Category: Weekly Message

Advent comes from the Latin word, ‘Adventus’, which means coming. It is a time to prepare for the coming of the Lord. It is always God’s initiative to come to us because He is the potter and we are the clay. He wants to mold us, heal us and strengthen us. There are three important comings of Jesus in our …

The Solemnity of Christ the King ends the liturgical year and ushers the start of the Advent Season. Jesus’ kingship is different from the kings of the world. “My kingdom is not of this world! (John 18:36)” The kings of this world use their power and authority to save and serve themselves. Instead, Jesus, the King of kings, uses His …

All people by nature desire to know. It is because we are created in the likeness and image of God and thus, gifted with intelligence. We explore and invent new things. We are able to advance in technology, science, art, poetry, music, philosophy. Wisdom is right understanding and good judgment for the common good. In the Book of Wisdom, the …

The sacrament of the Eucharist is thanksgiving because we show our gratitude to God for His total and extravagant love for us. For God so loved the world so that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). The celebration of the Holy Eucharist is to make present the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross which is pleasing to …

At the heart of the Gospel of Matthew proclaimed last Sunday is the truth. Jesus said, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted! (Matthew 23:12)” Greatness means service because service is love in action. The saints understood that because they became humble servants. Jesus, the Author …

A scholar of the law tested Jesus by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? (Matthew 22:36)” This was a tricky question because there was a long standing debate among the Jews as to which commandment had the supreme importance. In the Old Testament, there are 613 commandments: 248 refer to the positive laws and 365 are …

In Isaiah 45:1-6, the prophet called Cyrus, the king of Persia, as the anointed one, the Messiah which were titles used for David and especially for Jesus. Cyrus was not a Jew and did not know and acknowledge Yahweh, the God of Israel. He defeated the Babylonians and became the greatest benefactor of Israel by granting freedom to the Jews, …

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet and Garment points to the magnitude of God’s ofer of love to us (Mathew 22:1-14). Jesus uses exaggerated language and shocking words in the parable to reveal God’s extravagant, universal love and enormous generosity. The king invited the guests to the wedding banquet of his son. Yet they refused and ignored the invitaton. They …

As of this writing, there is an ongoing war in Israel. Let us pray for peace in the world especially in Israel because as what a survivor narrated, “The militants were shooting everyone. There was no mercy at all. Even children were executed.” The parable of the wicked tenants depicts how man can be an agent of violence and death …

The feast of the Holy Guardian Angels reveals God’s greatness and power. Angels are manifestation of God’s loving presence. Nothing is beyond God’s grace and redemption. Angels come from the Greek word, Angelos, which means envoys, intermediaries between God and man. They are messengers, guardians, protectors and teachers. The whole Bible is filled with reference to angels. They are agents …