“Go and Proclaim: Watch, for JESUS is coming!”

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Gospel Reading: Mark 13: 33- 37

Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

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“Go and Proclaim: Do not wait for the end times, surely GOD will judge the people of every nation”

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2; 3-5; 6-7

Second Reading: 1 Cor. 15:21-28

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-40

Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

In this Sunday Mass Homily in Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, Kalibo, Fr. Romie- Jun reminded us today that Jesus is our Lord and King. As we have come to the end of the liturgical year, we have experienced so many challenges but in spite of those circumstances, Jesus still remains as our King.

Now, we need to ask ourselves, “If Christ is King, do I follow Him as King?”. Let us never forget the reason for this celebration- that we acknowledge Jesus as our King. If we acknowledge Him as King of our lives, we also follow Him as King – not just to follow Him as a friend or teacher. But how do we follow Him as our King?

The first reading depicts the cruelty of Israel’s past leaders. But God said through Ezekiel, “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Ez. 34: 11-13) God demonstrates a shepherd-like leadership- the leadership pattern that we must also do to lead our flock with care. Jesus shepherds us and takes good care of us. Today, we are invited to celebrate His kingship. He invites us also to rule with a shepherd-like character for we are His privileged people that sees His kingship, and we must manifest this kind of kingship to others.

The second question that we need to reflect on for this day is, “How do I follow Him? Do I follow Him as the King of my life?”. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that in the day of judgement, He will separate the sheep and the goats, and it is up to us to choose who we will become. The decision is ours, are we going to follow His kingship will we be stubborn until the day He comes back again?

In verses 37- 39, we learn about how we should follow Christ as or Lord and King- typically known as the seven acts of mercy. These are the ways on how we could demonstrate the kingship of God to other people. It is our responsibility to take care of the poor, for He says that “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25: 40). Prove your faith through your actions. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, invite a stranger to come in to your home, and visit the sick and those who are in prison.

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Go and Proclaim: “The LORD given talent: Use it or lose it”

First Reading: Zephaniah 1:7,12-18

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:2-4; 5-7; 9-11

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:14, 19-30

Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

Today’s Sunday homily touches on Escatology – or the part of theology that talks about the End Times. Today’s Sunday message teaches us how to live so the end times will be a joyful time for us.

The first reading tells us that God will punish complacency. The blessings of God in our life should make us productive. If you are not being fruitful, you are complacent. Complacency is a choice. Meanwhile, the second reading reminds us that we are children of light so we will be alert when He comes.

In the Gospel, we see that despite having many servants the master only chose 3 to give talents to. Talents were given according to their ability. God does not give us the same things but He will always give us something. God does not give us the same things but He will always give us something. In fact, everything we have is a gift from God.

The three were chosen because of their ability. They were entrusted with the talents for them to manifest their talents and capabilities. They received these for them to spend using their God-given ability – short of saying “I can multiply what You have given me.”

You must remember that you have a potential to be productive and fruitful. If we want to be productive, we gave to know the Lord first. The third servant did not know his master. When you know your God – generous, kind, and loving, you will do many things for God. Prayer allows you to know Christ. The people who know their God will be strong and do great exploits.

Here’s some tips from Jesus Christ and the Eucharist on how we can be faithful.

1. “Take” – Receive what God gives you
2. “Give Thanks” – Value what you have been given
3. “Break It” – Use your creativity to make something out of it
4. “Give it away” – Share your blessings

Make the best out of what you have. Use wisely what has been  given. Don’t despise small things. Count your blessings and and learn to value them.

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Go and Proclaim: “God will exalt the humble.”

First Reading: Micah 3:5-12

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 43:1-2; 3-4; 5

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Gospel Reading: Matthew 23:1-12

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

“Lahat tayo may bahid ng yabang.” Fr. Romie-Jun started off his homily by sharing this statement. After the Gospel was read, Fr. Jun established that it was a message for everyone.

Pride, he said, is a stumbling block. It blinds us. It is destructive and comes before the fall. Pride makes you think of yourself more than others. And ultimately, pride will cause us to be unhappy.

On the other hand, when we see humility in other people, you love it and you are drawn to them.

This Sunday’s Gospel talks particularly about these two expressions of Pride:

1. Hypocrisy
2. Entitlement

Hypocrisy is pretending to be someone who we are not. The only way to conquer this is humility. Humility will allow us to accept who we are. With accepting the truth comes grace. Hypocrisy will cause us to act as if we are better than others. Humility is acknowledging that we are all sinners.

