5th Sunday in Lent March 26, 2023

Theme: Go and Proclaim: “Jesus, the only Resurrection and the Life”

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130: 1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8

Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11

Gospel Reading: John 11:18-2

In today’s Sunday Mass Homily at Saint Michael Kalibo, Fr. Jun reminds us that God always answers our prayers. However sometimes, we want to know everything, like how God would answer our prayers. But God is teaching us to listen to Him and have faith first. God will do everything, but before God will do something in our lives, He will talk to us through His Word. The Word of God goes first before the miracles happen. He can do beyond what we ask. He will do miracles and it is our responsibility to believe. In the Gospel, Jesus spoke or prophesied to Lazarus before he came to back to life, just as how God spoke to Ezekiel before the dry bones came into flesh. It reminds us that everyone is listening- from the angels in heaven up to the dead bodies, so we also must listen to God.

Lent is the season for us to listen to God and be silent, taking away the things that hinder us from hearing Him. God is about to do something great to us, a greater glory that will happen in our lives. We must continue to affirm it, that the problem that we have right now will be gone tomorrow. No matter how great the problem is, God will do something great.

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4th Sunday in Lent

March 19, 2023

Theme: Go and proclaim: “In His light, we received true sight”

First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-7

Responsorial Psalm 23:1-2, 3-4,5-6

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:1-10

Gospel Reading: John 9:1-11

Do you know that God has a plan in your life?

Do you know God’s plan and purpose for your life?

Two significant questions that often strike us and make us confused when we try to find the answers. We then tend to worry, get scared, stressed and anxious of the many things in our life. But in reality, we are just spiritually blind. We do not see life the way God sees it. We can see because of the light that comes in to our eyes. And we often judge by what we see physically. But not God. He always sees our heart. A heart is something no one can see, yet it is what God is always looking at.

In the time of Jesus, when a man is born blind it is considered a curse. But the Gospel reading today teaches us more about spiritual blindness. We are all born spiritually blind; blind to see the purposes of God in our lives. To be spiritually blind means not being able to see and understand the things of God. As humans, we judge by what we see; but with God, He sees the heart. As God’s children, we are supposed to see the things that God can see; see His plans and purposes in our lives. But sometimes, we cannot because we refuse to let the light of Christ come in to our spiritual eyes and to our heart.

Spiritual blindness is not about sight, but rather vision. Sight is for our eyes; vision is for our soul. Vision is the ability to see things according to how God sees it. And we all have this ability. But unless we let Christ’s light come in to us, we will remain blind. So how can we free ourselves from this kind of blindness? Let us just focus our eyes and minds on Jesus. Scripture tells us that it was Jesus who came to the blind man. It was His will to heal him. Remember, it is always God’s will and desire for us to see, to be healed and restored.

Saint Paul encourages us to walk as Children in the Light. We were once in darkness, but through Christ, we now have light. Let us walk then with vision, seeing things as God wants us to see. Let us open that spiritual vision in us and focus on the truth that God loves us. And when we do, we start to remove the plank that is in our own eyes and begin to see the goodness of the people around us, making our life better, happier, and joyfully enjoying the beauty and grandeur of the earth.

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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3rd Sunday in Lent
March 12, 2023
Theme: Go and proclaim: “Jesus as the Living Water and Everlasting Life”
First Reading: Exodus 17:1-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-3,4-6,8-9,11
Second Reading: Romans 5:1-8
Gospel Reading: John 4:5-14
Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

The season of Lent talks about God’s love. God loves us in spite of our sins and failures in life. Lent is a preparation for Christ’s resurrection. It’s on His resurrection that we also rise up with Christ.

In the Gospel, Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman. During those times, Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Jews who talked to Samaritan people were considered unclean and therefore, unable to enter the temple. But Jesus broke the cultural barriers, showing that His love for us knows no bounds.

There are three principles that was shown in the Gospel. First, God’s love for us is so great that God will always pursue us. God is relentless. Therefore, if there are barriers that hinder us from coming to God, He will cross it for us. And this is what He did when he broke the cultural barriers between Him – a Jew, and the woman, a Samaritan. God will never give up on us. He is interested in everything that we say because He listens to us.

Second, God loves you so much that He will change us. Don’t try to hide yourself from God because God knows you very well. Let’s be honest whenever we talk to Him. His love transforms lives. We will worship God in Jesus. The place does not matter, for through Jesus, we can now worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Lastly, God’s love compels us to go on a mission. God pursued and changed us and now, it’s time to change the lives of others by sharing His good news. Don’t just be comfortable inside your church. Go out and preach His word. Bring Jesus to the people who can’t come to church so that Jesus will love and pursue them also.

A living encounter with Jesus changes our lives here on earth. Let Christ come into our lives so that He will then transform everything that surrounds us. Open you heart to Jesus because God will change you first before He will change your life.

Homily Recap by Riana Chelle Montero

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2nd Sunday in Lent
March 5, 2023
Theme: Go and proclaim: Believing in Jesus is having everlasting life
First Reading: Genesis 12:1-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:6-8, 10-12,13-16,20-22
Second Reading: Romans 4:1-5
Gospel Reading: John 3:1-17
Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

“Our days on earth are numbered.” Scriptures itself tells us that our life here has an end. Without realizing this truth, oftentimes we live our life recklessly. We do not take it seriously until such time we will meet the “dead-end”.

In his homily today, Father Jun emphasizes the weight of living life seriously. Realizing that our life is short and numbered, we should value the time and the ways that we live it. Wisdom teaches us to be careful with our life, for death is inevitable for everyone. It is not something to be afraid but anticipated. For when it comes, it is done, and we need to come home to our Father.

Like Nicodemus, we might also ask, “How then we can we have everlasting life?” Jesus replied, we need to be “born again”. And to be born again is to have eternal life. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless, you are born again, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God”, gives us the idea that we should be focus on the things of God; on the works of Jesus. For us who were baptized with water and Spirit, we should not be complacent, for the moment we have received these sacraments, we have to take life seriously. To be born again means a renewed life everyday proclaiming the goodness of God and Jesus as the source of eternal life. To be born again is a choice, a decision one should take seriously for Jesus himself attested that eternal life exist.

The season of Lent allows us to reflect more and understand deeper the love of God to humanity (John 3:16). It is not a season to delve on our sins, on our failures, on our weaknesses. Lent is a time of reflection, of meditating and securing in our mind the reality that God loves us so much, giving us Jesus, His only son, just to save us and the world. We might keep on sinning, on making mistakes but the realization that He loves us despite our iniquities gives us hope. Hope that nothing is permanent, that we can change because of His amazing love.

So, how we should respond to this love? By trusting God. Faith is love, therefore let us not confide this truth within us but profess it with our lives, every day.

Finally, Father Jun challenge us to spend the Lenten weeks in contemplating the love of God; urging us to withdraw from things that makes us too busy, to temporarily distance from people so that we can listen more to God and be focused on what He is saying to us.

Recap by:
MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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First Sunday in Lent
February 26, 2023
Theme: Go and proclaim: “Every Word that proceeds from the Mouth of GOD.”
First Reading: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32:1-2,5, 7, 11
Second Reading: Romans 5:12-17
Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:1-11
Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

Lent is a solemn season, but it is not a sad season. We begin to understand ourselves as we pray and fast.

In the Gospel, Fr. Jun reminds us of the three things that we must observe during this season as we devote our time to the Lord in prayer and fasting. First, we must know God’s will for us. Most of the time, our thoughts are so crowded with so many things. It fills our hearts and we end up meditating on these things rather than focus on God. We need to find time to be still and be quiet before the Lord because we need to hear God’s will for us. This is important because God will not bless anything that is outside of His will. We must find our true self in the life of Christ. We must focus on allowing God to reveal our weaknesses so that we will rely on Jesus more rather than ourselves. Examine our lives and pattern it to what God says. Rise up and enjoy the newness of life. But before we do that, we must make space for God.

Secondly, we must do God’s will in His way. When we do it on our own way, we will not succeed. Lastly, we must do it in God’s time. Everything has its perfect timing. Spend time with God. Make space for God so that we would know His way and will and do it in His perfect timing.

Homily Recap by Riana Chelle Montero

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“From dust you came and to dust you shall return”
First Reading: Joel 2:1-2; 12-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21
Homily by Fr. Romie-June Peñalosa

During Ash Wednesday’s Homily, Fr. Jun reminded us of the importance of the imposition of ashes. Ashes remind us of our mortality – that we do not have time to waste. It also keeps us humble before God. Ashes were also used for repentance. Daniel put ashes in his head when he fasted. Finally ashes were also used for intercession, like the time Esther put ashes on her head and she prayed for her people.

From today’s gospel, we are also reminded of three disciplines. First is the discipline of giving. God teaches us to give so that we will not keep our focus on ourselves but on other people. The second discipline is praying. Fr. Jun reminded us that the best form of prayer is listening. Finally the third discipline is fasting. It disciplines the heart and shows that we are willing to sacrifice for the Lord.

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6th Sunday after Epiphany
February 12, 2023
Theme: “Go and proclaim: The Judgement and Reconciliation of Christ”
First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:1-3,4-6,16-18
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:21-26
Homily by Fr. Romie-June Peñalosa

Our gospel reading today reminds us that we are sinners. Yes, we are forgiven and cleansed by God through Christ; but let us not forget that as human beings, we are prone to sin. Oftentimes, we neglect the sin of anger. True, we get angry at our kids who disobey us, or at our friends and family members who offended us; but understand that anger or hatred that stays longer in our heart leads us to sin. And even Christians are not exempted in this.

The bible teaches us that to sin against God is a curse. But there is a greater sin than this; that is when a man causes someone else to sin. In our anger, sometimes we say words that really hurt our loved ones. And these words causes them to hate us and do things that could harm both you and them. We then become the reason why that person committed sin. Jesus reminds us today in the gospel to reconcile with our brothers and that before bringing our gifts and offerings to Him, we should first reconcile with anyone we have offended. After all, God is not after our gifts; He is after our forgiving and loving hearts.

Father Jun reminded us also that to forgive is our responsibility. When our brothers offends us, it is our responsibility to forgive him.

But what if we are the ones who offend others? Our responsibility now is to apologize. When we apologize, it must be sincere. And here, he teaches us the five (5) languages of apology:

1. Say “I am sorry.” Because you realize the bad thing you did. You are not happy with what you have done.
2. Say “It is my fault.” Take responsibility for your mistakes against the person. Admit your fault and acknowledge your mistake.
3. Say “I will not do it again.” Repentance should be evident. The expression of willingness to change must be seen and commitment not to repeat the same thing is promised.
4. Ask “What can I do?” You have to make a amends. Be willing to make a way to repay or rectify the mistake.
5. Say “Please forgive me.”

True reconciliation is possible only when we learn to forgive others and when we learn to apologize for our own offense as well.

Recap by:
MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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5th Sunday of Epiphany
February 5, 2023
Theme: “Go and Proclaim: We are salt and light of the World”

First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 112:1-2,4,5-7,8-9
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:2-5
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:13-20
Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

How do we value Christ in our life?

In his homily today, Father Jun shared a story about a king who has three daughters. One day, he asked them how they value him in their life. The eldest said he is like gold to her while the second one valued him like a diamond. The king was very happy knowing how precious he is to his daughters. But when the youngest turned to answer, she told her father that he is like “salt” to her. The king got mad about the princess and he commanded her to be locked up. But the queen heard their conversation and so she intervened. She commanded the royal kitchen not to put any salt in the food prepared for the king. And it went on for weeks, even months until the king weakened because he cannot eat well. The queen then made him realize something about salt when she invited him to the kitchen and let him see by himself how his food was being prepared. The king clamored to the queen because there was still no difference in taste. It was bland and tasteless. So the queen called the youngest princess and carrying a jar of salt, she let her daughter sprinkle it in his father’s food. The moment the king ate the food, it made him realize how much her daughter values him!

Today, many of us think that life has no value. We don’t have the money or power to change the world. But Jesus said, “You are the salt of the world”. He talks here about our influence and how we can change things around us through our lives. Bringing out the Gospel and preaching it to the world is the only ingredient that can change the world. To preach the Gospel means to live it out because its message is seasoned by the salt of our living. As salt, we “season” life, we give flavor, and we preserve life. We can change the world through the life we live and by influencing others. We can do this by following Christ. When we follow Christ, we love God. And it is not hard to love God when we understand how He loves us. As salt also, we have the power and the ability to influence the world. However, Jesus also warned us not to lose our saltiness. For if we lose it, then we became useless. So let us guard our hearts and our minds. Compromising loses our flavor: our saltiness. Living out the life of Christ maintains the balance of flavor in our life.

Understanding the truth of God’s love for us, we learn to love our neighbors also. When we have so much love in our hearts, we are salt already such that whenever we go, we season the world around us. The saltiness in our life is holiness. Holiness is living life in love despite our sins. And by living it deliberately, we can change our surroundings and our community for we also become light that illuminates the darkness. As light, we bring peace wherever we are. We bring understanding to everyone. We shine by being aware of God’s love. Thus, when we shine, we honor God.

Lastly, Father Jun encourages us to go out and shine. Life is too short to be wasted in the four corners of the room. We need to live out the life God intended us to be. The moment is now and we need to act immediately. Every day we wake up, let us be conscious of Jesus and let us deliberately live out His life. We should not allow any hindrances to ruin or corrupt the saltiness and the illumine that is in us already!

Recap by:
MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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3rd Sunday of Epiphany – January 22, 2023

Theme: “Go and Proclaim the Gospel of Christ as Fishers of Men”

First Reading: Isaiah 8:20-9:2

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1,5,8-9,11-13

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:12-23

Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa

The season of Epiphany talks about the light of Jesus in our life. The light reveals, and so, we can notice that the previous gospel readings speak about the revelations of Christ. The first was on His birth where the three wise men reveal about the baby. The second was on His baptism, where John the Baptist reveals Him as the voice in the wilderness. And third, was at the wedding in Cana, where He was revealed as the Son of God.

Today, our gospel reading reveals the calling of Christ in our lives. The imprisonment of John the Baptist has become the beginning of Jesus’ transformation; from living (His transfer from Nazareth to Galilee) to preaching and teaching, and to calling out of disciples. Once called by God, oftentimes, circumstances of being forced to go out come along. Going out, not just physically from one place to another, also means moving out of our comfort zone.

In his homily, Fr. Jun shares a story about an eagle. This eagle lives and thinks like a chicken for it grew up in a community of chickens, having been adopted after being lost from its family. But when finally finding and following someone like his identity, the eagle lives up to what is expected of him. Moral lesson? “Come, follow me.”

In our gospel reading, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to come and follow Him. So with James and John. Here, we can notice that Jesus often calls people of relations (for they are siblings) and people who are working (for they are casting and fixing their nets). Father Jun wants us to see the principle from here, “Jesus, calls us in the midst of our work.” He calls people who are working. And the call of Jesus is not just to “come” but to “follow”. Yes, we can come to Him as our Friend, as our Savior, as our Provider; but unless we follow Him, He cannot be our Lord. Many come to Him, but few only follow. For Jesus to be the Lord of our life, we must follow Him. His invitation to us is not just to “come”, but also to “follow”.

The Lordship of Christ in our life is one thing that changes us. He promised us, that when we follow Him, He will see to it that we will truly become and live our life to the fullness of its potential. Like the eagle, who once thought he was a chicken, we often think and live the life we used to. We forgot that we were created in the image and likeness of God. We identify ourselves in the life of the world, we forgot our potential – that we were designed to shine brilliantly so that other people can come to Christ. Let us bear in mind and keep reminding others as well, to continually follow Christ so that we can be the person living the life that God wanted us to be.

Recap by:

MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU

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