Podcast: Cathedral Church of Saint Michael Kalibo Sermons

Feast of the Baptism – First Sunday of Epiphany

January 9, 2022

First Sunday of Epiphany

Homily by Fr. Jun Peñalosa

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38

Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST

(A RECAPITULATION BASED ON THE HOMILY OF +FR. ROMIE JUN PEÑALOSA)

The first Sunday after the season of Epiphany is the church celebration of the “Feast of Jesus Christ’s Baptism.” Why do we celebrate this? “To remind us of our own baptism.”

Looking back on the story of Jesus’ baptism, gives us a glimpse of what happened during our own baptism. The baptism that John the Baptist made by the Jordan river were baptisms of repentance in order to prepare the people for the great baptism to be made by our Lord Jesus Christ – the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. The baptism of Jesus by John is made not just to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah; but to fulfil the righteousness of God through Jesus; and Jesus is the only One who can make us righteous in God.

In the Gospel reading, when Jesus is praying while being baptized, the Holy Spirit came to Him in the form of a dove, and John heard the voice of the Father affirming, “This is my beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased.” This particular event shows us, that wherever Jesus is, the Father is there, and the Holy Spirit is there also. They are inseparable! This accounts also the event when we were baptized – the heaven was opened, the Holy Spirit came to us, and the voice of our Father speaking to us, “His beloved son or daughter, and with us, He is well pleased”. Knowing this truth, we can enjoy life and live happily every day.

Isaiah, as the prophet of the coming of Christ, not only speaks of what Jesus would do being the Anointed One, but prophesied also of bringing justice and love. Basically, it means that the anointing of God to us will cause us to walk in justice. We need to understand that the purpose of our baptism is to immerse us in Christ, so that when we rise up, we will walk in justice and will live in love.

“To be reminded of our baptism is to be reminded also of our responsibility.” Yes, we have benefits in baptism. We became adopted sons and daughters; we can pray to God and ask Him anything we want. But let us be reminded as well, that with benefits, come along responsibilities. And as adopted children, we are immersed in Christ; therefore, it is our responsibility to bring out Christ and be bearers of Christ in our lives! As one who received the anointing in baptism, it is our responsibility to walk in justice. And how does God bring us justice? He brings us to a right relationship with Him! And this is what expected of us – to live and walk daily in righteousness.

As baptized Christians, it is our responsibility to do what is right – not right with our own eyes, but right in the eyes of God; to walk in justice and live in love. Every day, we intend to live in love – the newness of life. Let us therefore be patient and forgiving with one another, for love is a life-learning process.

Today, we are reminded of our baptism with Christ. Father Jun encouraged us then, “to live consciously and deliberately” every day. Let it be not just a habit, but a decision, with consciousness and willingness to do what is right, to walk in justice and live in love. Further, he urged us to always have that attitude of gratitude to the newness of our life. +

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Matured Sons, Mindful Of The Father’s Will

January 2, 2022

Second Sunday of Christmas

Theme: “Matured Sons, Mindful Of The Father’s Will”

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

First Reading: Isaiah 40:27-31

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 84: 1-2, 4-5 , 10-11

Second Reading : Ephesians 1:3-6

Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

” Like Jesus, we should grow to fulfill God’s purposes in our lives”

Being children of God, we must grow spirit, soul, and body to know and fulfill God’s purpose in our lives. Joseph and Mary fulfilled their duty as a normal parents would do. They cared, trained, and guided Jesus as He grew.

Jesus did not use His divine powers to learn to live as a human. He grew as normal as other Jewish boys did. One time they brought Jesus with them in Jerusalem to attend the Feast of the Passover. After the event, they went home but the boy Jesus stayed. When they found out that Jesus was not with them, they sought and found Him in the temple with the teachers asking and listening to them. His parents asked Him why He did this and His answer puzzled them. They didn’t understand what He meant when He said “I must be about my Father’s business.”

This is the very first word spoken by Jesus found in St. Luke’s Gospel since He was born. Nevertheless, after their conversation, Jesus went home with them and obeyed them.

