

  • Called to Stay, Called to Love

    Called to Stay, Called to Love

    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)

    In this Christmas Season, we always long to be with our family. We try our very best to spend a quality time that includes good food shared together and family vacations. Indeed, in our culture, family matters. When we gather we tease, we argue, we make each other wait, but at the end of the day, we show up. And Christmas, above all, is a season when our presence matters most.

    Today’s celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family invites us to reflect on that same truth that God wants to dwell with us, and family is where love stays alive. But before we dig into the readings, let us be honest and see the challenges our families face today.

    First, according to the recent survey of SWS as of September of 2025, it shows that half of Filipino families describe themselves as poor.[1] This is a reality that affects how homes function and how dreams are lived out. Many feel the pressure of financial insecurity in providing not just food on the table, but education, health, and a future for their children. Families worry about making ends meet, and that daily strain can create stress, misunderstandings, and fatigue that hurt family relationships.

    Second, many Filipino families experience conflicts that remain unresolved, sometimes staying silent because of pride, fear, or the belief that they should handle everything on their own. Because of this, the inability to seek healthy closure when relationships become harmful can trap families in cycles of pain and even violence.[2] These realities challenge the very heart of what a home should be.

    Into this context of our families that we also find God speaking to us through the Word.

    In the first reading from the Book of Sirach, we are reminded that honoring our parents, being steadfast in family relationships, and caring for one another brings healing and blessing. “Those who honor their father atone for sins,” the text says. Indeed, family life with its joys, tensions, wounds, and reconciliations, is not something accidental. It is central to how God chooses to teach us about love. When we value one another, we not only strengthen each other’s lives; we participate in God’s work of healing.

    The Psalm echoes this blessing for those who walk in love and obedience. The image of a fruitful vine, a household thriving and secure, is not simply about comfort. It is God’s promise that when a family commits to love through respect, patience, and perseverance, they reflect God’s own faithful care.

    In the Letter to the Colossians, Paul speaks directly into the life of the Christian household. He speaks not only about virtues like compassion, kindness, and forgiveness, but about allowing Christ to rule in our hearts. Families are called to welcome one another, not just in physical presence during Christmas gatherings, but in the everyday choices that shape a home manifested in our listening, understanding, affirming, and forgiving. Paul’s words remind us that family becomes a school of love when Christ is at the center.

    Finally, the Gospel presents the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt. This may sound far from our Christmas parties and bright lights, but it is deeply human. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were strangers in a foreign land, living with uncertainty and loss. Yet, they stayed faithful to God’s call. They did not abandon one another. In the midst of fear and displacement, they lived out trust and care. This shows us that family is not defined by comfort or security, but by commitment and love in difficult times.

    Today, we celebrate the Holy Family because their journey resembles ours not in perfection but in our struggles. Joseph, Mary and Jesus knew fear, uncertainty, and sacrifice. They knew the heaviness of responsibility and the challenge of staying together. And yet, they trusted God fully because God is indeed with them.

    Thus, this Feast of the Holy Family invites us to take a hard, honest look at our own families. In a country where economic hardship often burdens homes, where communication sometimes breaks down, and where love is tested by struggles we did not choose, God calls us to grow in deeper fidelity, presence, and care. The Holy Family teaches us that love is not a feeling that waits for perfect conditions. Rather, it is a choice that stands firm amid difficulties.

    We are reminded today that family is a gift and a mission. It is where God calls us to stay, to love, and to build life together with courage.

    And so, how do we live this out this Christmas season, not just as a fleeting celebration, but as real transformation? With this question, I also leave you now two simple, concrete invitations:

    First. Choose intentional presence. Go beyond being physically at the table. Turn off the phone to be able to listen deeply. Share not only food, but concerns, dreams, and fears. Let your home become a place where hearts are heard and valued.

    Second. Rebuild trust and communication. When there is hurt, take the first step and say, “I am sorry.” Ask, “How are you really?” and mean it. Commit to one regular family ritual even just a weekly conversation time where everyone can speak and be heard without judgment.

    Remember, our families are the first school of love in our society. If love thrives in our homes, it will shape our communities, our nation, and our future.

    May the Holy Family intercede for us, especially in this Christmas season, that our homes may become places of peace, endurance, personal growth and love, where we are truly present to one another, and where God continues to dwell. Hinaut pa.

