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Resurrected Christ, Gives Us True Peace That No Other Can

May 22, 2022

Sixth Sunday of Easter

First Reading: Acts 16:9-15

Psalm Reading: Psalm 67

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-2, 22-27

Gospel Reading: John 14:23-29

Homily by Fr. Romie Jun Peñalosa

This season of Easter, let us rejoice in the knowledge that Christ has been resurrected from the dead and brought us newness of life. This newness of life means not only walking in love, but also living in peace.

We need to understand that this new life God has given us is a life where we can experience true peace. This peace surpasses all problems, conflicts and circumstances of life. Perfect peace comes from God and this is seen and lived in a new life.

So, how do we live out that newness of life? How do we live out the love of God in our life? Keep the word of God.  “The man who keeps the word of God will keep his mind focused on God always and will allow him to experience the love of God.”

The kind of peace that Christ brought us is not circumstantial. It does not depend on the circumstances of the world. It does not mean the absence of problems and conflicts. We can see this in the life of Christ, where every day in His ministry, He was bombarded by so many problems, enemies kept on attacking Him,  storms came along His way… yet even in that storm He slept peacefully.  Knowing that God loves us- there’s always peace in our heart.

Further, Father Jun quoted the following tips from Primate Dick on how to keep the word of God.

  1. Meditate on His words. To meditate means not just to read but keep on thinking about what He said.
  2. Confess the word. Speak the word every day. Align your thoughts to the thoughts of God.
  3. Do the word. As often as possible, do what He is telling you.

“The effort comes from us, but the ability to keep the word of God comes from the Holy Spirit.”

So let us not be afraid of how difficult the work is and how big the storm is along the way. For God promised a great Helper for us who gives true and perfect peace!

 

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

 

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Resurrected Christ, Commands Us To Love One Another

May 15, 2022

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Theme: Resurrected Christ, Commands Us To Love One Another

First Reading: Acts 13: 44-52

Psalm Reading: Psalm 145

Second Reading: Revelation 21: 1-6

Gospel Reading: John 13:3 1-35

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

Jesus in Chapter 13 is giving His last instructions to His disciples for He knows that the time has come for His departure though death on the cross. He had talked about His betrayal, He had washed their feet (symbol of servanthood) and instituted the Last Supper (Eucharist). He had stressed that His death would give glory to the Father for the Father would glorify Him in His sacrificial death in obedience to His father’s will.
He had given them a new commandment to love another. Not disregarding the old love commandment to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, but bringing it to a higher level. To love one another not the way they love themselves but love one another the way Jesus loves them. This will be the barometer. If they can’t love one another as disciples, how they can love other people outside the church?
What type of love does the Lord Jesus show to His disciples?
1. Forgiving Love. In this chapter, Jesus knows His death in the cross is near. He knows Judas will betray Him, Peter will deny Him, and most of them will abandon Him. But He still extended His love to them by forgiving them even before they had committed the sin. He washed their feet and ate together with them in the Last Supper. He even restored them after His resurrection to their original calling and never changed His plans for them. What a love!
2.Serving Love. Washing their feet was an act of humble service. It take humility to serve and help one another. This kind of attitude will eliminate comparison and competition which causes friction and disunity among them. Instead, it will promote a healthy relationship and working environment.
3. Sacrificial Love. Are we willing to lay down our lives to others as He did? This is about thinking of what is good to others before self, ready to give way and relinquish his right for the sake of others.
If they carry out this commandment to love one another the way He instructed them, then all men will know that they are truly His disciples. Our love for one another is the evidence that Christ is in us, not because we carry Bibles or we have crucifix necklaces. It is a living demonstration of the life of God and life with in the kingdom of God.
By Fr. Erel Villanueva

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Resurrected Good Shepherd, Follow His Voice

May 8, 2022

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Theme : Resurrected Good Shepherd, Follow His Voice

 First Reading: Acts 13:26-39

Psalm Reading: Psalm 23

Second Reading: Revelation 7: 9-14

Gospel Reading: John 10:22-30

Homily by Fr. Andy Ilustre

The Good Shepherd is willing to lay down His own life for the sheep. We learn how the shepherd’s voice identifies which sheep belongs to the shepherd.

Our identity as His sheep is just as clearly demonstrated in what we do. Our job is to follow Him, and the only way we can follow Him is to listen to His voice. The way we act tells the world who Jesus is. The things we do and say tell the world who Jesus is, and also the things we do and say tell the world who we are, and whose voice we obey.

When we hear Him and follow Him, Jesus claims us as His own. He does more than call to us, He does more than know us by name. He gives us eternal life and a promise that no one can snatch us out of His hand.

OUR JOB IS TO FOLLOW HIM.

