Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Sunday Homlies

  • Be RIGHT with the Lord

    Be RIGHT with the Lord

    July 20, 2025 – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072025.cfm)

    Once, a mother approached and asked me for advice regarding her growing children. She was so worried about her children who according to her becoming irresponsible. One comes home late at night without any permission. Her teenage daughter does not anymore go to mass with them, but spend more time with her non-Christian boyfriend. One likes to go out often, as if not anymore living with them. She even suspects that her son is involved now with drugs and drinks.

    All her children now know how to answer back and not so serious with their studies. In her frustration, she asked me “Father, what have I done wrong? We do everything for them to have a better life. My husband and I work seriously to provide them good nourishment, education, and lifestyle. But how come it happened this way?”

    As for my advice, I told her: “yes, it is true, Mam that it is not easy to parent growing children. A number of families nowadays are into such difficulties. But may I ask you, do you have common activities as family?” So confused with the question, so I asked her: “Do you have meals, pray, and recreation together as family?” She replied, “That’s impossible for us because we are busy with our work. Our children and we, parents also have their own different schedules and friends that is why usually we cannot be together during meals, recreation, prayers or activities.”

    Then I told her, “Ma’am maybe that is what is missing in your family life. You don’t give time to one another. You become so busy with your own individual activities in serving one another that you forget to whom and why are you serving. You have wasted the time and opportunity to experience and know one another as family.”

    If we reflect deeply in our lives today, it could happen that we become so pre-occupied with our concerns and duties, that we do not have anymore time with and for one another for our own family. Yes, it is true that whatever we do is for God and others, especially for our family. But it could happen that we hide ourselves with our work and activities, so that our relationship becomes cold and shallow. It could happen, like that mother, because of our own individual concerns and responsibilities in life, our relationships with one another become cold and shallow, no more bonding and love for one another.

    Just like in our gospel today. Martha and Mary must have felt great joy and privilege when Jesus paid them a home-visit. Martha was right to do what should be done – to do things right, in order to welcome and accommodate their honored guest. However, because of her great worry and concern to do things right, Martha missed the right thing to do before the Lord’s presence, which is to listen to the Good News the Lord is intending to share with them in his visit, and to have a quality personal and common time with them. 

    Meaning, beyond their hospitality, Jesus expects from them an opportunity for friendship and bonding with them. He needs more than just their humble service and hospitality but to enjoy and celebrate their love and friendship with Jesus.

    Thus, Jesus rebuked Martha when she complained about Mary, to remind her that what matters is not her lack or excess of service, or her responsibility or Mary’s irresponsibility, but such humble service and responsibility to Him should be born out of their intimate relationship with Jesus and with one another.

    As Christians, in the same way, our humble service to others, our concern & responsibility to one another must grow out of our faith relationship in Jesus, not of our human endeavors. Our salvation then is primarily God’s grace or gift to us that does not only require our response of humble service, but more so, gives us the opportunity to experience, unite and be intimate and one with God and one another.

    Yes, to follow Christ is indeed a responsibility. But responsibilities are built out of and based on our relationships. What matters in life, then are our relationships with God and one another more than our responsibilities to each other. And doing the right things in our relationship is more noble and important than doing things right responsibly.

    Yes, in every relationship there is corresponding responsibilities. But fulfilled responsibilities are meaningless if and when it is not grounded on quality and intimate relationship. Common & personal relationship-based responsibilities is thus called for in our life with God & one another. Ultimately then, righteousness – having right relationship (to be Right) with Jesus is to have a common & intimate relationship with Him, far beyond our doing right for Him.

    Perhaps, we ask ourselves: “if and when Jesus pays you a home visit, what would you do? How would you respond? Will you be listening to Him and of His agenda for His visit? Or will you be busy or occupied with responsibilities to do things right for Him than to be right with Him? Do we recognize the Lord present within our family dynamics & relations than just in our family functions, duties & responsibilities?

