Short, Simple and Personal reflections on the daily Holy Mass Gospel. I provide talks.
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Archbishop of Manila. (The Men Who Could Be Pope)
Please click on this link:
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/papabile-day-men-who-could-be-pope-3#
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Gospel:
The
crowds asked John the Baptist, "What should we do?" He said to them
in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has
none. And whoever has food should do likewise." Even tax collectors came
to be baptized and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He
answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."
Soldiers also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?" He told
them, "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be
satisfied with your wages."
Now the
people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, "I am
baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to
loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to
gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable
fire." Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the
people.
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My Reflections
My Reflections
A boy was
taught by his father that there was only one way to be happy and it was none
other than to accumulate wealth. He imbibed his father’s teachings so he
studied very hard and he eventually became one of the very rich in their town.
On his quest to acquire worldly treasures he stepped on the toes of many
people, he created many enemies on his way up and upon reaching the pinnacle of
his ambition he became greedy and he subsequently discovered that it was very
lonely at the top.
He was on
his quest once again to find the magic formula to happiness so he went to a
wise old man in the mountain to seek his advice. The wise old man gave him only
one advice: Learn to share whatever you have for it is in sharing that you will
find happiness. He followed the wise advice and he felt happiness as he had
never felt it before.
In our
gospel the crowds asked John the Baptist, "What should we do?" (This
was in response to John’s call for them to repent) John said to them in reply,
"Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And
whoever has food should do likewise." Perhaps the crowds were becoming
self-centered already. They only cared for their own needs and never on the
needs of their fellowmen.
The
season of Christmas is not about what we will receive. It is about what we can
freely share. The real essence of Christmas is in sharing not in receiving. Let
us try to wholeheartedly share and we will feel the highest degree of happiness
that we would not be able to feel when we accept gifts.
On this
third Sunday of advent John the Baptist message is loud and clear it is about
learning to share no matter how little so long as it comes from the bottom of
our hearts. Let us share to the poor, to those who are badly in need, let us
share to those who cannot pay back our generosity. There are many of them in
poor communities and in places affected by disasters and calamities. Like our
brothers and sisters who were badly affected by the devastating typhoon named Bopha or Pablo in Mindanao.
Let us
bring Jesus to them by generously sharing whatever we can give. …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Milagros Mila O. Dasmarinas November 28 1948 - November 27, 2012)
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
Please offer Mass for her intentions and please remember her in your prayers.
Please offer Mass for her intentions and please remember her in your prayers.
Thank you for everything and Farewell to you my Dear auntie Mila. . . .
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Cardinal-designate Luis Tagle, 55, of Manila, Philippines. A future Pope?
Excerpt:
The second youngest of six cardinals announced Oct. 24 is widely lauded for his theological gifts and his humility. Cardinal-designate Luis Tagle, 55, of Manila, Philippines, “really takes care of people … he’s so simple and generous and there’s no class structure when he deals with people; everyone is equal in his eyes,” said Nemie Anciado, a longtime custodian at the cathedral in Imus, Philippines, where the cardinal-designate was bishop from 2001 to 2011.
Please click on this link for the whole article:
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
No to Reproductive Health (RH) Bill: By Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas
Excerpts:
A recent report
from Bloomberg (one of the leading business news agencies) was just headlined
“Philippines Leads in Demographic Dividend of Supply of Young Workers.” The
very bullish article about the Philippines—just echoing many others that have
come out since the beginning of the current year—pointed out that the so-called
demographic dividend from a rising supply of young workers is one reason
Japan’s second-largest shipbuilder expanded in the Philippines, where workers
are on average half the age of its Japanese employees. Passing the RH Bill would literally be killing
the goose that lays the golden eggs. Already China and Thailand—still with
relatively large populations—are suffering from labor shortages because of the
rapid aging of their populations
over the last decade or so. According to Nobel prize winner George Akerlof, who
combines the study of economics and psychology, contraceptives tend to degrade
marriage and lead to more extramarital sex, more fatherless children, more
single mothers and more psychologically troubled adolescents. Harvard Director
of AIDS Prevention, Edward C. Green, once wrote that according to the best
evidence available, condoms give a false sense of security and prompt people to
be more reckless in assuming sexual risks, thus worsening the spread of the
sexually transmitted diseases. Thailand, which has the highest incidence of
AIDS-HIV in East Asia, could be cited as a testimony to this.
Please click this link to read the full article:
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Jesse M. Robredo, (May 27, 1958-Aug. 18, 2012)
Farewell to a great Filipino, an honest, simple and humble public servant. A model family man, a true man of God and of faith, a true man of the poor (Jessie M. Robredo, May 27, 1958-Aug. 18, 2012).
Eternal rest grant unto him o Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto him o Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
My Reflections for Sunday August 5, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time John 6:24-35
Gospel:
When the crowd saw that
neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and
came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea
they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered them
and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because
you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for
food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the
Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So
they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus
answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in
the one he sent." So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we
may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the
desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.? So Jesus said
to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread
from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of
God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
So they said to him, "Sir, give us this
bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and
whoever believes in me will never thirst."
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My
Reflections:
There’s
a saint named Catherine of Siena, she was badly sick during the latter part of
her life that she would spew out every kind of food that she swallowed. What
sustained her during that crucial period of her life was her daily reception of
Jesus through Holy Communion. She was sustained for a number of years by the
Bread of Life until she eventually died.
Jesus
in our gospel for this Sunday boldly tells us that He is our true bread of life
that we must look for, the true bread of life that we must always hunger for.
Why? Because once we find Jesus we will never hunger and thirst any longer for
the material things of this world which in reality is very fleeting and can be
taken away from us anytime.
There
are people who treat material possession, money, power, influence and the like
as their own bread of life. However this is not the real bread of life but the
bread of the world. There’s no satisfaction with this bread of this world
because the more that we possess it the more that we crave for it. We will
continuously hunger and thirst for this bread of the world until it completely
possess and destroy us.
There’s
a true story of a woman who complained about her pressure packed work. She
grumbled that since her re- employment she is now often sick with high blood
pressure, ulcer and other sickness caused by her pressure packed work. Her friend
asked her why she keeps on working when she can comfortably live for the rest
of her life with her deposited money in
the bank.
Her curt reply was this: she wants to save some more because she will buy a much bigger house. This is always the scenario once we allow ourselves to be enslaved by the bread of this world: We will endlessly crave for things and possession even if we actually don’t need it anymore.
Her curt reply was this: she wants to save some more because she will buy a much bigger house. This is always the scenario once we allow ourselves to be enslaved by the bread of this world: We will endlessly crave for things and possession even if we actually don’t need it anymore.
But
what if we seek the true Bread of Life that is Jesus? We will be satisfied with
whatever we have, we will not crave for material possession or wealth we will
not experience so much pressure. We will instead be serene and peaceful because
Jesus the true Bread of Life is with us.
Let
us always hold close in our hearts this very powerful statement of Jesus:
"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and
whoever believes in me will never thirst." (John 6:35)
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