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Resurrected Christ, Restores Our Hope

May 1, 2022

Third Sunday of Easter

Theme : Resurrected Christ, Restores Our Hope

First Reading: Acts 9: 1-16

Psalm Reading: Psalm 30

Second Reading: Revelations :11-13

Gospel Reading: John 21:1-14

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

TRANSFORMED AND RESTORED TO SERVE THE LORD

In one resurrection appearance, our Risen Lord instructed the ladies to tell His disciples to see Him at sea of Galilee . His purpose was to restore their shattered faith and confidence, to give them a fresh look at their mission and calling, and to assure them of His willingness to keep working with them, that He is not yet finished with them.

He will meet them at Sea of Tiberias better known as Sea of Galilee. This where it all started and where they had witnessed the power of God in action, the calming of the storm surge, walking in the water, feeding the thousands and more. May their recollection of this past events remind them of their original calling. That is why this is where He also wanted to tell them, “I am Jesus and I am Risen.

In their failure to catch fish, He demonstrated His power as they trusted and obeyed His instruction, proving that He is the Creator of the universe including the fish.

Then at last, they recognized Him. He invited them for breakfast, a sign of restored relationship. The fish and bread symbolizes the covenant meal. There, I believe, their spiritual eyes and hearts were opened. In their encounter with the Risen Lord and in the breaking of the bread, they were transformed and restored to serve the Lord.

Their faith was rekindled, and with brand new strength, brand new beginning, they were highly motivated to move on and fulfill their purpose in life. Look at the Book of Acts. This is what Easter is all about, transformation, restoration and celebration of our salvation. Halleluia!

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Resurrected Christ, Delivers Us From Fear

April 24, 2022

Second Sunday of Easter

Theme: Resurrected Christ, Delivers Us From Fear

First Reading:  Acts 5: 27 – 32

Psalm Reading: Psalm 118

Second Reading: Revelation 1: 4 – 8

Gospel Reading: John 20:19 – 31

Homily by Fr. Andy Illustre

First part: Peace

The disciples were gathered together- locked inside a room because of the fear that they felt.  This is why when  the Risen Christ appeared to them, He proclaimed peace to them. He is the perfect One to give peace because Jesus is the Prince of Peace

*Peace = Be still (Psalm 46: 10)

Let us not forget that God has come to us and that He’s a very present help in times of trouble. Sometimes, we would rather focus on the problems, but Ps. 46:10 reminds us to be still. We can be still because whenever we are in a difficult situation, He comes to us, revealing Himself.

Second Part: Thomas the Doubtful

We also have our own kinds of doubt, like Thomas who doubted Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus showed Himself to us. Every time that we come to His church, Jesus comes to us again and again by us partaking His word. His word is what we believe and through it, we see life. Sunday is always Easter because He reveals His life through His word.

Homily Recap by Riana Chelle Montero

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Christ Conquering Death, The Rejoicing Of His People

April 17, 2022

Easter Sunday

Theme: Christ Conquering Death, The Rejoicing Of His People

Psalm Reading: Psalm 114

Epistle Reading: Romans 6:3-11

Gospel Reading: Matthew 28:1-10

Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

Today, we are celebrating Christ’s resurrection, a victorious overcoming of death, a time for great celebration.

Easter’s message is always about the risen Lord. But do we know that this message is also a challenge for us? The resurrection of Christ is not just something we recall in our mind or think and talk about. It is something that has an effect in the renewal of our lives.

First reading emphasizes our baptism, where we died already to our sins with Christ. The more we realize this, the more we understand that we should not live this kind of life we have right now for it has been dead and buried with Him.

Father Jun summarizes today’s Gospel into the following points if we are going to move forward with the new life Christ has given us:

  1. Change whatever your agenda in life is and go fulfill His purpose. Since we have a new life, God’s agenda must be the first to be seen and manifested.
  2. Do not be afraid. A righteous man, though he may fall seven times, always rises and tries to move forward again. Holiness is not about being perfect. To be holy means every time we fall, we never run away from God.
  3. Rejoice. To rejoice is something we need to learn. It must be done intentionally. We can be miserable in life, but choose to rejoice and be filled with joy.

As a church, we should be strengthened because the new life brought by Christ’s resurrection is our strength itself. Let our life then, be a proclamation of Christ!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

 

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Christ Chose Suffering on our Behalf

April 10, 2022

Palm Sunday

Entry Gospel Reading: Luke 19:29-40

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 31:9-15

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Gospel Reading: Luke 22:39 – 23:49

Our theme for today talks about Christ Who chose to suffer for us, implying to us that in Him, God’s love for us was manifested (John 3: 16), that He came to us to save us from our sins.
Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ entrance in Jerusalem, knowing that here, God’s purposes will be consummated. He entered Jerusalem with humility- embodying that we are to humble ourselves before the Lord, making our souls as the garments we spread before Him (Joel 2: 13). Let us accompany the Lord as we hasten towards His passion. By doing so, we could submit ourselves to Him with humility. We are to clothe ourselves with righteousness before God and spread His righteousness.
Adam’s sin is not the original sin that we inherited, but it’s the condition that we have because of that sin. But since Jesus chose to suffer, St. John Chrysostom spoke about Jesus in this way: “I am father, saith Christ, I am brother, I am bridegroom, I am dwelling place, I am food, I am raiment, I am root, I am foundation: all whatsoever thou desirest, I am. Be thou in need of nothing. I will be even a servant, for I came to minister, not to be ministered unto; I am friend, and member, and head, and brother, and sister, and mother; I am all, only cling thou closely to Me. I was poor for thee, and a wanderer for thee, on the cross for thee, in the tomb for thee, above, I intercede for thee; on earth, I come for thy sake an ambassador from My father. Thou art all things to Me: brother, and joint heir, and friend, and member. What wouldest thou more?”
Our Lord Jesus Christ did everything for us, let us do what the church urges us so. Let’s glorify His unspeakable mercy, not just on this day, but the entire Holy Week to commemorate His holy passion and take part of His sufferings- doing it with a humble heart. Come with purified minds so that we may live in Him for all His sacrifices. Choose to be crucified with Him. Choose to believe so that our life may become the proclamation of that light.
Homily Recap by Riana Chelle Montero

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Called Not to Judge But For Restoration

April 3, 2022

Fifth Sunday in Lent

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

Psalm Reading: Psalm 126

Second Reading: Philippians 3:8-14

Gospel Reading: John 8:2-11

Homily by Fr. Jun Peñalosa

The season of Lent has almost come to an end as we have our last Sunday celebration today.

The first reading speaks of a miracle God is able to do.  It talks about God making a way in the desert and providing water in the desert. That “desert” may refer to the hearts of men today; how sometimes the Lord can come and create a river that can flow in the midst of dryness, where even wild animals can partake of the water. But that water was meant only for God’s people. You can see then, that when a person is reconciled to God, there is life that flows in that person, and that person becomes a blessing to the world.

The second reading talks about righteousness that does not come from observing the law. It is the one that comes from knowing and trusting Jesus and it is the righteousness that God provides for each and every one of us.

Today’s readings speak of the wondrous plan that God prepares for us; how God speaks of restoration and righteousness, compassion and forgiveness, justice and mercy, and repentance. Father Jun reminded us of our purpose when we started our Lenten journey and pilgrimage and prayed we might be able to find and see it fulfilled in our lives. In his personal journey, he shared his own struggles and difficult times encountered because it requires so much confrontations and conflicts. But “conflicts make us stronger, and make us more determined as a people”, he said.

Our Gospel reading tells of a woman caught in act of committing adultery. Like the woman in the story, we are entitled to be stoned to death because of the sins we always committed. But praise God, we have a God who hates sin but loves the sinner. And just like the Pharisees, we judge and demand justice for sins committed by others; but Jesus made us think and look into our hearts. And this is the saddest thing we always encounter in ourselves; that when we look deeper in our hearts, we often find more sins hidden inside, compared to the person we are accusing. And because of this, we deserve judgement, we deserve punishment. But just like that woman, Jesus never condemned her of sin, but showed mercy and forgiveness. And forgiveness in our life entails responsibility. Our ability to respond to God is what causes us to receive what God is giving us.

Father Jun pointed out two (2) things we should remember:

First, “God’s justice will always be accompanied by God’s mercy.”  Justice without mercy is not true justice. On the cross, we are reminded of justice and mercy kissing each other. This was shown by Jesus having compassion on the woman. He took her sin, (and ours) and paid for them on the cross through His death. In our life, how do we go in dealing with justice? “Never criticize, never judge a person that you are not willing to help and pray for.” (Primate Dick)

Second, “We are all recipients of God’s mercy.”  Because of God’s mercy, our sins have been forgiven. And the sins that has been forgiven, demand that we need to change. “Sin no more” as Jesus said to the woman.

Finally, Father Jun encouraged us, to give a gift to the Lord as we conclude this Lenten season. And the best gift that could make God smile, is the gift of a transformed life. When our life is changed, it becomes a blessing to God. Further, he urged us to go to the sacrament of confession, as the first step of repentance. For in humility and repentance we can have a new life!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

 

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God’s Goodness Will Lead Us To Repentance

March 27, 2022

Fourth Sunday in Lent

First Reading: Joshua 5:2-12

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Gospel Reading: Luke 15:11-32

Homily by Fr. Jun Peñalosa

The story in today’s gospel is very familiar to many of us. ”The Prodigal Son” is probably one of the many famous inspirational stories in the BIble used to reflect on, especially during this season of lent. The “son” pertains to all of us – who like him, easily wanders away from God.

Today’s readings can be summarized in the following:

  • The importance of our relationship with God. Understand that circumcision was assigned as a covenant, because our relationship with God is not casual, it’s not something to be taken lightly; it is always serious. The shedding of blood during circumcision reminds us of our responsibility.
  • The significance of repentance. How sometimes in our relationship, we fail to follow and oftentimes break off. But God assured us, He has already done  everything for us to reconcile. See, we are the ones who sinned against God, yet He is the one Who initiated reconciliation. What a demonstration of love!
  • The goodness of God is what makes us blessed. The reason why we are blessed as a people is because of God Himself Who loves us. Our relationship with Him will make us stay in that blessing. Detaching our lives from our Father will just make our lives cursed. We may abandon God and turn away from Him, but it will never change Him as God.

Stay connected with God always, no matter how hard or low our life is, He will let us taste and experience the goodness of God. Let us not wait for the time to hit  rock bottom in order to realize that we need God. Repentance has something to do with the goodness of God. Once we realized we have sinned against God, and have moved away from our relationship with Him, just remember, He loves us, He is not angry at us, He has forgiven us, He will never leave nor forsake us. Repentance is our response to the goodness of God!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Acknowledging our Weakness, Acknowledge God’s Mercy

March 20, 2022

Third Sunday in Lent

First Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-9

Psalm Reading: Psalm 103

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10: 1- 12

Gospel Reading:  Luke 13: 1- 9

If Lent is focused on Repentance, it is the most joyful thing that could happen in a person. It is a season when people are changing and becoming more conformed to the image of God.

It is also a time of becoming serious with our relationship with God. God is looking a changed life, a transformed life. Lent is a journey, a pilgrimage that brings us into a deeper awareness that Christ is in us. Seeing Christ will help us know who Christ in us.

Our response to the mercy of God is REPENTANCE. It is to change our life according to what God has given us. Jesus is reminding us not to be judgmental. However, He is warning us, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Everything that God does has a purpose, including our life. God compares us to a tree. Our life is planted by the Lord. He is looking for fruits in our life, fruits of new life, fruits of repentance, a transformed life.

Fruits will only come if we will change. We need to respond to God’s mercy. Repentance in our life, is what God is looking from us. Repentance is not only turning away from sin, but turning to God.

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Steadfast in Faith, Moving Forward Through Narrow Way

March 13, 2022

Second Sunday in Lent

First Reading: Genesis 15:4-18

Psalm Reading: Psalm 27

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-21

Gospel Reading: Luke 13:22-30 

Homily by Fr. Andy Ilustre

Salvation requires our earnest effort, our urgent attention, and our careful self-examination.

It requires our earnest effort because the door is narrow. It requires our urgent attention because the door is soon to be closed. It requires our careful self-examination because once it is closed, the door will be eternally closed.

Also, according to Mark 8:34-38, he who endures to the end will be saved.

Homily Recap by Sister Sally Illustre

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Dwell in the Word of God: Dwell in His Protection

March 6, 2022

First Sunday in Lent

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-12

Psalm Reading: Psalm 91:1-5; 14-16

Second Reading: Romans 10:6b-13

Gospel Reading: Luke 4:1-13

Homily by Fr. Andy Illustre

 

Our message from today’s gospel is we have to have faith in God’s word. After Jesus identified with sinners in baptism, He then identified with us in temptation. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Here, Fr. Andy compares the scenes of Adam and Eve in the Garden and Jesus in the desert. Humans were in a lush garden, living with abundance, peace, and authority over the wild animals.

Jesus, on the other hand, was in the desolate wilderness, was not eating, and was subjected to the dangers of the beasts. Simply based on circumstances, Adam and Eve clearly had the upper hand of having their basic needs of food, shelter, and safety guaranteed which could surely help humans resist temptation.

In both the garden and the wilderness, the devil uses God’s very own words to make his temptation. The difference between how humanity and Jesus Christ responded when faced with temptation was stark. The indicator of whether they would fail or not depended on how well they knew God’s words and who spoke them. Jesus knew not only the words of Scripture, but He knew the One Who inspired them. Jesus also knew what they meant.

Satan put us to the test so that our true character might be revealed. As we enter into the season of Lent, this time of trial that Jesus endured on our behalf serves as context. It both reminds us of why The Incarnation and The Cross are necessary and become a source of strength. We too can call upon the Holy Spirit to make us more like Christ, able to resist temptation. We too can commit ourselves to disciplines that help us to know the Spirit’s infilling. We too can sacrifice and trust that God’s word and work are true.

Let us build our strength in God during times of preparation. Take time to pray, take time to fast, take time to give, and be merciful.

Homily recap by Sally Illustre

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I AM BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

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