Entitlement is when you begin to think that you deserve special treatment. People who are entitled feel like they deserve more than what they have in life. Be grateful for what you have for everything you have in life is a gift from God. The truth is, nobody deserves anything. Everything is a gift from God.

How do we combat hypocrisy and entitlement? Cultivate the virtue of humility.

1. PRAY. Spend time in the presence of the Lord in prayer. When you encounter a great God, you will start to feel small. A man who spends time in the presence of the Lord will see that God is everything and you are nothing.
2. When God begins to humble you, DON’T RUN AWAY FROM IT. If you are proud, be prepared to be put down by God. God will always humble us because He loves us.

Remember, God resists the proud but always gives grace to the humble.

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Go and Proclaim: “The Commandments of our GOD is for us not against us!”

First Reading: Deuteronomy 34: 1-12

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 1: 1-6

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:34-46

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

In this Sunday Homily at Saint Michael Kalibo, Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa talks about how God loved us through His commandments. The first five books in the Bible known as Torah are full of commandments that God has given the Israelites in order for them to live a life worthy of Him. But in the Gospel, Jesus summarized all these commandments into two: To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The essence of the law is love. He wants us to live with Him, and in order to fulfill that, we should live our lives with holiness. We could attain that by obeying His commands. Holiness is about His love and not perfection. He expects us to love Him wholeheartedly because loving God would bring us to path that leads to Him. Love brings us to God.

Our God is the God who commands us to love Him with all our hearts. To love God is an act of our will. Your heart is where your will is. Love Him through your will, and not with your feelings. Loving God is a decision. Love your God with all your soul. If you can’t love God with your all, you can’t be with Him. Love God with the expense of your life. Loving God is the basis of our love to our neighbor.

Loving our neighbor is a reflection of how we love God. It is difficult yet that is how we’re set to do. Reflect on these commandments. In the last days, we will be judged by only one thing- on how we loved. All of the things that we are doing is rooted on how we love God and our neighbor.

We have sinned in our minds, thoughts, and our actions because we have not loved God with all our hearts, thoughts, and actions, because we have not loved God with all our hearts and we haven’t loved our neighbors as ourselves. Repent from everything that stops us from loving God and our neighbors.

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Go and Proclaim : “Obey God and Obey His Delegated Authority”

First Reading: Isaiah 45: 1-7

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:15-22

Homily by Fr. Romie- Jun Peñalosa

In today’s Sunday Mass Homily at Saint Michael Kalibo, Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa reminds us that we should give to God what belongs to Him.

The first reading speaks about God’s authority in our lives. God can use the wicked to fulfill His plans and purpose because God is never limited. He knows us inside out, and He already knew us from the beginning of time.

The second reading tells us that we are God’s chosen people. “We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be His own people.” (1 Thessalonians 1:4). As God’s people, if you receive the Word of God, it will bless our lives. But when we reject it, it will not be good for us.

The Gospel speaks about the Pharisees and Herodians asking a trick question to Jesus about His stand on paying taxes to Ceasar, a Roman emperor. They wanted Jesus to respond in a certain manner to trap Him, and whether His response was yes or no, He will still likely get into trouble. However, Jesus responded to them in an unexpected way. But He first called them out as hypocrites, for they were praising Jesus in the beginning with the intention of giving Him a question that could destroy Him.

The Gospel is teaching us that we should not test God and we should not fool Him. If you try to test or fool God, it will always backfire on you.

When we wake up early in the morning, looking at our reflection, who do you see. Every time we see our reflection, may we be reminded that we are created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1: 27). Our coins have faces of man, and we give to them what is due – like paying our bills, taxes, and our earthly responsibilities that involve money.

But we ourselves are made for God and therefore, we belong to Him. We are to give our love, life, fidelity, and obedience to God. Whether we act accordingly or reject this truth, the consequences will be shown in our lives. We would either be filled with God’s blessings, or our lives would be filled with negativity. Our answer to this self-reflective question will define our lives.

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Go and Proclaim: Render to God the Fruits Due to Him

First Reading: Isaiah 5: 1-7

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 80: 7-9; 10-11; 12-14

Second Reading: Philippians 3: 17-21

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21: 33-44

GO AND PROCLAIM: RENDER TO GOD THE FRUITS DUE TO HIM (A RECAPITULATION BASED ON THE HOMILY OF +FR. ROMIE JUN PENALOSA)

“God is talking to us everyday, if we only listen. For many things that we are longing for in life can be found in what God is saying to us.”

