18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 31, 2022

Theme: Storing True Incorruptible Riches

First Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:18-23

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 49:1-12

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-11

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13-21

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

There are really things that we need to understand and learn in life. And today, Father Jun teaches us one of the most powerful lessons that we need to understand.

Our gospel reading today clearly teaches us that Jesus is not condemning wealth. He is not even against desiring more wealth. The story of a man asking Jesus to divide their family inheritance is a story we could  relate to. Family feuds over inheritance, over material wealth have been existing even before the time of Jesus.  Jesus sensed greediness as the core of this problem, therefore He refused to be a judge or arbitrator in this situation. Instead, he saw the situation as an opportunity to teach and address the real issue of greed. The parable of the rich man teaches us to value the things of heaven which are “incorruptible”. We are a people caught up in greed and oftentimes this causes us to desire more and forget God as the true source of richness.

“Be on your guard against all forms of greed. Life is not about the abundance of possessions.” and “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”  Two powerful verses taken from the parable that Jesus emphasize to address the common issue we all can relate to – greediness. Greed is the excessive desire to have more and more and more…of material possessions. It has many forms – it could be covetousness, lusts and avarices. “Be on guard”! Jesus is giving us a warning against these, because if we will not be watchful, these might enter our hearts and will take control of our life. His warning is about unbalance and wrong focus of life. He is never against us desiring to become rich, but if our desire of wealth will lead us to move away from the essential things of life, our family and Him – then it’s where the problem starts.

Lesson from the parable:

1. Do not think that things, wealth, or possessions can bring meaning to life. The rich man in the parable was too focused on himself. He didn’t even think of family, or of God – just things he could acquire more, for he thought that those could give him security in life. He thought that material things could give meaning to life. But he failed to realize that the lust for anything including possessions, soon become impossible to control and become harder to find satisfaction in.
2. Do not assume you know your future. Do not invest everything in your life on a future that you cannot control. Understand that you must be ready to live life every day as if it’s your last day. Be prepared, because death is certain for all of us.
3. Don’t just invest materially; invest spiritually. One foolishness of the rich man in the parable is that he devoted himself to work for prosperity and devoted nothing to the One who gave him everything, including his life. There is no wasted time devoted to God. He is never against us desiring to become rich in wealth, but let us never forget to desire more to become rich in Him.

Only God can satisfy us. Do not ever think that life will flow from the abundance of your possession. King David knows this exactly as he wrote Psalm 23. Money and possessions alone cannot give us that happiness in our entire life. They can ease and make life simpler, but they cannot satisfy the longing of our hearts. Live each day as if it is “our day”; seize the moment for there is no promise of another day once our “last” day ends!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 17, 2022

Theme: Unwavering Faith to the Father’s Goodness

First Reading: Genesis 18:20-33

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-8

Second Reading: Colossians 2:8–14

Gospel Reading: Luke 11:5-13

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

“Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be open to you”.

We have heard this scripture many times already and we know what it’s teaching us – to pray always. Today’s gospel really encourages us to pray. Father Jun reminded us of the legacy of faith Primate Ricardo has passed on to us and that we have to continue learning from it and standing on it. But aside from this, he also taught us the importance of prayer. As seen in his life, he was truly a man of prayer.

Do we really pray? Have we come to a point that prayer is like breathing to us? Many Christians have abandoned prayer. They go to church,  worship, minister, and do woks – but they lost their prayer life; that passion and burning desire to be in the presence of the Lord, conversing with Him and lifting their minds to Him. Why? Because of discouragement. Many easily get discouraged when they pray and cannot see the answer.

As a house of prayer, Father Jun emphasized the importance of praying. We need to keep that burning passion to be with God in prayer. Why are we discouraged to pray? Father Jun reminded us today, that God would like us to see the answers to all our prayers! But before it could happen, let us get rid of all the discouragements in our hearts and change the way we see God.  We are discouraged because sometimes we have developed that wrong perception of God. We somehow see Him as a reluctant old man. But NO, God is more than willing to give us what we are praying for.  We have not because we ask not!  (St. James). And why don’t we ask? It’s because sometimes, we see God as someone who will answer us if we can convince Him. He is not a Lord that we need to convince because He is convinced already of our needs. The secret to answered prayer is – we should know first how to ask God.

Three things to develop in prayer life:

1. We should pray shamelessly. Pray with boldness, with confidence to God. Though we are sinners, He sent Jesus to cleanse us from our sins so that we can stand before Him blameless. He gives to us because He loves us so much! And He knows our needs even before we ask.
2. We need to pray persistently. Never give up in prayer even if you haven’t seen the answer yet. Continue and be persistent. Do not be content to ask once and move on. Jesus himself taught us that we are to continually and persistently bring our prayers to the Father.
3. Pray expectantly. Pray expecting an answer. Believe that what you have asked, you will receive.

God knows what is good and best for us. He doesn’t settle for less. He gives what we ask, not today but definitely on the best and perfect time. So we have nothing to be doubtful for our interest is in His heart!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 17, 2022

Theme: Giving Importance To What Is Valuable in Life

First Reading: Genesis 18:1–10

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 15:1-5

Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-23

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:38-42

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

We Filipinos are known for our hospitality. It is part of our culture and foreigners often keep coming back here because they find it unique and loveable. Hospitality is as important during Biblical times too. Performing tasks of hospitality entails service; it is so vital in the church in welcoming our community.

The church, in order to grow, must be hospitable. Doing service for the people, making them welcome, and letting them feel they belong in the community. But sometimes, there is a danger when we begin to be too busy because of the service that we want to give. When busyness begins to trouble us, we become worried and distracted in life. So does it mean we will only just sit down, listen, and pray to God? Doesn’t Jesus want us to become busy doing works in the ministry? We can find then in our gospel today, that like Mary, Jesus wanted us to give importance to what is vital and most valuable in life. God reminded us that He is not against us when we are busy; when we do the work of serving Him and other people; when we actively participate in the life of the church as a community. What Christ is confronting in us is when we become too busy, we tend to become distracted and anxious and joyless in doing the works. Our focus becomes distorted and we don’t know already what direction we’re going through.

The goal of hospitality is to pay attention to your guest. But Martha failed to do this because she was distracted and eventually became anxious of many things. Many of us are like Martha, “worried and upset with so many things”. We worry too much and get distracted. But Jesus said in the scriptures, “Do not worry”. He keeps on reminding us; for worry doesn’t bring any good nor add many days in our lives. So, what shall we do then? “Sit down, rest in the presence of God and pay attention to what He is saying to us.”

We live in a culture of hectic schedules and live in times of relentless pursuit of productivity. We are tempted to measure our worth by how busy we are, by what we have accomplished in life, and by how well we meet the expectations of others. But then we begin to realize that our worth is not taken from our busyness, or how much we accomplished. We realize “who we are” and that we are God’s children, and He loves us whether we produce or not. Our self-worth is derived from our relationship with God Who dearly values our life! We often forget this, because we become too busy and become worried of many things. If our activities leave us no time to become still in God’s presence and hear God’s words, we are likely to end up anxious and troubled; we end doing a service that is devoid of love and joy and is resentful of other people. We are supposed to love and enjoy the job God has given us. A service to God without love and joy is nothing, no matter how great it is. Where do we get that joy? In His presence. Spending time with Him every day, listening, and resting on Him.

“Trying to serve God without being nourished by God’s words, is like expecting good fruit from a tree that is uprooted.” Same with us, when we detach ourselves from the presence of God; we don’t have time anymore to listen and experience His loving presence…we are uprooting ourselves and trying to produce fruit that no longer has connection to Him. Both listening and doing, receiving God’s words and serving others, are important to the Christian life.

Mother Theresa once said, “Don’t attempt to do great things for God, instead, do little things for God, with great love and joy everyday.”

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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14th  Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 3, 2022

Theme: Empowered to Manifest God’s Dominion

First Reading: Isaiah 66:10-16

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66:1-7

Second Reading: Galatians 6:12–18

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:1-3; 17-20

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

Last Sunday’s Gospel taught us about discipleship, how it is important in the works of God’s kingdom. Today, Father Jun emphasizes the significance of “apostleship” in order to manifest the kingdom. We are all called to become disciples and apostles. An apostle is someone who is sent out by his master to do an errand or a mission. So, in coming to Jesus, He also sends us out on a mission.

The Gospel reading today points out the following for us to realize and remember:

1. When we go on a mission, we need to go as a community. Why?
   • It teaches us the necessity of concord among teachers of righteousness
   • “In the mouth of two witnesses, it shall be established”
   • The work is very difficult that we need each other’s support. Alone, we cannot fulfil the work of God.

2. Prayer is very important in our mission. It is a necessity because the work is really great and difficult and it could not be accomplished without much prayer. Jesus himself commanded us to pray because He knew that the work for the kingdom is beyond our ability and capacity. We need to become a house of prayer first before becoming a house of mission.

3. Focus on what Christ has done for you. Jesus has already defeated Satan when He died on the cross for us. The supremacy and authority that Christ has given to us when He sends us out for a mission is much greater than the enemy’s authority over us. Focus on the grace not on the gifts when doing the mission. Rejoice on what God has done for us, not what you have done for His kingdom.

We who are laboring in the kingdom must pray fervently and need to focus more in doing the work. As we pray for more laborers to do the harvest, let us be the answer to our own prayer. We should not be afraid to go out on a mission. Instead, we should walk confidently knowing God is at our back. We need to have a trusting heart and appropriate attitude in carrying out our mission. Let us always remember and focus on what Christ has done for us so that we will not be spiritually and emotionally elated that we become proud of our talents and abilities and forget God’s greatness. Our accomplishments, our privileges, our titles must not be the source of happiness when doing God’s works.  Our joy must come in the truth that Jesus died on the cross and has given us a name written with Him. We should rejoice that God knows our name and when our appointed time comes, when we have finished His works, we can go home to the Lord.

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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CEC Foundation Day

Theme: Understanding The Urgency Of God’s Work

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:15-16

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16:1-11

Second Reading: Galatians 5:19-25

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:51-62

Homily by Fr. Romie Jun Peñalosa

“What we do in the church is reflective of the work being done in the Kingdom of God.”

Today is the ICCEC Foundation Day and we highlight it by giving our foundation offering for use in the different CEC churches. Father Jun reminded us that the church is involved in the mission of not only preaching the gospel to the world but also “Making visible the void.” This means that in our lives; the Word must be evident, it should be seen in our daily life.

Points to remember in today’s Gospel:

1. The work of the Kingdom is so important that we need to give utmost attention to it. Everything that is assigned to us, everything in the work in the Kingdom is very important to God. “Walang maliit na bagay pagdating sa Diyos.” It may not be important in the eyes of people, but not in the eyes of God especially if it is for the work of His kingdom.
2. The work of the Kingdom is so urgent, that we need to give immediate response. Remember, our life here on earth has an end. The moment we were born here, our clock started to tick for our countdown. We often think we have a lifetime here, but if you really think about it, our time is limited. In the Kingdom of God, we don’t have the luxury of time, therefore we need to respond always with urgency in fulfilling His works. Pay attention, do not delay, and respond immediately. Even Jesus has shown this to us, He focused, He never allowed His emotions to distract Him and continued on His mission with urgency.

The following are the common hindrances that prevent us from responding immediately whenever God calls us to work for Him. First, our attachment to comfort and convenience. To follow Christ is not about living a life of convenience and comfort. Do not wait for the most convenient time to do what God wants you to do. Second hindrance is our wrong priorities. When we receive Christ in our lives, set your mind on Him already. He should be the most important in your life. Third hindrance is our willingness to break ties. Break ties with people, with past and other things that will hinder you. Be ready to let go. Let us not be distracted by too much attachment with people or things that hinder us in acting immediately to God. God knows exactly and understands what we’re going through when we need to sacrifice certain things in order to do His works. Know that by prioritizing what God asked you to do, He is preparing something greater for us for there is no “little matter” in His kingdom.

We also need to remember that when we do work for the Kingdom of God, we should not allow our emotions, our personal grievances, our pride and ego to deter us in doing the works of God. Attitude is everything when doing the works of God. Having the wrong attitude will only disqualify us in doing what God wanted for His kingdom. The work of God is personal, but it should not be done individually; it should pave the way for us to work together and foster spirituality.

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 19, 2022

First Reading: Isaiah 65:1-9

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:1-11

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-29

Gospel Reading: Luke 8:22-25

Homily by Fr. Jun Peñalosa

“Do not worry, everything is going to be fine.” This was a statement of conviction uttered by Father Jun as he shared a story of what happened to one of his travel experiences where the airplane encountered turbulence in the air. A threat of death was in front of him, but he was assured it was not yet his time

Relating this in today’s gospel reading, “All of us will experience a storm in our life.” Not just natural storms, but storms brought by life itself. For as Jesus said, while we are in the world, we will have tribulations.

But the issue here is not about the storm, but how do we respond to the storm. No one is exempted. Rich or poor, educated or not, man or woman… everyone will come to a point where they will be facing a storm in their life. Even our Lord Jesus who lives in perfect obedience to God faced the greatest storm, His dying on the cross! But how should we respond to things beyond our control? The parable of the sower taught by Jesus to his disciples teaches us the right response when facing a storm if our life. After hearing the word of God, 1)receive it with all your heart, 2) retain it in your mind, 3) persevere and persist it to have fruit in your life. Every time we receive teachings from the Lord, it is always followed by testing. Storms always come at times you least expect. And Father Jun taught us the three dimensions of the storm:

1. Physical storm (a crisis that happens in our life, financial breakdown, and losses, friends rejection and betrayal, families torn apart, sickness, etc.)
2. Mental and emotional storm (fear, anger, anxiety, depression, etc)
3. Spiritual storm (questioning the principles of God, scriptures become insignificant, promises of God become vague, etc.)

No matter how hard and how long the storm is – it has an end. Only those who persevere in the word will receive the blessing.

Storms expose our foundation. We begin to see and know ourselves when we are subjected to trials. Our faith overcomes whatever storms that come into our life. We should not fear the storm but instead, we should be terrified of Him who commands the storm.

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Feast of Pentecost

First Reading: Acts 2: 1- 7

Psalm Reading: Psalm 104

Second Reading: Romans 8: 14- 17

Gospel Reading: John 15: 20- 27

Homily by Fr. Romie Jun Peñalosa

The season of Pentecost is about celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus before His ascension. Today’s gospel however, talks about persecution. Why? One of the works that the Holy Spirit would do for us is to make us partake and share in the inheritance of Jesus. Whatever Jesus inherits from the Father, we also inherit. Second reading today talks about us being co-heirs of Christ.

But church, we need to understand that as co-heirs, we do not share or partake only of the blessings, of joy, of peace…but we also inherit the totality of the life of Christ, including His sufferings.

Christianity is not a religion for comfort. It does not offer an easy and comfortable life. It offers holiness of life! And when you begin to live a holy life, this is where the trouble starts. Why? Jesus Himself talks of the world we are living in right now, a world who hates God. Because Jesus testifies the truth about God, the world hates Him. And if the world hated Jesus, do not expect a life of honor and acceptance in a world where your master was despised and crucified.

Jesus said, “A servant is not above his master.” Meaning, whatever Christ went through in life, we are going to go through also, perhaps in different ways. We may not all be nailed and crucified, but we all have our own cross to bear every day. He also said, “That while we are in this world, we will have tribulations”. But He does not end His statement here…for He promised to send us a “Helper” to accompany us always. Jesus knew exactly how difficult life will be for us. For He himself was the first one to carry out the mission. And what is it? To go out into the world, bring the truth, and testify about how God loves the world.

In all the difficulties, in all the trials we will be going through, it is impossible for us to be alone because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. The Holy Spirit testifies the truth about Jesus, just as Jesus bore witness and testified the truth about God. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to always bring us to Jesus in order that we can carry out our mission. He (Holy Spirit) will immerse us and baptize us in Jesus that we may become one in the love of God. And the love of God that is in Christ will empower us to do everything and overcome whatever obstacles in doing what God us wants us to do.

The love of Christ propels us to do something beyond our capacity. The fire which descended upon the disciples is a symbolic burning of Christ’s love. And the same fire, when we keep it lit inside our heart, will keep us burning in the love of Christ and will let us do everything for the love of Christ.

We are all called for a mission. Let us not be afraid to go out and testify the truth of Jesus and the love of God for the world. We may not all have the supernatural power, nor gifts of the Holy Spirit; but we have the HOLY SPIRIT that lives and operates in our life!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Seventh Sunday of Easter

Theme : Resurrected Christ, Uniting Us To Himself and With One Another

First Reading: Acts 16:16-19

Psalm Reading: Psalm 98

Second Reading: Revelation 22:12-17

Gospel Reading: John 17:20-26

Homily by Fr. Romie Jun Peñalosa

The Gospel readings from the last three Sundays tells us the lasts messages of Jesus Christ to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. He gave His disciples a command to love one another as He loved them, then He gave them the gift of peace – not as the world gives but as He gives.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is not just teaching, but He is praying for His disciples. What a marvelous beauty knowing God himself is praying for them-“that you will be one”. See, unity is always in the heart of God. It is essential; so important that Jesus prayed for it. He did not pray for their success nor their prosperity; but for them to become one.

As people of God, it is so essential to unite and become one, for we are on a mission to bring the Gospel to the world. We need to reflect on this every day because sometimes, we neglect the things that are really important. Our minds oftentimes focus on little and minor things, which make us forget the important ones – and here, Jesus prayed for it!

As a church, we need to understand that unity is essential in our life; we need to fight for it, pray for it, and give emphasis in living out unity. Jesus’ prayer is not only for His disciples, but for all who would believe in Him through their message. He was not only praying for them at that time, but for all the church throughout the history of the world. Unity is important, because our mission will be in vain unless the world can see in us that Jesus is Christ whom God sent to the world.

When we begin to walk together in unity, not only the world will believe that Jesus was sent by God, but the world would even begin to believe that God loves them. Love is the foundation and the bond that brings us together. “Love causes us to crave for unity.” Unity is not our work; it is the work of God in our lives. So, what are we going to do as His people? We need to preserve it by continuing to immerse ourselves in the love of Christ. Our work, is not to bring unity; it is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a supernatural power only God can accomplish – the bringing of us into one. We can only preserve and move within what the Holy Spirit is doing for us!

And what is the focal point of our unity? We need to look up on Christ. When we begin to see Him in everything in our lives, despite all the differences, then we begin to perceive that indeed, we are one.

The Cathedral Church of St. Michael is a church on a mission. We are to go out into the world, to proclaim the Good News. We need to continually immerse in Christ that the world may perceive Him in us!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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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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