    Brothers and sisters, as we follow Jesus in our lives, like Mary, may we build our relationships with Him and one another by spending quality time & relationship to listen, experience and grow with one another in common with faith & life in Him now and always.

    So May It Be. Amen

  • BY OUR LOVE

    BY OUR LOVE

    July 13, 2025 – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071325.cfm)

    A man once happened to fell on a rather deep manhole pit. He really had a hard time to escape from his difficult predicament. So he called for help. It happened that a lawyer passed by, so the man shouted out: “Help”. The lawyer replied: ‘Sorry I cannot help you now. I’m on a hurry for a court hearing. Here is my calling card. Call me later and we will sue the company who dug this pit… Pro bono.’ And so the lawyer took off.

    Then a doctor came by and said, ‘Hey, I cannot help you now since I have a scheduled operation. Here are some prescriptions for your bruises. I will call for help. Surely I will help you at the hospital.’ And then the doctor left. A priest also came and said, ‘Sorry, so, I cannot help you right now. My wedding mass is about to start. Here is a rosary, pray till the rescue arrived. We will include you in our prayers also.’ And the priest rushed off.

    Now, the man got a lawyer’s calling card, a doctor’s prescription and a priest’s rosary, but still trapped in a manhole. And so his poor neighbor passed by, came over, and saw him. And right there and then, jumped into the pit. The man said to his poor neighbor, ‘How stupid you are. Now both of us are trapped in this pit’. His poor neighbor then replied, ‘Yes, but I know a way out.’

    Once again we are reminded today of the Lord’s commandment of Love – that we may inherit eternal life whenever we Love the Lord our God and our neighbor as we love ourselves.

    However, based on our experience, this commandment to Love are often nice words to hear but hard to follow, especially on loving our neighbor as ourselves. That is why, knowing the commandment – same way as teacher of the law in the gospel, we also wonder: ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Like him, we know the commandment to love but we also like to know who is our neighbor worthy of our love.

    As response, Jesus told us the parable of the Good Samaritan. For Jesus, the neighbor who is worthy of our love is our immediate neighbor. The very person we are with – in the here and now, is the very neighbor who we should love. We don’t need for someone absent and far to be our neighbor to love. But the very persons before and with us now, who need our help and love is our very neighbor we ought to love. To help and love our neighbor, then, we don’t need to look for them somewhere else. Just be aware and conscientious of the people around you in the here and now, and respond lovingly as you can.

    Through the parable, Jesus also teaches us the proper way to help our neighbor, and that is: “Before we try to help others, we should immerse and be in solidarity with their difficult situation”. In helping others, dole-outs, give-aways, and reaching-outs are not enough. We need to dive in, get wet or dirty along the way, and journey with them, to free one another from the messy situation.

    The Samaritan is good because he is “moved with compassion. Meaning, he felt with (sympathy) & felt for (empathy) with his neighbor. And thus, he fully involved himself in helping the needy. He knew the best way to respond because perhaps he was also once needy and in such worse situation.

    Like, the poor neighbor can help the distressed man because he may have been in the same situation before, but he also knows a way out. Others (lawyer, doctor, priest or levites) cannot and was not able to help because they don’t want to be involved and they cannot sympathize because they were not in that situation before, and don’t know a way out. In other words, only swimmers can rescue a drowning person. So, love your immediate neighbor with sympathy & empathy as you can.

    In our parish in Dumaguete, when I was the parish priest, we had once a program where we give Christmas gifts to poor parishioners. What makes this program unique is that we arranged the gift-giving wherein the donors themselves go and visit the home of the poor beneficiaries, and give their gifts.

    A donor once told me: “Thanks, Father! It is only now I become fully aware of the poverty of our nearby neighbors, especially of Nong Berto’s family who used to drive me to school when I was a little girl before.” Our neighbors then worthy of our love are the very people nearby we immediately see, smell, feel and hear, and whom we feel with & feel for.

