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  • 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.

  • God Gives Strength & Rest When We Are Weary

    God Gives Strength & Rest When We Are Weary

    December 10, 2025 – Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121025.cfm)

    A year ago, I met this young woman burdened with what she lost. She was the bread-winner of the family, and so losing her job meant everything. With such loss, a wave of worry came, as well as fear and sadness. She felt hopeless and afraid that she would not find another way of making ends meet. Her nights became sleepless and mornings heavy.

    However, a friend reached out to her and cared to simply listen to her fears, and prayed with her. That became an opportunity to hope in God even when things are difficult for her. And slowly, the heavy burden on her heart began to ease. The presence of a friend became a comfort and support.

    She began to look at her current crisis as an opportunity to be more creative. She decided to take the initiative rather than only waiting in worries. Instead of burying herself in fear, she began to trust more on God. In that way, she discovered a quiet strength returning. She found the courage to hope again and to trust that something better comes in God’s grace.

    In the first reading from Isaiah, God’s voice echoed to remind the people of His creative power. After all, God is greater than anything to which we compare God. Hence, when we grow tired, weak, or discouraged, God does not grow faint. The Lord God promises to renew our strength and those who wait upon Him. This was what Isaiah reminded us, “He shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles … they shall walk and not faint.” This is not a promise to escape all difficulties in life. It is a promise that God carries us. He restores our strength when we rely on Him.

    Such good news reechoed in the Gospel. Jesus says to you and to me now, “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. … For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

    Jesus does not ignore our burdens. Instead, Jesus welcomes us, inviting us to bring all our tiredness, worries, and pain to Him. Jesus offers rest for our souls, gentle guidance, and relief. His “yoke” is the life of discipleship. It embodies trust and surrender. It is not a heavy oppression. Rather, it is a light and life-giving support to those who welcome Him.

    That young woman’s real life situation reminds of God’s invitation for us today, as we wait for Jesus. Overwhelmed and hurting, someone reached out, it moved her to trust a friend, then opened her heart, and brought her pain before God. And God, through the community and prayer, renewed her strength. In fact, her burdens did not vanish instantly, but she found rest, hope, and the possibility to rise again.

    What does this mean for us now? When you feel worn out, fearful, or overburdened by work or studies, remember that God sees you. When life’s troubles, loneliness, anxiety, or illness burden you, know that God acknowledges your struggles. Jesus is greater than your problems. This means that you don’t have to carry them alone. Jesus invites you to come to Him.

    Thus, be open to support from prayer, from friends, from our faith community. remember, sometimes God’s strength comes through simple our human compassion. Hinaut pa.

  • 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.