    [1] https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/964345/50-of-filipino-families-consider-themselves-poor-sws-survey/story/

    [2] https://igg-geo.org/en/2023/06/27/divorce-prohibition-in-the-philippines-a-system-serving-the-patriarchy/

  • 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.

  • When the Word Walks with Us

    When the Word Walks with Us

    December 25, 2025 – The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the Day

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122525-Day.cfm)

    One Christmas morning, years ago, after a long Misa de Aguinaldo, a parishioner shared a simple story with me. After the Noche Buena, their family was already tired and sleepy. Food was still on the table, children were dozing off, and the elders were quietly chatting. Suddenly, there was a knock on their door. It was a neighbor who lived alone and whose house had burned down a few days earlier. He did not ask for food or money. He only said, “Pwede makilingkod? Aron duna koy maka-istorya karong Pasko.” And so, they made space, reheated food, and listened. Later, the mother of the family said, “Now I understand that in Christmas, it is not only about preparing food, but preparing for someone.”

    That simple moment captures the heart of Christmas Day. After all the lights, songs, and celebrations, Christmas asks us one quiet but deep question. What happens when God truly comes close to us?

    The first reading from Isaiah speaks of beautiful feet, feet that bring good news, peace, and salvation. This image is very concrete. God does not shout His message from the sky. He sends messengers who walk, who travel dusty roads, who enter villages, and who speak hope where it is most needed. For a people who had known suffering, defeat, and exile, this message was life-giving: “Your God reigns. You are not forgotten. Salvation is near.”

    This resonates deeply with us as Filipinos. We are a people who value presence. We walk long distances just to visit loved ones. Our students here at MSU-Marawi have to travel for many hours to get home. Thus, we show up even when it is inconvenient. And in moments of crisis like typhoons, earthquakes, and sickness, we know how powerful it is when someone simply arrives and says, “I am here.” Isaiah reminds us that this is how God comes to us, close, personal, and real.

    Moreover, the second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews takes this even further. It tells us that in the past, God spoke through prophets in many ways. But now, God speaks to us through His Son. This means that God no longer sends only messages. God sends Himself. Jesus is not just a teacher of God’s word. He is God’s Word made visible. He is the image of the invisible God.

    Then we hear the Gospel according to John, perhaps the most profound Christmas Gospel of all. There is no manger, no shepherds, no angels singing. Instead, John proclaimed, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

    This is a bold declaration. God chose to enter human life fully. God accepted our limits, our struggles, our wounds, and even our rejection.

    And here is the painful truth that the Gospel does not hide, John continued to proclaim, “He came to his own, but his own did not accept him.” Christmas is not always welcomed. Sometimes, God comes knocking, and we are too busy, too distracted, or too comfortable to notice.

    Yet the Gospel does not end there. It says, “To those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God.” This is the gift of Christmas Day. Not just forgiveness. Not just our comfort and good tiding. But a new identity. We are no longer strangers. We are family, sisters and brothers!

    This leads us to this reality that Christmas is God choosing to walk with us so that we may learn how to walk with one another.

    Remember, the Word became flesh not to remain distant, but to be encountered in our everyday life, there in our conversations, relationships, and in our choices. Jesus is present when we speak truth with kindness, when we choose honesty over convenience, and when we open space for those who feel unseen.

    Today, as families and friends gather again, Christmas invites us to reflect. Why? Because it is possible to have a full Noche Buena but an empty heart. It is possible to celebrate loudly and lavishly but love indifferently. The Word became flesh so that our faith would not remain an idea, but will become our way of life.

    In our country today, many people long for good news. Not slogans. Not promises. But real good news. Indeed, as Filipinos, we long for news that restores dignity, that defends truth, that protects the poor, the conversion of the corrupt leaders and that builds peace. Isaiah speaks of messengers with beautiful feet. However, this Christmas Day asks us, “Can our lives become that message?”

    The Word walks with us so that we may walk with integrity. The light shines so that we may reflect it. And so, grace is given to us, so that it may be shared.

    As the celebration continues beyond this Mass, let us remember that Christmas does not end today. It begins today, in how we live, speak, choose and relate with one another. Hinaut pa.