    Furthermore, remember the Lord in our first reading also emphasized that: “This command is not too mysterious and remote for you, not up in the sky nor across the sea. It is something near to you, already in your mouths, and in your hearts: you have only to carry it out.”

    Meaning, we CAN love the Lord and our neighbor as ourselves because “already in our mouths & hearts” since we are also loved by the Lord and our neighbor as ourselves. We can love because we are loved by God and others. We can help and take care of our neighbor because we are also taken cared of by God and helped by neighbors. We can rescue and save others because we are rescued and saved by God and others. And as we love in life, we inherit & share eternal life.

    God directs us already what need to be done to: “Love your God and your neighbor as you love yourself.” So, let us do our part in Loving Him and our Neighbor, as He and our neighbor have loved us as ourselves.

    By our love, may others also come to know & love God, and also may inherit & share eternal life now & always.

    So May It Be. Amen.

  • SENT to Do God’s Work

    SENT to Do God’s Work

    July 6, 2025 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070625.cfm)

    To those who are in one way or another involved with apostolic work and in church ministry, a well-known Jesuit spiritual director Thomas Green once emphasized that there is a big difference between working for God and doing God’s work. Though working for God and doing God’s work are both noble and good as well as might mean the same, the difference lies on the doer, worker, or actor of the ministry.

    Working for God is based from OUR own initiative and creativity. It is service-done designed according to our own will so that God and others will be pleased with us. God and others then, becomes a passive recipient of our good works.

    However, doing God’s work is based (not on our own but) on God’s own initiative and creativity. It is service-done, patterned according (not to our own will but) to God’s will and done in partnership and collaboration with God. Here, God is the author and actor of the good works done. We become then mere participants and instruments of God’s work as well as all will be the beneficiaries of God’s work.

    Simply put, working for God is OUR work for God, whereas Doing God’s work is GOD’s work for us & done with Us.

    Our Gospel today highlights our identity & responsibilities as missionaries of Christ. Like his disciples, as today’s Christians, we are reminded that we are authorized, empowered & commissioned to “proclaim the Kingdom of God & to heal the sick”. It is our mission then to proclaim & give witness to our faith in the world. As faithfuls & followers of Christ, we are thus God’s missionaries & ministers to the world today.

    What is more significant in our mission as Christians is the specific instruction of Jesus of “take nothing (no money bag, no sack, no sandals) for the journey” – This would mean as we are sent, go, & do our mission of Proclaiming Christ & giving witness to God’s kingdom to the world today, we are come & go as we are (blessed & broken we may be, warts & all) for what we proclaim is not ourselves but God himself.

    We are to learn to trust, practice detachment & rely on God’s will, plans & ways – not on ourselves, for God’s offer of salvation is based on His graces & blessings rather than on our human endeavors & merits.

    In other words, we are sent (not only to work for God, but) to do God’s work in the world through us. Yes, in whatever vocation & profession we are in in this life, we are on-mission to the world, but not just to work for God, but to do God’s work & mission with us, for in Christ & with us Christians, God is still on mission & at work in world for our better lives.

    On this note, we consider that our Catholic bishops exhorts during 1991 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines, that as today’s Filipino Catholics, we “need to retell the Jesus story to ourselves so that we can tell Him to other with authority”. Meaning, it is our mission as Filipino Catholics now to tell the Jesus’ story again & again, and  anew to ourselves so that we can proclaim & minister Him to others. It is for God then, not for us to change & save the world & others. It is for us to strengthen our faith in Jesus now & so others here at home and abroad may come to know & witness Jesus in us, who believes & follows Him.

    As we do our part in God’s work, our day-to-day life in faith with Christ challenges us to be more in sync & at tune with God’s will, plan, & ways of leading & guiding us, rather than insist our own plans, will & ways for what is best for us in our lives nowadays.

    May we grow in our missionary life & be worthy of our missionary identity as Filipino Catholics.

    So Help us God. So may It be. Amen.