His obedience is something worth imitating, and can be likened to how our obedience to God must be. He submitted to His earthly parents while fulfilling God’s purpose in His life. We will never know and fulfill our purpose apart from God since He is the one who gives our purpose. Jesus’ obedience and a seeking heart help Him grow in wisdom, in years and grace, fulfilling God’s purpose, why He came to earth this Christmas, to be our Savior.

Thus, the Father was able to say to Him” You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” May the Father someday say that to us also.

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Present Ourselves As A Living Sacrifice

December 26, 2021

First Sunday of Christmas

Theme: “Present Ourselves As A Living Sacrifice ”

Homily by Fr. Andy Ilustre

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 148: 1-2 , 7-8, 11-14

Second Reading : Galatians 4:1-7

Gospel: Luke 2:22-32

The lessons for today’s gospel are obedience and faithfulness.

We all receive from God. And, He calls us to give back to Him our gifts and our lives.

The quality of the gift we give will never outdo the gift He gives us. But our Reasonable Service.

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Love of Christ; Faithfully Fulfilling His Covenant

December 19, 2021

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Theme: “Love of Christ; Faithfully Fulfilling His Covenant”

Homily by Fr. Romie Jun Peñalosa

First Reading : Micah 5: 2-4

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80: 1-2, 14-15, 17-18

Second Reading: Hebrews 10: 5-10

Gospel: Luke 1:39-55

LOVE OF CHRIST: FAITHFULLY FULFILLING HIS COVENANT

(A RECAPITULATION BASED ON THE HOMILY OF +FR. ROMIE JUN PEÑALOSA)

Today, as the fourth candle of Advent representing love is lit, Father Jun reminded us of the things we need to be prepared for. As we already know and understand that Advent is a time for preparation for the coming again of the Lord; we also need to prepare our hearts and our lives if we truly believe what we, as a church, have been proclaiming – that Christ will be coming again! “The success of everything that we celebrate in life, depends on our preparation. The more we prepare, the more we are guaranteed success.”

So, what are we going to prepare? It is our hearts. We need to cultivate the following: first is hope. We need to see to it that hope is always kindled in our hearts. No matter how hopeless the circumstances, let hope continue to shine. The second is faith. We need to cultivate it by doing and obeying what God is telling us to do. Regardless of how many times we fall and fail, get up always and walk with faith, not by sight. The third is joy. As the scriptures teach us to serve God with gladness, we need to see to it that in everything we do, we have the joy of doing it, “for the joy of the Lord is our strength!”

Our hope will always be tested. Also our faith and joy in Christ. But let us remember that this testing in our lives produces the groaning… there is that infilling that happens to us when we are being tested. The more we are tested, the more we are filled with the love of Christ!

Our Gospel reading today is one of the most beautiful stories ever written in the Bible. For it tells a story of love, of a mother – considered to be the best icon of love. Mary, as the first disciple of Jesus, being the first one to receive the Word, after Gabriel, the angel, proclaims the Good News to her, magnifies and rejoices in it. Elizabeth, despite her being old and barren did not see it as a burden when the angel of the Lord told her she will bear a child. These two mothers did not look at the circumstances around them but only looked to the truth that God has favored them. They are rejoicing for God has fulfilled His promise in their lives!

 “When there is joy and love in us, the word of God comes in us; it becomes prophetic in us.”

As a church, we need to rejoice every day because God’s promise in us is working out every day to be fulfilled in our lives. We might be going through difficulties in life now, and facing unfavorable circumstances…but all these testing and trials are just proving our hope, our faith, our joy, and our love for God.

Here, Father Jun share the church mission by 2022 to plant and build more mission churches. He expresses his excitement but at the same time, feel apprehensions knowing we will be encountering mighty and strong giants in the land. But praise God, we have this hope, faith, joy, and love of Christ in us – God is with us! Therefore, who can be against us? 

Two things we learn from the gospel about love today:

  1. Once you are filled with the love of Christ, do not stay home and become complacent. Like Mary, when impregnated with love of God, she went out to bring Christ to others. Why? Because she is a Christ-bearer. Each one of us, are Christ bearers so let us bring Him to others.
  2. We need to work together. And here, love is very important. Without love, it is hard to work. We need to understand that as achurch, we will never accomplish the work that God would want us to fulfil if we work individually.

God’s destiny with our lives is already within us. All we need to do is love each other and begin to help each other. Let us not worry about who will get credit, what is important is we could be of service to one another.

“Love is best demonstrated in humble service; when you start to help and serve others with humility.”

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Joyful in Christ; His Grace Abounds

December 12, 2021

Third Sunday of Advent

Theme: “Joyful in Christ; His Grace Abounds”

Homily by Fr. Andy Ilustre

First Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85: 2-3, 8-11

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 4-7

Gospel: Luke 3: 7-18

Let us prove our new life by the fruits that we bear. Baptism isn’t a magic formula that gets you into the Kingdom of God, but it is a beginning of a new life with Him. It doesn’t give you immunity just because you have higher connections.

Repentance shows that you have changed your life; you have turned away from darkness into light. Judgment belongs to those who are persistently rebellious.

It is about wanting to bear fruit, despite not being able to do it on our own, while having the willingness to believe that we can do it through The One Who is able.

Having a surrendered life shows us the fruit of a changed life. And, it is by His spirit that we have an abundant new life. We expect God to act on our behalf. Yet, God’s grace is sufficient for us.

The coming of Christ is an exhortation to the righteousness, but it scares the persistently unrighteous.

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Faith in Christ; Preparing Through Repentance

December 5, 2021

Second Sunday in Advent

Theme: “Faith in Christ; Preparing Through Repentance”

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

First Reading : Malachi 3: 1-4

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 12: 1-5

Second Reading: Philippians 1: 1-11

Gospel: Luke 3: 1-6

Last Sunday we were reminded to be watchful and vigilant in His coming. Today’s Gospel taught us how to prepare for His coming.

We have our external preparations such as putting on Christmas lights and decors, and buying gifts and food for this holiday.

We should also have our internal preparation and the best way to do that is through repentance. This what St. John is proclaiming – repent and prepare the way of the Lord. We should clean blockages and obstacles at the entrance of our hearts so God can freely come to us and we can also freely come to Him. If these obstacles are not removed, it will be difficult for us to hear, feel and see God working in our life.

Repentance means a change of heart and mind, or a reconciling back to God. We need some “internal repairs” and only God could repair and heal us. Repentance would lead us to confess our sins to God, acknowledging our need of His grace. Without confession, there is no reconciliation, and when there is no reconciliation, no real change can come out of our situation and our inner person.

We have to confess to God our valleys in life, our ups and downs, our disappointments and fears. We have to forgive and forget and move on. John tells us to humble ourselves by leveling the high peak of our pride and our selfishness that wants to rise above God’s way in us.

He wants us to straighten our crooked ways and smoothen our relationship with others and our rough attitudes. Our repentance and admission that we need His grace will usher us to greet coming of Jesus on Christmas with joy, and they will see the salvation, goodness, and love of God through us.

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Hope in Christ; Deeply Rooted in His Word

November 28, 2021

First Sunday of Advent

Theme: “Hope in Christ; Deeply Rooted In His Word”

Homily by Fr. Andy Ilustre

First Reading: Jeremiah 33: 14-16

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25: 1-2, 12-13, 21-22

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13

Gospel: Luke 21: 25-36

Advent is the beginning of the Church Year. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day.

The word ‘advent’ means “coming” or “arrival”. The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in His first advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.

Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation, and longing. The Lord’s coming symbolizes the fulfillment of His promises.

Our gospel in Luke 21:25-36 taught us two things to remember this season, the first thing is that whenever we are in the midst of trouble, look in expectation for the Lord’s help. In verse 25-28, there’s a lot of events that caused anxiety among the people. Those events will cause hopelessness in their hearts. When we see such things, we should look up in faith that these are simply opportunities for God to prove His faithfulness in bringing forth our salvation.

The second one is that instead of being discouraged by troubled times, we should wait expectantly in hope in the faithfulness of God. This is not the time to be anxious, but the time to rejoice.

