Standing Firm in God’s Forgiveness

24th Sunday Mass in Ordinary Time

Theme: Standing Firm in God’s Forgiveness

First Reading: Exodus 32:7-14

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:1-2,6-8,9-11

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Gospel Reading: Luke 15:1-10

Today’s homily started with a story that was shared to Father Jun. It is about an ancient tradition story in Israel where God tested Moses if he could shepherd Israelites from Egypt. As a shepherd, Moses lost one of his sheep and God tested him on what he would do. After two days of looking, he finally found the lost sheep and instead of getting mad, Moses jumped for joy, cuddled the sheep, while kissed it and carried it on his shoulder as they went home. Like many other leaders, Moses also has a lot of weaknesses. But when God saw how he responded to his lost sheep, He saw that Moses will truly be the shepherd of His people. As a leader, he should be strong but at the same time he should possess tenderness of heart toward the sheep. And that is why God chose Moses because of that character he possessed. God tested the person not to show his weakness but that he might find his own strength also.

Two kinds of people are featured in our gospel reading today. The first kind are those who are willing to welcome Christ; and second kind are those who are offended always by Christ’s words. The first ones were the sinners and tax collectors, but when they heard the word of Christ, they welcomed, listened and were interested. The second ones, the Pharisees, were considered to be righteous, the ones who knew  scriptures, the ones who were supposedly “God-fearing people” were offended by Christ’s teachings. Among these kinds of people, which one are we?

The gospel message today is summed up with this: “Jesus revealed the heart of God to all the people.” Jesus is the revelation of who God is. Sinners become interested with God because He reveals how merciful God is. As sinners, when we hear about the mercy of God, we become hopeful. It is a good news for us. But for others, they cannot hear Christ; they did not welcome his words. Why? Because they believe that they don’t sin, they have not done wrong. Church, we will never appreciate the mercy of God until we realize in our own life that we are sinners!

The two parables shared by Jesus today in the gospel reveals the very essence of who God is. He is a God who never gets tired of looking for us. He never stops forgiving our sins when we repent; who would love us in spite of our failures. God delights when a sinner finds his way back to Him; He rejoices when someone  repents and goes back to Him. He doesn’t mind nor count what we have done nor the extent of our sin; He is simply delighted once we turn and go back to Him.

The life of St. Paul displays the mercy of God. Whenever we see him we are reminded that if God can transform and use the worst sinner, He can do the same to me as well. We are called not to judge but to display the mercy of God. Jesus shares a description of God in this way that we may become “God-conscious”. When we become so focused and aware of His mercy, we will not sin as much. And the issue when we sin, is that we hide from God. We hide because we are afraid to be seen by Him. We are never lost to God when we sin; God becomes lost to us, when we sin.

Repentance is the message of God in our scripture reading today. How God would rejoice once we turn from our sin and present ourselves back to Him. We need to acknowledge and take responsibility of our sin. Do not isolate yourself. Instead, realize that life would never get better without God. So, stand up, focus and celebrate the mercies of God for life will only be merrier when we become God-conscious!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Standing Firm in Self Denial

23rd Sunday Mass in Ordinary Time

Theme: Standing Firm in Self Denial

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 139:1-3,13-15,16

Second Reading: Philemon 1:4-16

Gospel Reading: Luke 14:26-33

Homily by Fr. Jun Peñalosa

Membership is the common problem of the church in today’s society. There are plenty of members but only a few disciples. It’s almost like the church now has become a market place of Christianity, recruiting members and forming bigger groups to be in the society.

Discipleship should be the mission of the church. Like the early churches, they do not recruit members, they took disciples with them, and Father Jun believes that this is one of the reasons why churches now lose members because God wants us to see and go back to the real purpose of the church.

Church, when we go out, we sell Christianity to the world. But understand that we should not sell Christianity on a market price; we should not offer it for a cheap price. For though grace and salvation has been given to us for free, still it is not cheap, it is very costly for it was Christ  who paid for it.