Happiness and joy is an eternal virtue that only God can fulfill. It is a deep longing of a man’s heart that cannot be satisfied by another person or any material thing the world can offer. Seeking Christ in our life will lead us to fulfillment and satisfaction. We are so busy that we miss out on what God is saying to us. But when we take a pause and have a break, we hear God in solitude and begin to understand that longing we have in life is only in Christ.

The parable in our Gospel reading today speaks so much to us. Life is not a privilege; it is a gift. We need to see this from this perspective. Oftentimes, we think that life is a privilege so we tend to chase and desire things we think we deserve, causing us to be unhappy in our life. But the moment we reflect on our imperfections and weaknesses, our failings and mistakes, the more we appreciate the grace of God in our life. The more we become grateful, the more we become joyful because we no longer see life as a privilege but a gift to enjoy.

Our first reading teaches us that the grace of God in our life doesn’t take away our responsibility to do our part. For the grace of God to be effective, we need to receive it and respond on it. We need to build it from within ourselves, cultivate, and let it blossom.

St. Paul in our second reading encourages us to follow the examples of those who are walking and receiving the grace of God in their life; an attitude we need to cultivate also in our own. Emulate the good examples of these people in order for us not to become enemies of the cross.

The Gospel of Matthew today gives us a reflection of how we should live life. In order for us to bear fruit worthy to be offered to God, we need to deliberately and intentionally live out that Christ-life. As a mission church, we are part of the harvest referred in the parable. But what is the fruit to be harvested? It’s the souls who will be coming to Jesus. God has invested a lot in us, the vineyard, in order to bear good fruit. But do we really bear good fruits?

Seven things we can do when we listen to God that will lead us to bear fruits:

(7 Acts of Mercy)

Feed the hungry

Give drink to the thirsty

Clothe the naked

Give shelter to the traveler

Visit the sick

Visit those in prison

Bury the dead

Our constant refusal to listen to God leads to our rejection of Him. But why reject Him when He has our best interest in His heart?

Remember, the will of God is always for our good. Listen to Him and do what He says. For by doing this, the fruits will just come out from us. Our life is a blessing from God and we are just stewards, therefore we are accountable to God. Let us use it in bringing Christ to others so that we can bring others back to Him.

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Go and Proclaim: “The LORD is Generous and Gracious”

First Reading: Jonah 3:10-4:11

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:1-2; 3-4; 6-7

Second Reading: Philippians 1:15-18

Gospel Reading: Matthew 20:1-16

GO AND PROCLAIM: THE LORD IS GENEROUS AND GRACIOUS

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

God is gracious, generous, and merciful. Yet, it begs the question: why do we find ourselves complaining? It’s a question every one of us must ask ourselves. 

Oftentimes, when we are blessed with abundance,  we refrain from asking or complaining before God. However, when problems happen, when illness lingers, or when we have nothing to eat, it seems that we keep on murmuring and complaining to God.

The story of Jonah, found in our first reading today, reflects our inclination to demand God’s fairness on our terms of justice. Despite God’s command to preach in Nineveh, Jonah resisted. He knew that if he obeyed, the people would repent, and God’s mercy would prevail. Jonah, on the other hand, desired punishment for their iniquities and wickedness. Similarly, in our lives, we might find ourselves indignant at oppression and corruption, yet if we benefit from these, we do not complain.

“We possess a wrong sense of justice.”

In our second reading, St. Paul teaches us not to harbor jealousy. He emphasizes that what truly matters is the preaching of the word of God, whether done sincerely or ambitiously. 

“The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” (Philippians 1:18) When someone does good to others, we should appreciate it.

Our complaining attitude has two reasons: (1) envy and (2) jealousy. These are both rooted from a covetous heart. Envy and jealousy can destroy life if we are not watchful or careful of our hearts.  The thought that “I deserve” or “I am entitled” to something is often the cause why we become envious and jealous and think of injustices. But let us realize that an envious and jealous heart will never be happy.

In the Kingdom of God, realize that we don’t deserve anything. Everything is by the grace, goodness, and mercy of God. From today’s Gospel, we can glean two essential insights:

1. We have to learn to appreciate what we have been given. When we learn to be thankful for what we have, we become grateful for everything. And when we are grateful, we become happy in our life.
2. Learn and cultivate love for others. To love is to will the good of others. Cultivate gratitude in our heart, and love for our brothers and sisters. So that when God blesses them, you will not be envious nor jealous and instead, you will be happy knowing the goodness of God in their lives as well.

Remember, “Not all happy people are grateful, but all grateful people are definitely always happy.”

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