  • Our CHOICE to be Christian

    Our CHOICE to be Christian

    June 29, 2025 – Solemnity of Saint Peter and Paul

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062925-Mass.cfm)

    Perhaps we may raise the questions: “How come only few people nowadays wanting to join priesthood and religious life? How come a number of people nowadays are not getting married & just opt for cohabitation (if not, getting married in the church)? How come being stay-home single for life is on the rise?” Or in other words, “how come wanting to be true disciples of Christ are dwindling in numbers?”

    Regardless of specific circumstances, perhaps this is caused by the requirements-entail of being a disciple. Yes, Jesus once said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross & follow me”. With this, easy for us to think & excuse ourselves readily as to how difficult self-denial, sacrifice & obedience that Christian discipleship demands of us.

    However, before we think of the requirements & demands of discipleship, we must consider that to be disciple of Jesus is first and foremost, a CHOICE. Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to come after me….” Meaning, Christian discipleship – to follow Jesus is a Choice. Demanding & difficult it may be, being disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ is never implied and enforced to us. It is our Choice & Option to be Christian & what kind of Christian we are to be.

    When he asked the disciples in our gospel today: “Who do you say I am?”, Jesus is asking them then & us now not to recite a formula or creed, or to laud the formal title or doing lip-services to Him, but Jesus is asking us to make a choice, to choose & claim Jesus as our personal Christ, and to what kind of Christian we choose to be. And for Peter to claim Jesus as Christ, he has to experience Jesus first as person as well as to decide eventually for himself that Jesus is his Christ as well as to choose himself to be a disciple of Jesus, & what kind of disciple of Jesus he choose to be.

    Meaning, by choosing Jesus as his CHRIST, Peter becomes a Christian disciple & commissioned to be the rock-based of our church & the key-holder to God’s kingdom of heaven. So also, Paul kept his faith & through him the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. In other words, with & by their choice to be  follows their mission to be Christian.

    Yes, we may at times use the excuse that Jesus even said, “Many are called, but few are chosen”. But “few are chosen” because even when we are all called,  few must HAVE Chosen to be and remains to be His worthy disciple. Meaning, wanting to be true disciples of Christ are dwindling in numbers because few have chosen to be, while being called & invited. Again to know Christ & be a Christian is Our Choice. Without our choice to be, there is no clear mission & direction to be & do in faith & life.

    Nevertheless, the Lord will always continue to call us again & anew to be His disciple, however we choose & respond to Him. And it is up to us then what kind of Christian or not we choose to be.

    Today we honor Peter & Paul. Two great men of our faith who personally chose Jesus to be their Christ. By their choice, they become Christians. And we come to know & choose Jesus as our Christ & be His disciples through Peter & Paul.

    In whatever life we live now, like Peter & Paul may we be worthy & true disciples to the kind of Christian life we choose to be, for we know that to choose Jesus we will be in grace. And not making any choice for Jesus & not growing as His disciples, we will be disgraced towards oblivion.

    So, by our choice we pray that may be blessed worthy to be disciples of Christ in faith & life now & always.

    So Be It. Amen

  • Holy Spirit-GIFTED

    Holy Spirit-GIFTED

    June 8, 2025 – Pentecost Sunday

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060825-Day.cfm)

    We do know how it feels to receive gifts from someone special. Receiving a simple token of gift and/or few words of call or posts from someone special could really make our day and even help us get through the day. Because we know that behind each gift-received is not only the given-gift but also the giver of the gift, and the act of giving itself. Meaning, significant in receiving gifts is more than just what we received but also the one who gave it and how it was given  (Gift-Giver-Giving). We really appreciate then even just the simple thought and action of gift-giving from someone special in our life. Such gift-receiving given by someone special could surely promises us inspiration, love and faith in our day to day life.

    During these coming three Sundays we will come to appreciate and value the Gifts of the Risen Lord to us His disciples. Today, the gift of the Holy Spirit, next Sunday is the gift of the Most Holy Trinity, and the Sunday after next is the gift of the His Body and Blood. These are His special gifts to us to live through and inheritances for us to persevere with our faith-life journey in our day to day lives as we are being sent to be His witnesses to the world.