“Come, follow me” is today’s gospel summary. And to follow Christ is not cheap because you need to give also your own. We are all called to follow Christ. The call of God to follow Jesus is both a gift and a demand. As a gift, the call of God to follow Him is our salvation as well an invitation. When we follow Christ every day, we have peace and joy in our life – and it is a wonderful gift from God. The calling of God is also a demand for it requires our utmost loyalty.

Christ must be our top priority. Between families and friends and love ones, Christ must be above all; even our loyalties to ourselves, He must be the topmost! If we cannot take God above all from our families and loved ones as well our own life, then we cannot be His disciple. To be His disciple, He must be the utmost priority of our life; and that is what He demands from us.

The demand also requires us to carry our own cross daily. Cross doesn’t only mean burden or hardships. “To pick up and carry our own cross” could also mean a “place of decision” everyday because to follow Christ is not automatic; you have to decide…everyday. To become a disciple of Christ is not a game of chance; it is a decision you need to take on a daily basis. Like the crossroads you come across, you need to decide to turn left or right or move backward or forward. Same when choosing to be the disciple of God! “Many are called, but few are chosen”. Why? Because only few have made the decision to follow Christ.

Deuteronomy 30:15-19 reminds us of God, giving us the choice and the will to decide. To follow God is a deliberate decision, it should not be based on our emotions. It demands us to give our all. Discipleship would make you count the cost, and the cost would demand you of your every thing in life. Commitment is everything when you decide to follow Christ. You’ve got the willingness to give your all.

Lastly, Father Jun urged us as a Church, as we celebrate our 40th anniversary, to be committed to follow Christ. No one is turning back, no one is compromising to the left or right; just moving forward until we complete our journey, until the last breath of our life. Why? Because the call of Christ to follow Him is so precious, such a wonderful gift, but it demands our utmost loyalty and requires a deliberate decision to make daily. Choose life, Church!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

 

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Standing Firm in Sincere Humility

22nd Sunday Mass in Ordinary Time

Theme: Standing Firm in Sincere Humility

First Reading: Proverbs 25:6-12

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 112

Second Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8

Gospel: Luke 14:1; 7-14

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us about humility –  sincere humility known as  the mother of all virtues. Jesus observed that the religious leaders occupied the best places since there was no formal sitting arrangement. But Jesus was after their motive. The Pharisees and lawyers had a concept that being the religious leaders, they had the right to occupy those seats. This is the same with last Sunday’s Gospel where they thought they could enter the narrow gate without exerting effort because of their title and position. Once again Jesus confronted the pride of Jewish leaders. It’s God who invited us all to join His Kingdom because of His grace through faith not because of who we are or what we have done.

We are not in the two extremes of pride – one is overbearing and selfish and one is having a poor self-image where we see ourselves unworthy due to false or deceptive humility. True humility is the courage to accept our deepest reality that we still have our limitations, we are all still growing and in the process of perfection. We have to admit that we sometimes fail and need help. A humble person has the guts to say I’m sorry when they are wrong, willing to br corrected and submit to the will of others. Above all, acknowledging that everything we have comes from God.

Jesus is our standard in humility for He told us to learn from Him for He is gentle and humble (Mat.11:19). In Phil. 2-10 Jesus sets an example of sincere humility, although He is God but He is secure in the love of God taking the form of a man who endured pain and death to the cross for you and me. He humbled Himself and learned obedience through suffering. Therefore God exalted Him.

Our pride is rooted in our insecurities expressed in selfishness or poor self-esteem. We need to grow in the love of God. Then and only then will we learn to focus not on ourselves but on others and God. We learn to serve and build others, no competition nor comparison. It would save us from unnecessary humiliation in order to learn humility for God resists the proud and gives grace to humble.

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Standing Firm in Entering the Narrow Gate that Leads to the Father

21st Sunday Mass in Ordinary Time

Theme: Standing Firm in Entering the Narrow Gate that Leads to the Father

First Reading: Isaiah 66: 18- 21

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 46

Second Reading: Hebrews 12: 25- 29

Gospel Reading: Luke 13: 22- 30

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

Our Gospel today reminds us to be serious with our relationship with God. St. Paul said that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. To work out means to live out our salvation or live as saved people. Salvation is a free gift of God by His grace and received by faith but we have to live it out day by day in our lives. It’s neither easy nor comfortable that’s why our Gospel today encouraged us to strive, with all earnest effort. Entering the narrow gate demands our commitment, determination and serious attention.