Recap by:

Sis. Sally Illustre

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Living in Christ: Our Sovereign King

November 21, 2021

Feast of Christ the King

Theme: “Living in Christ: Our Sovereign King”

Homily by Fr. Romie Jun Penalosa

First Reading: Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14

Second Reading: Hebrews 1: 1-8

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93: 1-5

Gospel Reading: John 18: 33-37

FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

(A RECAPITULATION BASED ON THE HOMILY OF +FR. ROMIE JUN PEÑALOSA)

“Has your life improved today compared to last year?

“Are you a better person today? A better husband/wife? A better son/daughter? Because of Christ who ruled in your life?”

“Who sits on the throne of your heart?”

Questions we need to ask ourselves if we proclaim Jesus Christ as our King.

Today’s Gospel reading speaks of the kingship and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus, which He himself confirmed when asked by Pilate.

Father Jun, in his homily, recalls how Spain introduced Christianity to us. With the past 500 years of knowing Christ and planting Christianity to our nation….What have we become as a people? Did we progress or become better as a people?

He shared this story in relation to our celebration of the feast of Christ the King. Today marks the last Sunday of the church calendar. And as we enter the Advent season or the beginning of the New Year, we need to take the time to evaluate ourselves regarding what happened during the year so that when we enter another year, we can already set goals to help us become a better person; and become a better church.

Secularism arose when people developed the idea of pushing away God and removing God from politics and other worldly affairs. There was also a rise in dictatorship. These events gave birth to Pope Pius XI’ declaration of the Feast of Christ the King in 1925. The message for this feast was clear: There is only one King who ruled the world…and that is our Lord Jesus Christ!

Among the many things that is happening in the world right now, where are we? Or how far are we in our faith in God? We are facing only one pandemic now, as we can see outside…but we are battling many effects of it inside us. Many suffered depression, nervous breakdowns, mental illness, and poverty. Others have pushed their lives away; while many also have been crushed and destroyed their lives.

So how far did we improve our lives then? If we proclaim that Christ is really our King, then His righteousness must rule in our lives. And that righteousness must come from the truth that He Himself proclaim. Truth alone can bring peace to our lives. Let us then allow Him to be our real King and sit in the throne of our hearts!

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Living in Christ: Walking in God’s Ways

November 14, 2021

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Theme: “Living in Christ: Walking In God’s Ways”

Homily by Fr. Val Raymond Magbiro

First Reading: Daniel 12: 1-10

Second Reading: Hebrews 10: 19-25

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16 : 1-11

Gospel Reading: Mark 13 : 5-13

Jesus warns us of three(3) things:

1. False gods,

2. Catastrophic events

3. Persecutions.

However, as believers we must walk in God’s ways and watch out for ourselves that we may not be deceived, troubled, or frightened.

Preach the Gospel through our life. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, practice what you teach. We need to put action into it.

Allow the Holy Spirit to work in our life. Let us endure. Let us Walk in God’s Ways to the end.

Homily Recap by Paz Indulo

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Living in Christ: Honoring God Wholeheartedly

November 7, 2021

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Theme : “Living in Christ: Honoring God Wholeheartedly”

Homily by Bp. Jun Abogatal

First Reading: 1 Kings 17: 8-16

Second Reading: Hebrews 9: 24- 8

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71: 6–8; 12-18

Gospel Reading: Mark 12: 38-44

HONORING GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY

(A RECAPITULATION BASED ON THE HOMILY OF +BISHOP RAYMUNDO ABOGATAL)

The Gospel reading today gives emphasis on the attitude of giving. Giving as a manifestation of how we honour God in our life.

One of the most important thing in our life is “our relationship with Him” and “our devotion to Him.” As what Jesus told his disciples, “Love is precious than gold and silver.” He teaches a dramatic lesson of giving; and that giving must come from the heart. Like that widow who has nothing but gave all her money as an offering, God sees the inner portion of our heart. That is how we honour Him, when we give and devote ourselves wholeheartedly in serving Him.

Lessons from the Gospel today:

  • Honour God with our tithes. Our faithful giving of tithes is a manifestation of our obedience and submission and devotion to Him. And giving must come from the heart. A gift given with grudge and murmuring loses its value. 2 Corinth 9:6-7 shows how God will prosper the cheerful giver. Let us look unto Jesus as the author and finisher of our life; who will provide everything we need.
  • Obedience is honouring Him. Romans 13: 1 emphasizes the authority given by God for governance to church leaders. Everyone is called to become submissive then. As a giver, let us not question where our tithes go, how it is spent; for we should entrust it into the hands of God’s appointed people. 1 King 12-16 shows obedience of a woman to the man of God without hesitation and sacrificing her future; an attitude we must also emulate to honour our God.

Finally, let us remember that “whatever we place in the hands of God, God will bless it for His glory!”

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Living in Christ: Keeping The Commandment

October 31, 2021

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Theme : “Living in Christ: Keeping The Commandment”

Homily by Fr. Jun Penalosa

First Reading: Deuteronomy 6: 1-9

Second Reading: Hebrews 9: 11-14

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119: 1-8

Gospel Reading: Mark 12: 28-34

KEEPING GOD’S COMMANDMENT

(A RECAPITULATION BASED ON THE HOMILY OF +FR. ROMIE JUN PENALOSA)

What is the first and greatest commandment of God?

This is a question that we Christians have known or memorized the answer for a long time already…”To love God, with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our strength.”

But today, + Father Jun delved into the other sides of this commandment and reflected on the character and attitude we should have in keeping God’s commandment. He started his homily on sharing a story about a man who was invited to a pandemic wedding party, where that man needed to follow rules and protocols in order to enter the reception area. He relates this to our Christian life today where we need to study the Bible and be bombarded with so many laws.

He further recalled his early days in the new church in Antique where he happened to be in a church where a list of things that are not allowed were posted outside. The pastor then asked him about the list of things that were not allowed in our church. He then asked Primate Dick, then Pastor Dick, if we had such a list, to which he responded, “Isa lang bawal sa atin. Bawal magkasala sa Diyos.” Do not sin against God.

It sounded like a simple rule to him, but later on he realized the weight of its meaning.

The scribe asked Jesus, “What is the first commandment?” “Hear oh Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is God. And you shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like it; you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mark 12: 29-31)

The number one and primary commandment of God is that, but it has three (3) components. Like a 20peso coin who has actually three sides, we, children of God need to understand first the components of the commandment of God if we are about to follow and obey Him;

  1. Hear or Listen. As children of God, understand that our relationship with Him is not about what we believe; relationship is about how we love and how we listen. And the commandment of God is all about Him wanting or desiring to have a relationship with us. He also means that in our life, there is no one else who can love you the way God love us.
  2. Love God. Since He loves us unconditionally, it is our turn also to love Him with all of what we have. The more we listen to Him, the more He shows His love, and the more we understand Him. Only in God alone can we can find our forever.
  3. Love your neighbour as you love yourself. If you know that God loves you, and you love God, then you love yourself the way God loves you; then that is how you will love your neighbour. You cannot love God without loving your neighbour. It is impossible; and if you cannot love your neighbour whom you can see, then how you can love God whom you have not seen. The only way you can love the person in whom he is, is when you love God also.

And these are the important things we should remember in our relationship with God; to love and listen to Him. J

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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Living in Christ: Persistent in Faith

October 24, 2021

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Theme:”Living In Christ: Persistent In Faith”

Homily by Fr. Jun Peñalosa

First Reading Jeremiah 31: 7-9

Second Reading Hebrews 7: 23-28

Responsorial Psalm 126: 1-6


The Gospel reading reminds us be persistent when it comes to our FAITH. Fr. Jun tells us that the “only way to receive God’s grace is by faith and the testing of your faith is perseverance”.

To be persistent in prayer is to be inspired! But how do we become inspired in prayer? We become inspired to pray when are eyes are focused on God.

1. God always hears our prayers.

– He hears our prayers loud and clear. When we say prayer, it is not just about talking to God, but it is communicating with God.

2. God always answers prayers.

-He is the only God who answers all our prayers. Not immediately or not in the way we want, but He will give us the answer in the right and perfect time. JUST KEEP ON PRAYING!

Homily by Mary Rose Cabantud

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I AM BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

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