Pan de la Semana

A SENSE OF PURPOSE, A SENSE OF MISSION

2009-07-07T13:10:00.003+08:00

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time(B) July 12, 2009Usually, rejection comes with scorn, with disdain, with a whole lot of sarcasm and biting humor, and – to top it all off – perhaps a subtle accusation to boot. All this appears to be what is behind the experience of Amos, the prophet. The envious Amaziah, probably acting at the behest of the King, told Amos in effect to shut up or ship out. Lumping

PROPHETS IN OUR MIDST!

2009-07-02T18:29:00.003+08:00

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)July 5, 2009Sunday Reflection / Catholic HomilyEzekiel was not one who would mince words. He was not the type who would soft-pedal an important message, or one who would hesitate, or even doubt prophesying at all, when face to face with people who, he knew all too well, could either relent or resist. Heedful or rejecting, rebellious or ultimately accepting, …

FREED FROM DARKNESS; KEPT IN THE RADIANCE OF TRUTH

2009-06-22T11:20:00.004+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time June 28, 2006Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15;2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43A certain continuity spans the themes of the liturgy this week and last. If you remember, I alluded to a situation of darkness last week, a darkness that is met, not necessarily with optimism, but with hope. I was trying to suggest that Christians are not,

LOOKING UP TO GOD FROM THIS WORLD OF UNCERTAINTY

2009-06-15T23:19:00.003+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time -Year B June 21, 2009More than just uncertainty fills the air heavy with reports of new and developing terror cells all over the world, with one prominent world leader even speaking of possible nuke warfare all over again. Fear and trepidation can grip the hearts of people who live along notorious geological “fault lines” that can

BREAD BROKEN AND SHARED IN LOVE

2009-06-10T20:26:00.002+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflections on the Liturgy Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Year B)If we go by the three recent youth surveys in the Philippines done on the national level, there is some reason for us to worry. And when I say “us” I mean priests, pastors, religion teachers, religious brothers and sisters, parents – the Philippine Church, as a whole. Less and less young people

NOT MERE IDEAS, BUT LIFE!

2009-06-01T14:45:00.002+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection Trinity Sunday June 7, 2009Today’s solemnity can easily pass off to many as some form of mental exercise – a part of the never-ending effort at “putting a handle” of sorts to a mystery that is basically something that cannot be fully fathomed, let alone understood. Being such, there is the very real danger of approaching what ought to be a truth to be

GIFTED AND GIVEN

2009-05-26T22:02:00.003+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2009Pentecost Sunday liturgy makes much of “speaking” and “hearing.” These are two human activities most of us who can talk and who have good ears most likely take for granted – on a daily basis! Just imagine how hard life would be if we suddenly lost the capacity to speak, and the capacity to hear!“Speaking” and “hearing” … these are

EMPOWERED, NOT ABANDONED!

2009-05-20T23:01:00.002+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday ReflectionAscension Sunday, Year BMay 24, 2009It is easy to fall into the temptation of thinking that the Ascension of the Lord has to do with good-byes, with departures, with going away, with disappearance of someone we hold dear – never to be seen anymore. It is easy to think that such a departure means loss, a certain deprivation, an impoverishment. Such a thought

LOVE WITHOUT BORDERS

2009-05-11T21:33:00.002+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection 6th Sunday of Easter May 17, 2009One group among several that I admire is Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), a group of volunteer doctors and health workers who offer a portion of their otherwise most productive years doing service where they are needed most in any portion of the globe, with absolutely no consideration given to personal gain of

REMAINING IN THE LORD!

2009-05-04T10:30:00.002+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflections 5th Sunday of Easter(B)May 10, 2009The world we live in is in too much of a hurry. The new generations, born in an era of jet and space travel, seems to be in perpetual hurried – and harried – motion! There is motion everywhere we go … mobility … movement … To sit still, be quiet, be stable and meaningfully connected is almost countercultural. What does one do

A MOTHER’S LOVE, A SHEPHERD’S CARE

2009-04-28T20:44:00.003+08:00

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection 4th Sunday of Easter (B)May 3, 2009Tenderness and caring seem to be the hallmarks of today’s liturgy. Selflessness and unconditional love appear to ooze out of every line in today’s gospel. “I am the Good Shepherd…I will lay down my life for the sheep.” An apt matter for reflection on Mother’s Day…In the Philippines, most mothers are the real unsung heroes.

LET YOUR FACE SHINE ON US, O LORD!

2009-04-21T13:46:00.003+08:00

Catholic Homily /Sunday Reflection /Sunday Worship Guide3rd Sunday of Easter(B)April 26, 2009There are just things and events that we can’t seem to have enough of. We talk about them endlessly. We tell and retell such stories. We rehash them in our minds and hearts. And the mouth just cannot keep itself shut. From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks!The opening line of today’s Gospel

BELIEVING, BELONGING, & BEHAVING!

2009-04-16T09:58:00.005+08:00