Jesus is the gate. He is the way, the truth and life. No one can come to the Father unless through Him. It means we have to enter into a relationship with Him by trusting and submitting to His Lordships His will for us is to enter and be part of His plan in His kingdom but there are lots of factors that hinder us.

First – ourselves, our unrenewed mind will always do what it wants, it will not submit to God. That causes our inner struggles. Then there’s our enemy, the devil, who will do everything to stop us in entering that gate. This is the reason why St. Paul said “I press on” because of these forces against us. He disciplines his body and mind because his goal is to win the prize, to enter that gate and experience the fullness of God’s plan here on earth and in eternity.

This Gospel reminds us also that the time is coming soon when the door will be shut. When? When Jesus comes (Day of Judgment) or when we come to Jesus (our lives end here on earth). Eventually the door will be shut and there is no more chance to enter, those who are inside are in; those who are outside are out.

Today the door is still open. We still have the chance and opportunity. Don’t delay and procrastinate, repent when you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart. By His grace, strive with all effort to enter the narrow gate. We can’t afford to be a nominal Christians or having a casual acquaintance with Jesus. Let’s be serious in our relationship with Him. It’s our choice and now is the time.

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Standing Firm Under Trial and Testing

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 14, 2022

Theme: Standing Firm Under Trial and Testing

First reading: Jeremiah 23:23-29

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 82:1-8

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:1-6

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:49-56

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

Our gospel today warns us that when we were baptized and decided to follow Jesus, we will encounter conflict and division. Jesus said He came to send fire, symbolizing changes and opposition. These verses seem contradictory because in the birth of Jesus, angels declared peace on earth and good will to men and now He said He did not bring peace on earth but division. It means that there will be peace to those who believe and obey Him and conflict to those who choose not to believe and obey Him. The moment we to stand on His Word, there will be people who will not agree. In our homes, schools, offices, or anywhere. Truly, our faith, submission, and commitment will be tested.

But take heart. Focus on our Lord Jesus, who overcame every opposition even unto death. In a time of division or conflict, be sure you are on God‘s side. There is nothing higher than His Word which is the truth. We will not be afraid to tell the truth in love and that’s the only way to be set free from the bondage of lies and deception. Yes, it may be unpopular but  “Truth without love is brutality and love without truth is hypocrisy”. We will not compromise for the sake of “peace” so that we are not branded as troublemakers or “kontrabida”, but it will only be a temporary peace. We are not looking for trouble, we are peace seekers but true peace comes only through repentance and obedience to God. There is no peace to the wicked, says God.

We must have peace with God  because if we don’t have that, there would be an inner conflict and pressure will build up like there is a ”built in pressure cooker” inside of us that will lead us to be in conflict with others. As any meat becomes tender when you cook it in a pressure cooker, let’s submit to the fire of the dealings of God in our life so that our heart of stone will become a heart of flesh –  tender, surrendered, trusting and obedient to God. Only then can we stand firm in the test of time and see them as an opportunity for growth and praise to God.

 

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Standing Firm with Proper Focus

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 7, 2022

Theme: Standing Firm with Proper Focus

First Reading: Genesis 15:1-6

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-22

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-2

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:32-37

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

The beauty of having a sacramental and liturgical church is that we learn and celebrate the different seasons of life throughout the year. Advent teaches us peace, hope, love, and joy and in Christmas, we learn that “Christ is with us”. But among these – Ordinary Time is the longest season we celebrate. Why? “So that the church, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, may have enough time to apply everything from the beginning of the year.” (Fr. Jun)