    In the gospels, we hear our risen Lord Jesus saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Church tradition has it that fifty days after His resurrection (ten day after His ascension), on the day of Pentecost, His disciples received the promised gift of Holy Spirit to the church, and inspired them to speak in different languages to proclaim the Good News of God’s salvation. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, faithful people from different cultures then and until now are able to speak, hear and understand each other’s faith through our very own native tongues. Because of such experience, today marks the birthday of the Church – the day of birth, the day when the church becomes alive.

    The gift of the Holy Spirit is thus very essential in the life of the Church. Like a soul to a body, the church is dead without the movements of the spirit, as well as the spirit cannot inspire our faith-life without the church. We, the church needs the Holy Spirit to live & prosper as well as the Holy Spirit needs our Church to offer the world salvation, meaning and direction in life, through us.

    As we celebrate today Pentecost Sunday, the day when Lord has given us His gift of Holy Spirit & the birthday of our Church, we are invited as well to ponder on the meaning of the Lord’s offer and gift of Holy Spirit into our lives now. In other words, what does it mean for us in this day & age to receive & live with His Holy Spirit?

    Receiving the Holy Spirit, first of all, is to be IN the Spirit of Jesus, for through the Holy Spirit we acquire the Lord’s inspiration and we are now In the God’s mind. In the Holy Spirit, we are also motivated by the Lord – mindful and inspired (i.e. In-spirit) to believe and follow Him in our lives today. Blessed are we then for through the Holy Spirit, we are one in His Spirit, and His Spirit is one in us. Sa DIWA, tayo ay nasa kanya at Siya ay nasa atin. Diha sa diwa, kita Iya, ug ato Siya.

    Receiving the Holy Spirit is also to be WITH the Spirit of Jesus for through the Holy Spirit we enjoy the Lord’s love and we are now in the God’s heart. With Holy Spirit, we come to know love and to be in love, for He loves us in our lives. Beloved are we then for through the Holy Spirit, we are one in His Heart. Sa PUSO, tayo ay Kanyang kasama at siya ay kasama atin. Sa kasingkasing, kita Iyang Kauban, ug ato Siyang kauban.

    Receiving the Holy Spirit is to be FOR the Spirit of Jesus too, for through the Holy Spirit we partake in the Lord’s mission, and we are now in the God’s will and way. For the Holy Spirit, we come to be steadfast and faithful in our missions in life, for He appointed and sent us to be His witnesses in the world. Encouraged are we then for through the Holy Spirit, we are one in His Will. Sa KALOOBAN, tayo ay para kanya at siya ay para atin. Sa Kinaiya, kita alang Niya ug Siya alang nato.

    Like receiving a gift from special someone, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit offers us then inspiration, love and faith in our daily lives. Blessed, Beloved and Encouraged are we then to receive the Holy Spirit – as our Advocate whom Jesus of told us in the gospel “the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you”, for through the Holy Spirit, we are in one Spirit, Heart and Will of the Lord. Kaisa sa Diwa, Puso at Kalooban ng Panginoon. Usa sa diwa, kasingkasing ug kinaiya sa atong Ginoo.

    Our liturgy today reminds us that we are Holy Spirit-gifted, i.e. the Lord has already given and offered, as well as, will continually give and offer us His gift of Holy Spirit. The challenge for us now is to invite & receive the Holy Spirit into our daily lives these days. Same as way as Easter season calls us to invite the risen Lord to “Come and Stay with us” (Road to Emmaus), Pentecost challenges us to Invite and Be a Host to the Holy Spirit in our daily ordinary lives, and allow the Holy Spirit to bless, love and encourage us and in effect, Recreate, Renew and Recharge our lives always.

    As people of Lord’s resurrection and of the Holy Spirit, we now invoke and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives as we pray:

    Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and we shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.