We value life because we celebrate life. And every Sunday, as we gather as a community, is a celebration of life. We learn the value of life not just by sitting and hearing the lectures but we learn it through our whole being. Every season brings truth in us; and every lesson must be applied. The blessings of God come to our lives once we know the truth and once we walk in the truth. That’s why the emphasis of Ordinary Time is to establish us in our faith. We are given time to reflect and manifest in our lives the lessons we have learned. As hearers of His word, we should be overcomers of problems, we should be strong as a people, and victorious in our lives. Yet it seems that among the many lessons we learned, we are still experiencing the same cycle of life. We still haven’t had breakthroughs from problems and we are easily swayed by our emotions. Many of us have been destroyed by “galit”, “poot” at “tampo” that we tend to walk away from our calling, from our commitment to Him. “Do not allow emotions to take the best of you” (Fr. Jun) We are called to heal and prosper in our life, so let us not allow these bad emotions to ruin us and let us stand firm in our convictions. “We live by faith, not by sight”.

Lessons from the gospel today:

  1. We should not be afraid. As a people of God, we need to take our stand. Because no matter what happens to the world, in the end, there is always God. Let us not live in fear and let us not allow it to control our lives. Why? Because we have the LOVE of God. “Perfect love alone can drive all fears” and to be able to walk in life without fear, we need to establish the truth that God loves us so much that He gave His only and most valuable Son as well the whole kingdom for us! We need to encounter and experience the love of God that we may treasure Him in our life.
  2. We should be prepared. Everyday is an opportunity to be of service to other people. We should be prepared always. Let us keep our faith alive and burning every day because we cannot consistently serve the Lord if we have a weak faith in Him. We should remember the truth that Christ is coming again and that when we meet Him, we should be prepared.

Christian life is serious. It is lived out deliberately by choice. Our life should not be moved by what we see, what we hear, what we feel; but we should be moved by the Word of God. We are not Christians tossed to and fro by the waves of circumstances around. We have been walking with the Lord for years and years now, been in journey and pilgrimage with Him; so we must be teachers already of the Word of God. We need to stand firm in our conviction, in our commitment, in our faith, in what we believe in God. We are a mountain, immovable in the midst of the ocean, just like our God. And as God’s people, we know we have a strong God, that’s why we need to be firm – and this is what Ordinary Time teaches us!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Storing True Incorruptible Riches

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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Unwavering Faith to the Father’s Goodness

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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Give Importance to What is Valuable in Life

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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Love Compels Us To Act Upon His Word

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – July, 10 2022

Theme: Love Compels Us To Act Upon His Word

First Reading: Deutoronomy 30:9-14

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-14

Second Reading: Colossians 1:13-20

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:25-37

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

Today’s Gospel shows us that everyday is an opportunity to do mission anytime and anywhere. We do this by exercising our faith through applying the word in our daily lives with love.

The lawyer asked Jesus how to receive eternal life. Jesus direct him to what the Bible says – to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. This is the same question asked by the rich young ruler and Jesus answered to go and sell all his possession and follow Him. Jesus answered them to put their faith in action. It means that we should not only trust and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior but we should also live out our salvation. This is best expressed in our application of the principles of God in our daily and practical lives. If we really believe in Jesus, then our faith must have visible fruits.

These priests and scribes represent Christians who hear the word but did not do anything to help the wounded man; their faith had no equivalent action/works. They may have reasons, alibis, or excuses.  Maybe to them, it would be costly to do so…but it is more costly not to. The true love of God will always lead us to find ways. The Samaritan, on the other hand, may be someone who rarely hears the word or goes to church, but he showed compassion and care for the wounded man. He even let somebody else take care of him at his expense. Like God the Father who saw His creation go down the tube to hell because of sin, He had compassion on us and sent His Son to die and save us, all in Christ’s expense.

The love of God compels us to do something about the problem, not just by sympathizing or feeling sorry for the distress of others but by doing something or contributing to the solution in the best way we can.

Along the road of our everyday journey, people who need help will come to us. They are our neighbors regardless who they are and what they need. God sent them to us as an object of our compassion and love. It is an opportunity to apply our faith and live out our salvation here on earth. Since we only pass this way once, why not be a Good Samaritan? Jesus showed us how, then let’s continue doing it likewise.

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Empowered to Manifest God’s Dominion

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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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 – Understanding the Urgency of God’s Work

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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I AM BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING