Fifty Years, Countless Journeys: Alumni as Bearers of Faith in Church and Society

To the dynamic seminary formators of SJRS headed by our beloved rector, Fr. Rey Zerrudo, officers of the SJJS/SJRS Alumni, our distinguished guests, our lay alumni and their families, and my fellow priests: good morning to you all. It is a profound privilege to stand before you today in this historic building as we celebrate the golden anniversary of our dear St. Joseph Regional Seminary. Our theme for this anniversary is both timely and timeless: SJRS@50: Grateful, Faithful and Fruitful. These are not mere buzzwords. They are the pillars which this institution -the SJRS stands.

To know deeply why we should be grateful, faithful and fruitful, let us begin by reminding ourselves of who we are. When we entered the seminary, we did not merely enroll just to study and learn. We carried with us our best intention to serve God and to serve the Church. Many if not all prayed to become priests. We made a commitment to dedicate ourselves to God’s purpose. We spent time in discernment and we walked with our spiritual director and formators in a spiritual journey. When we left the seminary, it was never the end of our journey. In fact, for 50 years, there have been countless journeys made either as priests or lay faithful. There have been countless journeys made either as an individual or as a group like the alumni. In all of the journeys, one thing is clear and unequivocal: God is faithful.

God has been faithful all throughout the history of this seminary. But as we are time-bound in celebrating a golden anniversary, we confine our celebration to a commemoration of God’s faithfulness through fifty years of priestly formation.

Though the seminary was established for priestly formation, not all who came out here (of the seminary) became priests. Others went out as lay faithful whose hearts were fashioned by God’s faithfulness. Our Lay Alumni was not created merely to be a social club for ex-seminarians. They are institutionalized to be the conscience in the world.

I believe we are all familiar with Christifideles Laici, a post-synodal apostolic exhortation issued by Saint Pope John Paul II on December 30, 1988. It states that laypeople are co-responsible for the Church’s mission. But our Alumni are not just laypeople in the world. In other words, they are not the same like all others. If one who is not a military member but has a military background, our alumni though are not ordained priests, they have priestly background. In this sense, they can be better witnesses in the world. Their seminary formation and training empowered them to integrate religious or theological studies with real-world applications, which is crucial in transforming a society.

It happened (to me) just this August 13, 2026; a friend and I were dining at a restaurant and I was surprised that the officers of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Aklan Chapter were also there to dine. Then the president of the IBP Aklan Chapter asked me to lead the prayer before meals with lawyers coming from the National Office to conduct the 13th Leg of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) Roll-out and Unified Legal Aid Service (ULAS) Information Caravan. After praying, I went back to my table and finished my dinner. Then a lawyer from the National Office approached me if he could talk to me alone. Thinking he was a lawyer by profession, so I prepared to talk to him with a mindset of a lawyer. He asked me if I am still actively working. I answered him, yes. I told him that I still do notarial services and sometimes have to appear in courts. Then he clarified saying, are you still a priest? I answered yes. Then he immediately added, do you still hear confessions. I said yes. He immediately made a sign of the cross and asked for God’s forgiveness. The next day I learned he was a former seminarian. Please do not ask me if there was a just cause when I heard his confession because according to the Code of Canon Law, confessions are not to be heard outside a confessional without a just cause (CIC 964). I hope you all understand that I am just sharing this experience insofar as to notice that an ex-seminarian has continued to value the spiritual formation he received during his time in the seminary. His seminary formation has become his guiding principle that influences his life and his relationship with others.

If all ex-seminarians live up to such same principle, this makes them a unique kind of laypeople. When the Church authority is under attack, they can offer themselves as shield. When the Church hierarchy is silenced, they can serve as its voice. When some members of the clergy are indifferent to the plight of the poor and the oppressed, they can act as frontliners in the administration of justice. The Church does not need to remind them of their identity -they are bearers of faith in the society and in the Church. This is the gravity of the title as “Seminary Alumni” for laypeople.  

In the ideal world, ex-seminarians can best assist the Church in sanctifying the world from within. As they engage in temporal affairs, they can order them according to God’s plan. They can begin in their homes where their children receive the faith which they pass on to them. They continue to bear the faith by going to their working place while promoting Christian ethics in their working environment. But we know we live in the world which is far from being an ideal. We can only be grateful to those who believe and live the faith, who bear and pass on the Catholic faith.

Now, if Christifideles Laici states that laypeople are co-responsible for the Church’s mission, who is the other party in the co-responsibility model of the Church? It is the clergy -we priests alumni. The said co-responsibility of the clergy and the laypeople involves mutual support. We priests then should look after our brothers -the lay alumni while taking into account the words from 3 John 5: 6-8:

“Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey. For they have set out for the sake of the Name and are accepting nothing from the pagans. Therefore, we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.”

We, priests should not only support the identity and mission of the laypeople, but also take the lead so that the laypeople can actively participate. If we in the clergy will not do our mission in the Church, then how can we expect the laypeople to do their mission in the world?

To explain this, let me cite a few paragraphs from what was written by Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez on the topic, “Why is the Church silent amidst too much corruption?” dated September 2, 2025 on the news website of The Freeman. He wrote:

“Jesus was teaching the Christians to be bold enough to condemn evil deeds and express outrage against excesses and abuses. It’s a pity that most of the top pillars of the Catholic faith today opt to remain silent and not get involved. Perhaps it’s because the Church itself has many skeletons in its closet. There had been for the longest time many cases of priests and bishops accused of molesting young boys and girls. There were a number of unsolved anomalies also in the financial and property administration and management of the Church. Thus the leaders of the Catholic Church have surprisingly chosen to close their eyes to the emerging and recurring hard and painful realities involving the clergy and laity as well.

The deafening silence among the Catholic hierarchy from The Vatican to the lowest dioceses and parishes is almost equivalent to endorsement of the evil that men do today. The laity are like sheep without a shepherd. The people are waiting for a voice to lead them in collective outrage and indignation.”

This brings me to the crucial component of our gathering today: to reflect on the enduring mission of our alumni in the Church and society. Basically, our mission is to bring the world closer to Christ and eventually to bring everybody to heaven. In short, it is evangelization.

In an address to members of the Dicastery for Evangelization in May, Pope Leo XIV said:

Evangelization must remain the fundamental motivation behind every action of the universal Church and of local communities; only in this way is the faith itself continually rediscovered in all its beauty and able to express its credibility to the full. The proclamation of the Gospel, which instils hope, is not a utopian proposal: it is a witness that draws people in because it reveals the call to love and truth.

My dear friends, evangelization is not new to us. In fact, in the Philippines, the Catholic Church is free in her right to exercise spiritual sovereignty over her subjects and to reach those elements of human affairs which are “quo modo sacrum.” One of the milestones to be considered in our works of evangelization came with the appointment of the then Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani as one of the commissioners who actively participated in drafting the 1987 Constitution. His contribution to the Article on the Family (Article XV) highlights the state’s duty to protect the institution of marriage, family life, and the welfare of children and the elderly. Another milestone which was well-documented is the Article 36 of the Family Code of the Philippines (Executive Order No. 209, as amended) which took effect on August 3, 1988. Even the Supreme Court cannot deny that Article 36 was introduced to incorporate the Catholic Church’s concept of nullity of marriage under Canon Law, and was taken almost verbatim from the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Thus, we can be confident in saying, because of the strong Catholic influence in the country and our belief on the sanctity of marriage, still the Philippines has no legal provision for divorce.

However, despite the many milestones we celebrate, our mission is not over. As long as the world evolves, our mission endures. We evangelize amidst the changing of time, culture or challenges. Let me lead you back to the two milestones I mentioned earlier. They are all related to marriage and family life. Divorce is not allowed because marriage is sacred. Family is sacred. Yet, there are legal remedies provided by law which for us Catholics reduce the nature of marriage into a mere contract. In effect, it can change how family shall be defined.

1^st Case: Remember the late Freddie Aguilar who was born into a Catholic family. Later in his life, he had converted to Islam so that he could marry his then 16-year-old girlfriend under the Muslim Family Code of the Philippines.

However, conversion to Islam does not automatically exempt a person from bigamy if the first marriage is still valid under civil law. The Supreme Court of the Philippines affirmed the conviction of Francis D. Malaki and Jacqueline Mae A. Salanatin-Malaki for bigamy, as they did not meet the requirements which include equal treatment of spouses and notice to the Shari’s Circuit Court with the first wife’s consent or judicial permission.  

[Malaki vs People G.R. No. 221075, November 15, 2021]

2^nd Case: Republic vs Orbecido III G.R. No. 154380

Cipriano Orbecido III married Lady Myros M. Villanueva on May 24, 1981, in Lam-an, Ozamis City, Philippines. They had two children. In 1986, Lady Myros moved to the United States with their son. Years later, Cipriano learned that his wife had been naturalized as an American citizen and had obtained a divorce decree in 2000, subsequently marrying another man in California. Cipriano filed a petition with the Regional Trial Court (RTC) for authority to remarry, invoking Paragraph 2 of Article 26 of the Family Code. No opposition was filed, and the RTC granted the petition. The Republic, through the Office of the Solicitor General, sought reconsideration, arguing that Paragraph 2 of Article 26 applies only to mixed marriages, not to cases where both spouses were Filipino at the time of marriage but one later became a foreign citizen

The Supreme Court held that a Filipino spouse may remarry under Philippine law if the other spouse, later naturalized as a foreign citizen, obtains a valid divorce abroad.

3^rd Case: Oral arguments on the recognition of foreign divorce recently concluded (August 11, 2026)

Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said that there can be strong families even without marriage.

Leonen asked Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe if a widow and a child, a single parent, a single parent with a partner they are not married to, an unmarried couple with children, same-sex partners with adopted children, and an orphan being taken care of by his/her grandparents were considered family.

Berberabe answered yes to each one.

Then Leonen cited, Article II, Section 12 of the Constitution, which states: “The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution.”

He added, “When we read family there, it does not mean … only a married couple with children.”

My dear friends, although we in the Church know this well, ‘not because an action is legal, it is also moral’; but how about those in the world? I said it before and I will say it again, “Our Lay Alumni was not created merely to be a social club for ex-seminarians. They are institutionalized to be the conscience in the world.” They can act as bridges between the Church and the world, bearing the faith to places where we priests cannot reach. As the world evolves, we, priests on our part shall do our best to preserve the Church to be a sanctuary, a trusted place for people who search for truth and for the meaning of life. So that when life in the world becomes uncertain, feels confusing and meaningless, we are the Church where they can meet Christ to restore the full meaning and value of their lives.

My dear friends, let us leave this hall today with a renewed sense of purpose. Let us be the alumni who are fiercely ethical in our actions, disciplined and dignified before the people of this world. Let us ensure that the doors of the Church remain wide open for people who are in need of God’s compassionate love. And as we go out to the world, like our dear St. Joseph, let us be the guardians of those whom the Lord entrusts to us. Let us not forget our universal mission, both as priests and laity, which the Church has received from the risen Lord -Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

Thank you and may God bless us all!

Eric and Jamjam's Wedding

Eric and Jamjam, after I deliver this homily kindly excuse me for I will be leaving for Manila. In fact, my flight was scheduled last September 15, but I rescheduled it because I really desire to be present here today on your most memorable and important phase of your life.

My dear friends in Christ, back in 2012, I have known Jamjam as one of the lead vocalists of the parish music ministry. She was also the most popular girl in the campus during that time showing her multiple talents in singing and dancing. What I really admire the most about Jamjam is that she is always smiling and is able to deal with things gently. I had no problem in the music ministry back then. The ministry has long been established and the members were well-organized with Joshua as the organist and Jamjam as the choir leader. This was not the case of the altar servers. There were young men assisting the priest at the altar yet the ministry was not formally established and the members lacked some proper trainings. When I asked Fr. Adonis Rimano to form the first batch of the altar servers, one of them caught my attention -Eric. Fr. Adonis associated him with Daniel Padilla, a promising young actor at that time. What I admire about Eric is that he is industrious and very reliable when it comes to work.

In talking about relationships, Jamjam is somewhat reserved, taking her time to process things and does not rush to express her feelings publicly. Eric, on his part, is expressive of what he feels. I jokingly called him -kanta, lakat, dalagan (song-go-run). He is what he feels.

In serving the parish, both are dedicated in their own ways. Jamjam would bring joy to the group while Eric would not only serve at the altar but would even cook our food in the parish rectory.

My dear friends in Christ, I say all these to make you aware that I know Eric and Jamjam and I love them, thereby applying the idiomatic expression, “to know is to love” in this context.

I see Jamjam and Eric are two souls growing up in the parish, never knowing that today they would recite together the couple’s prayer -Grant us, O Lord, to be one heart and one soul. This is the day when these two become one. They were like two seeds planted in a garden, and God, the Gardener planted them to grow adjacent to each other as individual trees, yet grafted together forming like one tree.

Unlike other couples who started as strangers to each other before they fell in love, you Eric and Jamjam have known each other for years; you have seen each other’s weakness and shadows, you have shown yourself at your worst and at your weakest, now you show to the world your best that you can stand still together from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death sets you apart. In short, my dear friends in Christ, Eric knows Jamjam and he loves her. Jamjam also knows Eric and she loves him.

However, Eric and Jamjam, it is not only you who know each other’s truest selves and accept you for being who you are. In the Book of Jeremiah 1:5, it states, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Yes, Eric and Jamjam, God knows you and love you more than anybody can love you. God sees you when no one is watching -when your sincerely serve at the parish, when you feel quiet, lonely or sad, when you lose hope or worry about your career or job. God knows what you need in life and thus He sends you for each other.

In God’s love, you two are meant to each other. But your love story does not end here at your wedding. Rather, both of you should learn to offer back to God the love He has given you. You already know how to serve God as an Altar Knight, Eric. You already know how to serve God as a Psalmist or cantor, Jamjam. This time, you have to serve together as a couple and as one family. Raise your children in the same faith you have lived since childhood. You are not only two hearts that become one, but you become one to serve God together for the rest of your lives.

To end, Eric and Jamjam, remember the words of Jesus in John 15: 12-13 when He said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.” Eric and Jamjam, your love for each other is from God. You can only be happy with your love when both of you love God. Therefore, find happiness in living together, being together and serving God and your parish together. May God bless you and your family. Amen.

Girlie and Jose's Wedding

 
My dear friends in Christ, it is good that you are here today to witness the wedding of the century here at St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Banga, Aklan. Though, this is not the kind of the wedding of the century you know, let me explain why this is still fit to be called a wedding of the century.

Most of us, if not all, have attended weddings celebrated twice between two people. Usually, the first was a civil wedding, then followed by the church wedding. There is also an instance that a Catholic was married to a non-Catholic; sometimes they had their first wedding celebrated in the non-Catholic rites, then followed by their wedding in the Catholic Church.

But today, Girlie and Jose are not only celebrating their church wedding in the Catholic Church for the first time. Rather, their first wedding took place at the San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila Parish, Camaligan, Batan, Aklan. Today’s wedding celebration is but the second time. At the very least, this is how we look at this wedding. But to explain further, in the eyes of the Church, this is not a second wedding. Their wedding in Camaligan, Batan, Aklan is binding once and for all. Their marriage bond was already sealed by God in the celebration of the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. The Church teaches that what God has joined together, let no man put asunder (Mark 10:9) -and thus, the “I do” the promise they made before God and before His Church satisfied the requirements for the sacrament of marriage. If this is so, then why do we have this wedding celebration today between Girlie and Jose? It is because, when they celebrated their wedding in Camaligan, Batan, Aklan, it was a sacrament and was solemnly celebrated according to the rites of the Holy Mother, the Church, excluding the compliance of the legal requirement. The failure to comply with the legal requisites did not destroy the grace already bestowed on Girlie and Jose, but it stood as a barrier for the two to fully express the sacramental life together.

Now, as they have complied with both the essential and formal requisites imposed by the State, today’s wedding celebration removes the barrier so that everybody can fully see what has already been there -a valid marriage. In other words, this is not actually a second wedding. This is somewhat a confirmation and even solemnize the very same promise, the “I do” made years ago. The love of Girlie and Jose does not change. Their commitment does not change. The only change that this celebration brings to Girlie and Jose is that the barrier is gone. Girlie and Jose, your marriage can now stand fully and freely, not only as a sacrament blessed by God but also as a legally binding marital union recognized by the State. You can now bring your one, true, lifelong marriage into the light. You can now say your marriage is fully blessed by God. Amen.

Shainie and Wilfredo's Nuptial

One of the great saints, St. Thomas Aquinas defined love as an act of the will and not merely a feeling. For him, love is to will the good of the other.

Shainie and Wilfredo, when we say will, we can easily connect it with the word power. In our ordinary life experience, we say there is power when we talk of gadgets or technologies which work referring to it as “gumagana”. If we check things out that do not work, we say “bakit ayaw gumana or bakit hindi gumagana.”

Will then as a power to love is what it takes to make a relationship works. However, you have to understand that no one can see your will because it is something that is inside you; it is in your “kalooban”. So no one is interested to see your “kalooban” except for those who love you. Yet, everyone is eager to know the secret why a relationship works –“paano gumagana ang isang relasyon”. The answer for this is simple: If there is a will, there is a way.

But love is not just about willpower. It has to set a direction. Why do we charge our cellular phone? Would it be enough to see it fully charged and could turn its power on? The purpose of loving is not about finding oneself feeling happy with the other. Rather, it seeks the good of the other. Ano bang mabuting gawin ko para sa kanya? Paano ko siya mapapabuti? Paano ba siya maging mabuting tao? Lacking in this good intention, any relationship fails to build itself on true love. True love always makes a couple better.  

Now, in the definition of love, the direction is pointing toward the other, and not to oneself. This does not mean that one does not need to love himself/herself. Rather, how one loves himself/herself shall also be how he/she has to love the other. Shainie, love Wilfredo as you love yourself. Wilfredo, love Shainie as you love yourself. However, as you are going to get married today, you have to get an unlimited source of love which you cannot find in yourself. Human as you are, you have limits in loving. Thus, human love cannot be able to handle the demands and challenges of married life. There is a need to look for the source of love which can sustain the both of you. The answer can be found in the Gospel of John 13:34 which states, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Shainie and Wilfredo, if you want to remain in love as a married couple, you have to call on God. You have to pray together. You pray for your spouse. If you cannot pray together, then what is the use of getting married in this church. The church is a place for you to ask God for his blessings and not a mere venue for a ritual. You are here to pray. You start your married life with a prayer, you can only stay in marriage until death when you pray together.

Shainie and Wilfredo, love is to will the good of the other. There is no greater good than to be blessed by God. Pray for each other. Pray together. Love each other till the end of your time. Amen.

Leenard Mabasa Cristobal's Funeral Homily

 

Death is certain. No one among us can stop it when it comes. Not even our love for Leenard can stop his death. Neither our words of sympathy nor apology can equal what the family and friends have lost. But Leenard’s name should not be treated lightly by anybody. Though anyone can take his place in this world, he is irreplaceable in the hearts of the people who love him.

Leenard for me is like BDO, he finds ways. In many occasions, Leenard would actively look for ways to help others in need. I remember when someone got an accident, he got out of his way to owe some amount needed for the surgery. He swallowed his pride just to raise fund to save someone’s life.

Leenard for me is like a Nike, if he knows he can do the things assigned to him –“just do it” is his attitude. Many people and even some priests thought before that I was the ghost writer of my mother and my brothers in preparing their speeches. Today, I can say that it was actually Leenard. Even my mother who was good in writing, would ask Leenard to encode her speeches and proofread them. There was a time I criticized him for one of the speeches delivered by my brother, he checked his notes and showed me to point out that part of speech I was talking about. Then I said why I could not find it there. He then justified that the speech he prepared for was just a guide. The speaker could choose either to read it or not to read it.  

Leenard for me is like Shell that bears a slogan, “together anything is possible”. Though this is something private and sensitive but it is good that you become aware of it. In a political exercise, I would say Leenard made the impossible possible. There were voters who would never vote for my brothers, for whatever reasons, yet through Leenard’s effort, it turned out that he was able to convince some of them to vote for my siblings. I learned about this from those people themselves whom Leenard approached.

Leenard for me is also like Petron which bears a slogan, “we fuel success”. At his age and wisdom, he reached the height of his career whether in business or in public service. His success did not come by chance. He worked patiently for it. He earned it. Unknowingly, while success can provide happiness, success can be vulnerable to negative influences, such as envy, competition or evil eyes.

One of my friends from Ibajay said, “Sayang yong kaibigan mo pads, bata pa siya para pumanaw at yong iniwan niyang posisyon sa Human Resource, sayang.” Yes, for many, Leenard was successful at his very young age; but at his age, people forgot he was vulnerable. Between the ages of 40 and 60, there is a transition, there is an emotional change, there can also be the feeling of inadequacy that takes place in one’s heart -especially when others can see all the failures, errors and mistakes but none of the efforts to achieve a goal. In short, the longer you hold success, the heavier it becomes. And when others pushed you beyond your limits while holding a heavier load, and in addition, you are at your fragile, delicate and vulnerable age -you will be broken. Once broken, every expectation will bring you frustration. This is the moment when a person becomes vulnerable in the sense that we can say, he is not himself. This is the reason why we have to be kind to everyone because we never know what someone has been through.

Now, I ask, “Why Lord? Why he was taken too soon?” For me, I wish to say to the Lord that Leenard had so much to give, so much to achieve. But this is only “for me” -my own point of view as an imperfect human being. But how about God? How about His point of view?

My dear friends, God does not measure life by years but by love. The Book of Wisdom (4:7,11) explains how God’s love works as it states:

“But the righteous one, though he die early, shall be at rest. The one who pleased God was loved, living among sinners, was transported -Snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul.”

To the family, be thankful to God in sending Leenard back to his Creator. You have shaped his heart well enough to receive his reward in heaven. To his relatives and friends, let us not consider the death of Leenard as the end of his life. Rather, let us see his death as a promotion from the hard works of this world to a final rest in heaven. To all of us, let us know that even death itself cannot make us blind to see the love of God. No title, no salary, no success is more precious than the soul of Leenard. The soul of Leenard is now in the hand of God and no torment will ever touch him. He now finally rests in peace. Amen.

14th Sunday in OT

 

A wealthy merchant decides to sell his goods in a bustling town by the sea. He travels through different routes—some long and treacherous, others short and safe—carrying exquisite items that he believes will attract many buyers. Each day, he takes a different path, hoping to catch the attention of potential customers. On the other hand, a humble fisherman casts his nets into the sea, bringing in fish that he sells at the marketplace. The fisherman’s journey is simple; he goes straight to the shore, catches fish, and returns to sell them without any elaborate routes or strategies. Despite the merchant’s efforts to impress the townsfolk with his varied routes and the quality of his goods, the people are more interested in the fresh fish that the fisherman consistently provides. They are indifferent to how the merchant arrived or the lengths he went to; they only care about what is immediately available and practical for their needs.

Product strategy comes first in marketing. Buyers are not interested in the route-to-market plan of the seller as long as they get the product they want. Buyers do not go to the marketplace to know about the seller’s conditions. Albeit, traveling salesman does not go from one house to another to tell their personal stories. Both the buyers and the sellers talk about the product.

In our Gospel (Luke 10:1-12, 16-20), Jesus was commissioning his seventy -two disciples not to sell a product but to preach that the kingdom of God it at hand. But who will be interested to listen about the kingdom of God? People who do not care about their souls have no time to entertain such disciples visiting their homes. But with the disciples who stood as witnesses to Jesus, the mission was never impossible. They returned to Jesus rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” 

On this 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we, Christians are reminded of our mission to preach that the kingdom of God is at hand. But before we can fulfill this mission, we need to ask ourselves if the kingdom of God has been part of our lives (if not the center of our lives). Because the moment we start preaching of the kingdom of God, we have to deal with the reality of rejection. Not all people are willing to listen to us and about God’s kingdom. On this occasion, we somehow consider ourselves failure and may tend to abandon the mission. This only happens when we are not clear of how important the kingdom of God is in our lives. In other words, we cannot give what we do not have. If we cannot treasure the kingdom of God personally, then how can we be able to convince others to treasure it.

SUPERHEROES OF FAITH

 

Superman, Spiderman, Batman, .... They are known as superheroes, men who possess extraordinary strength and character. Even if they are regarded as such, still they are like us. They are also human beings because they behave, think, and live like the way we do. Superman, for instance, works as an office clerk: Spiderman, on the other hand, wants to be great in photography. Each of them was called to carry that special power to be used to defend the oppressed and fight the evil forces aiming to destroy mankind. Some of them were unaware of it and hardly understood why it happened to them. Others showed resistance and felt uncertainties. Though they could have refused and ran away but it seemed inevitable. In the long run, they could do nothing but accept it. Ordinary as they regarded themselves, yet, they embraced with all their might, their calling, their fate, whether it is a curse or a gift. In effect, they opted to live an ordinary life, as ordinary persons but did their work extraordinarily. They encountered more difficulties in revealing their real self than their super self. Indeed, this takes an extraordinary effort to comply and traverse two diverged roads.

Next, they chose to be celibates although they do fall in love. Celibacy is not an escape from married life but a self-dedication in serving others. Anyway, loving someone does not always mean marrying the person. They were never alone. A lot of people love them even without their knowledge. Many admire them for their great deeds. People are longing for their presence. Both the young and the old, man or woman, are excited and amazed to see them. Even if they do not have their beloved with them, still they have these people who love them.

In their context, to have diversity of power is not a reason of having conflict with others who have superpowers too. Neither superiority complex nor inferiority complex is experienced within the group. Did Superman do something to outmaneuver either Spiderman or Batman so that he will be regarded as the greatest? No, he didn't and the others also never did it. They've respected each other's gift and mission. What preoccupied them is their desire to serve and to do their work well. Moreover, they were given different gifts, wherein each has corresponding responsibility. In addition to that, they sprang from different eras and they used their power to support one another and not to compete with each other.

Superheroes last forever. Their immortality relies on the works they have done. I have first known them when I was still a child. They were there in the past, evident in the present, and definitely will be remembered in the future. People from all walks of life and from many generations still have them in their hearts. Their legacy is still cherished and admired, and such makes them immortals. For sure superheroes are not real. In the Philippine setting, we also have the like of Captain Barbel and Darna just to mention a few. They are comic characters. They only exist in the imagination or fictional for that matter. Nevertheless, one thing is certain. They can inspire us to do exemplary things, to do an ordinary work in an extraordinary way.

In the real world, somehow we find superheroes existing in the persona of PRIESTS by these indicators similar to that of Superman and the like. First, priests are ordinary persons but they do their work extraordinarily with the grace of God who calls them to be His ministers despite of being sinners like the rest of mankind.

Priests live a celibate life. Some may have fallen in love but they have sacrificed themselves for the sake of service to others. They are never alone because the whole clergy and Christian community are there. If not so, definitely Christ is with them.

Priesthood is not in conflict with other offices that hold power too. Priests cooperate with other sectors to promote the common good.

Priests last forever. “You will be a priest forever.” To use the words of Karl Rahner in his writing entitled, “A Priest  Forever”, “The priest is a man taken from among men. He is not made from another kind of clay that the rest of us. He continues to share the lot of men after the hand of God has rested on him in the form of the bishop’s hand. As human messengers of the everlasting God, they say, ‘Do not be scandalized at us. We know we carry God’s treasure in vessels of clay; we know that our own shadow keeps darkening God’s light, which we ought to bring to you. Be merciful toward us; don’t judge us; feel sympathy with us weaklings, on whose shoulders God has loaded more grace than what we carry. From it learn that God has no horror of human beings. Blessed will you be then, those of you who have not been scandalized at the priest.” May God bless us all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catechesis for Solemnity of All Saints

 

 TODOS LOS SANTOS 2024

l Ro mga nahaunang sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus nagpangatubang sa mga paghingabot kanda eabi ku mga makagagahum nga Judeo kamana it Sanhedrin (Acts 8:1). Ro hauna nga nagpangatubang sa mga paghingabot ag ginpili nga mamatay nga may pagtuo hay si St. Stephen (Acts 7: 54-60).

 l Ro mga sumueonod ni KristoHesus nga nag-atubang sa paghingabot ag ginpili nga mamatay nga may pagtuo kaysa sa talikdan ro andang pagtuo hay ginatawag nga “martires” nga ro buot hambaeon “testigo”. Sanda hay ginakabig nga testigo bangud anda nga ginpamatud-an ro andang pagtuo paagi sa pag-uea it andang dugo.  

 l Ro andang kaisog sa pagbaton it kamatayon nga may pagtuo hay nagasandig sa ginturo ni Kristo Hesus (Matthew 5: 11-12)

 “Bulahan kamo kon tungod sa inyo pagsunod sa akon ginayaguta kamo, ginahingabot, kag ginabutang-butangan sang tanan nga kalainan. Amo man ini ang ila ginhimo sang una sa mga propeta. Gani magkalipay gid kamo tungod nga mabaton ninyo ang dako nga balos sa langit.”

 l Dugang sa mga ginapangatubang nga paghingabot ku mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus hay ro paghingabot kanda it Roman Empire bangud indi sanda magsimba sa emperador it Roma bilang Dios o bisan dyos-dyosan. Si St. Paul hay nag-atubang sa kamatayon sa alima it mga Romano nga may pagtuo (2 Timoteo 4: 7-8)

 “Gintipigan ko ang akon pagtuo. Kag karon, may ginatigana ang Dios sa akon nga padya sang pagkamatarong nga iya igahatag sa akon sa adlaw nga siya maghukom sa tanan, kag ang iya paghukom matarong. Indi lang ako ang gintigan-an sina nga padya kundi ang tanan man nga nagapaabot sa iya pagbalik.”

 l  Kombinsido nga ro mga martires namatay nga may pagtuo ag nakabaton eon it balos o padya it Dios sa eangit, ro mga nagakabuhi sa kalibutan nga tumueo-o nagapangamuyo kanda nga buligan ag ig-ampo sanda sa Dios nga kaibahan nanda sa eangit.

 l Sa pagtaliwan it paniempo, natapos eon gid man ro mga paghingabot sa mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus, pero padayon gihapon ro pagkabuhi it mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus nga may pagtuo. Bisan pa nga owa pinatay bangud sa pagtuo hay may mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus nga nagkabuhi it matarong sa rayang kalibutan ag namatay nga ginpakita kon mauno magkabuhi ro isaeang sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus suno sa Ana nga mga bilin o sugo. Raya nga mga tawo ginakabig it Simbahan nga mga santos ag santas it Dios.

 l Ngani ro mga martires ag santos ag santas it Dios nga nauna sa eangit hay mabahoe gid nga bulig sa mga tumueo-o nga nagakabuhi pa sa kalibutan nga igaampo sanda sa Dios.

 l Sa Roma may templo nga kato anay ginatawag nga “Pantheon” (pan = tanan + theo = Dios o buot hambaeon hay baeay it tanan nga dios o dyos-dyosan), hay haadto sa pagtina-eapan ku Simbahan ag ginpamaeos idto ro mga dyos-dyosan ag ginpa-eabi nga mangin simbahan nga ginpangaean kay Santa Maria ag sa tanan nga mga santos ag santas. Ginpakamayad gid it Simbahan nga magtukod it adlaw nga pyesta it tanan nga mga santos ag santas it Dios bangud indi tanan nga nabuhi ag namatay para sa Dios hay mapangaeanan it Simbahan ag makata-eana it adlaw nga pyesta kanda.

 l Ro paghiwat it Todos los Santos hay indi eamang pagpadungog sa mga kilaea nga mga santos o santas kamana kanday San Isidro o Santa Maria de la Cabeza nga may anda nga kinaugalingon nga pyesta, kundi sa mga nabuhi ag namatay nga nagapakasantos o santas man ugaling wa eang haabot sa igta-eupangod ku Simbahan.

 l   Ro paghiwat it Todos los Santos hay pagpadumdom sa mga buhi nga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus sa kalibutan ku anda nga pagaadtunan (John 3:16)

 “Kay ginahigugma gid sang Dios ang mga tawo sa kalibutan, amo gani nga ginhatag niya ang iya bugtong nga Anak, agod nga ang bisan sin-o nga magtuo sa iya indi mawala kundi hatagan sang kabuhi nga wala sing katapusan.”

Homily on my Mom's Funeral

Ours is not a story of a fatherless family. Our story is about a wife and a mother whose life reflects these words of Proverbs 31: 28-29: Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband, too, praises her: “Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all.”

We, the six children of Mary Jane Yu Acevedo Rebaldo, call her blessed; this does not mean that she should be declared a saint. Rather, she is called blessed because she received God’s favor. The first favor she always prayed for is that her children remain one and united. What a curse for a mother to see her children fighting against each other? But a mother is called blessed when her children love one another. Why blessed? Well, in our oneness and unity, we are likened to a jigsaw puzzle that when we put ourselves together, people can see the image of our mother. But when we cannot connect to each other, when we are divided, there will be no reminder for people who our mother is.

Mommy believed that the greatest blessing a family can receive from God is the gift of priesthood. She believed that a priest can save all his family members both living and dead by praying and saying mass for them. This is the second favor mommy prayed for –to have a priest in the family.

She started hoping to receive this God’s favor through Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet. Ro daywa nanging sakristan anay ni Msgr. Jose Iturralde ag nagasunod-sunod man si Nong Regnier kay Fr. Jeoffry Jimenez sa anang milisahan. Tag magasueod eon kunta si Nong Regnier sa seminaryo, ginhawiran imaw ni Mama ro nanay ni mommy. Hambae nana hay abu ro eaki sa mga unga ni mommy para magpari pero ipaiway guid ro kamagueangan hay imaw ro katimbang it ginikanan sa pagbantay it pamilya. Si mommy nagpasugot but she continued to ask for God’s gift of the priesthood para sa pamilya. Ro pangamuyo ni mommy istan lang ginpamatian it Dios. Si Nong Ruben nakaasawa it unga it Diakono (deacon) it Iglesia ni Kristo. Samtang si Nong Randy nakaasawa it gumankon it pari nga si Msgr. Mesina.

Mommy’s fantastic four hay ginbunyagan ag ginpangaeanan nga Anthony Regnier, Anthony Raymar, Ruben Anthony ag Randy Anthony. Ro andang ngaean hay gintuead ni mommy sa pinalangga na nga magueang nga si Atty. Anthony Acevedo ag sa anda nga santos nga sangay nga si San Antonio de Padua. Para sa kasayuran it tanan, si San Antonio de Padua hay patron it kada Martes. Si mommy nagtaliwan ku July 30, 2019 adlaw guid nga martes, ro adlaw nga gintaeana para kay San Antonio de Padua.

These fantastic four hay kon magtawag sa among ginikanan hay Nanay ag Tatay pero kami ni Neneng Myra, Mommy ag Papa mat-a. Si Neneng Myra hay sambilog eamang nga baye sa magmanghud. Pinakapalangga imaw ni papa. Palangga man imaw ni Mommy bangud imaw eamang ro ginhawiran ni mommy nga magpabilin kana sa baeay. Ro bilin ni Nanay, si Neneng Myra sa baeay. Dugang nga handum ni mommy hay ro unga ni Neneng Myra nga si Baby Jesus hay manging pari man.

Si mommy hay atat na atat, sabik na sabik, gigil na gigil, nga may magpari sa pamilya. Pero hambae na kang wa ako sa plano na nga magaabot sa anang kabuhi. Bangud una eon kuno ako sa anang tiyan, nangamuyo imaw nga mangin pari guid ako sa pag-ampo ni St. Jude Thaddeus. Ginbunyagan ako nga Jude Isidro, ro ngaean nga wa gaumpisa sa letrang R ag wa man eon it Anthony. Ginbunyagan man ako nga pari ro akon nga ninong, si Fr. Pabs Rentino. Kon ro mga inunga kato hay nagakabisar it “A-B-C”, ako mat-a hay ginapauman-uman nga maghambae “gapari ako”. Tag ginsampok ako sa dahi sang igkampod it dust pan nga himo sa lata nga Baguio Oil, imbes magbaeos ako, si mommy gahambae nga magpasensya bangud kon gapari ako hay ro pari kinahangean mapinasensyahon ag mapinatawaron. Tag gintuli ako, owa it inugpotos ro manugtuli ngani maong ro gingamit na kang. Abaw tag adlaw nga ginapaeos eon ro maong hay indi ana bangud nagadukot sa panit. Kasakit ag ngani gatinangis ako. Si mommy samtang amat amat na ginabadbad ro maong nagahambae kang, nano eot-a ra, di ka eon pwede mag-asawa kon mawra. Kato eon nagtanum sa akong isip nga gapari lang guid ako.

Bangud ako magapari, gintur-an ako ni mommy magpangamuyo. Palapangamuyo abi imaw eabi eon kon makabati imaw nga may mga namatyan, maduaw guid maw para mangamuyo. Nadumduman ko tag si papa hay masakiton sa ospital, adlaw-gabii kami gapangamuyo ag ako ro gapamatbat. Si Papa namatay hay grade 3 ako. Ro tatay ni Mommy namatay hay grade 3 si mommy. Si Papa namatay sa edad nga 47 ag si mommy kato hay 43. Si mommy namatay sa edad nga 77 ag ang edad kara hay 43. Like mother, like son guid kaming daywa.

Tag magasueod eon ako sa seminaryo, gindaea ako nanday Mommy, Mama ag Lola Mary kay Uncle Tony ag Aunty Taty para magpabulig sa galastusan sa sueod it 13 anyos sa seminaryo. Tag gahayskol ako sa seminaryo, masakiton ako. Ginhana ako nga paguwaon bangud abo eon ako nga absences. Ro ginhimo ni Mommy hay gindaea na si Ninang Liezel sa seminaryo para himoong ninong ko sa kumpirma si Fr. Vic Martelino. Si Fr. Vic hay rector kato sa seminaryo ag si Ninang Liezel ana nga sister. Ngani owa guid ako hasipa paguwa sa seminaryo hay ninong ko eon abi ro rector. Tag sa college eon ako hay si Fr. Alex Acevedo Meñez man ro amon nanging rector. Kaistrikto guid kana ag ngani gaguwa eon lang ako sa seminaryo bangud indi ako katakod. Pagkasayud ni Fr. Alex nga maguwa ako hay ana ako minueay. Kahuya huya kuno ako nga manging unga ni Nang Jane na. Bilang kaeapit baeay ag igkampod, kilaea na si mommy nga maisog it boot ag wa gapaeagyo sa mga kabudlayan. Ano kuno ako agi nga sangkere nga problema hay maeagyo. Nachallenge ako. Gintapos ko ro college para pamatud-an kay Fr. Alex nga eaki guid ako. Nagpadayon ako sa Iloilo magtoon pero pag-abot it 1998, nag-eaong eon ako kay mommy nga indi eon ako magpari bangud nabudlayan ako. Ginpasueang eon gani ako kato ni Mama ag ni La Mary kanday Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet sa Barotac Viejo. Pero owa ako kanda nagsunod pauli hay hambae ko kanda gusto ko lang taposon anay ro school year. Wa ako kasayod nga sa andang pagsueang kang nag-umpisa ro sigedas nga pagpinangamuyo ag sakripisyo ni mommy. Nakaabot imaw kon siin-siin sa pagpangamuyo ag maghaead it kandila ag itlog para eang ako magpari. Nakibot eang ro tanan nga ako paga-ordinahan sa pagkapari. Ako man gani nakibot. Si Fr. Kenn Estocado ro akon classmate halin sa kinder asta nagpari sayod na nga milagro kun bukon it himala nga ako magapari. Para kakon nadaea ni Mommy sa pangamuyo ro pagpari ko. Bago ako ordinahan hambae ko kana, “Mommy, nahadlok ako basi di ko kaya.” Ana eang ako ginsabat nga mangamuyo lang. Hambae na indi na ako pag-aywanan bisan ano matabo. Gintindugan guid ni mommy ro ana nga promisa kang hasta nga umabot ro adlaw nga gauli imaw pagkatapos na magklase hay tinama imaw it bola nga volleyball sa ueo ag tumumba imaw ag nalipong guid. Umpisa kato hay wa pahuway nga ginabalik balik imaw sa ospital sa pagpabueong. 

Ku July 28, ginbadlisan imaw ni Fr. Jesse Pandongon sa bulig ni Fr. Ike Temporaza nga taga Tangalan. Nadumduman ko nga si papa ginbadlisan kato ni Fr. Frederick Malacas sa bulig ni nang Nelfa Tungala nga taga Tangalan man. Ro Tangalan hay hometown ku amon nga tatay ag kon siin sanday Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet nagserbisyo bilang Kabataang Barangay Chairman ag Kagawad. Sanday Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet ro gintugyanan ni papa nga proteksyunan si mommy ag kami nga andang mga manghud.

Para sa kasayuran man it tanan, sanday Fr. Pandongon ag Msgr. Malacas hay nanging kibahan ko sa St. Jude Parish anay ag si St. Jude Thaddeus ro natuonan nga pinakapaborito nga santo ni mommy. Dugang pa kara, ro gamisa makaron hay si Msgr. Nestor Nalangan, igkampod ni mommy ag imaw guid ra ro nagturo kang maghiwat it primero ko nga misa cantada pagka-ordin. Sa primero ko nga misa cantada, soksok ko ro stola nga ginbasbasan ni Bishop Gabriel Reyes. Ro stola ngato hay makaron sa alima eon ni mommy. Indi Philippine Flag o Santo Rosario ro ginpadaea ko kana kundi ang stola. Mommy will not face God empty-handed but will bring my blessed stole with her to present it to God humbly saying: “Lord God, salamat may pari ako nga unga. I am blessed and now I have come to take my rest.” God will surely tell her this, “Mary Jane, many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all. Come and rest with me. Amen.”

Roland and Mary's Wedding

Roland and Mary, you both experienced how to love and be loved. You also experienced getting hurt in the name of love. You were hurt because even if you desire to love forever, situations such as the loss of one’s passion or the death of a beloved, have left you all alone, broken and empty.

It is good to love. But once you have lost the one you love, you become afraid to love anymore. You are afraid to get hurt in the name of love. But Roland and Mary, you cannot escape from the fact that God who created you is love; and because He is love, time will come and has come for you to realize that you are meant to be with someone to live in love.

Roland and Mary, you have found your special someone when you started to love each other for being who you are. No matter what you have been through over the past years or what kind of person you are in the mind of others, as long as you love each other, it is enough to open your hearts again before God. Do not be afraid to love again. Do not fear. 1 John 4: 18 states, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.”

Roland and Mary, embrace the fact that this time everything will be different. Somehow, you will find it difficult not to compare your present relationship with your previous relationships. This is ok. But it is still better to thank God for all the past hurts in the past relationships. You see, despite your sad experiences, you still have the chance to love again and be happy to celebrate love again. 

Roland, thank God for giving you Mary –she is a very loving woman and she loves you the way other women cannot do. Mary, thank God for giving you Roland –not only because he is handsome but also he is very supportive in all your endeavors. Roland and Mary, thank God for giving both of you your second chance to live with someone in love. Amen.

Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy's Wedding

Is it possible for a young couple to truly be in love? Many in our society raise their doubts on young couples like you, Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy, to celebrate true love. They believe that true love comes only for those who reach the age of maturity. But how can you believe this if you can find some adults or older people who said theirs is true love yet their marriage ends in divorce or separation? Moreover, there are couples who got married at a young age and still they remain in their marriage because they love each other until one or both of them die.   

Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy, the truth is, both the young ones and the once young, hardly delineate what true love is. Yet, all may agree that when couples love each other until death, theirs is indeed true love. In saying this, all may concur that love is true when  it lasts for a lifetime. And if you, Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy , believe in a fairy tale love story, the two of you share such faith and hope that true love does not just last for a lifetime; rather it lasts forever. Nevertheless, whether love shall last for a lifetime or it should be forever, what matters most is that what you Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy feel for each other is love. Love is what all you need. Love leads you to each other, and that same love shall lead both of you to God because He is the source of love. 1 John 4: 7 states, "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God." 

Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy, look at how love has led you to each other. The first time you met during the celebration of the feast of our dear Sto. Nino, you were sixteen or seventeen then yet you were able to start a good relationship with each other. Despite the advices from your elders to focus on your studies, you were able to give time to your studies as well as to your relationship. You did not want to disobey and disappoint your elders but you did not want to lose each other either. So, you tried to make your relationship discreet.The biggest challenge of your secret relationship was how to keep it secret all the time. There were even trials in your relationship created by physical distance as Rey Jenald went to Manila while you were left here in Aklan, Maecel Joy. But look how far you have come! As your love has led you to each other, it has also led both of you to God. Yesterday, you celebrated your last anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend , but today you are here before the altar of God to ask for His blessings to begin your life as husband and wife. 

Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy, you have shown us that it is possible for a young couple like you to truly be in love. Your Church wedding today indicates that you are both truly in love. Now that you are married, remain in love. You have your lifetime to stay together and love each other. Trials and tribulations may still come your way. Bigger challenges may at once disturb your relationship. But as long as you love each other, you have what you need as husband and wife to keep your relationship sacred. Whether or not others would say yours is true love or puppy love, or any kind of love, as long as both of you believe that it is love and you act upon such belief, you will not falter to live as husband and wife. Remain in love and you have what you necessarily need to accomplish what you have started in a relationship. Ephesians 4:2 states, "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love." Thus,  Rey Jenald and Maecel Joy, love each other until death. Amen.

Mia and Frank's Wedding

Life is beautiful. Regardless of circumstances, life is beautiful. There are many times however that unpleasant circumstances beat a person down that he/she fails to see its beauty.  Life then becomes a struggle for survival. One merely exists and hardly remembers that life is beautiful.  Even Job, one of the famous Bible figures, shared the same sentiment as he said, "Man born of woman is short-lived and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). The Book of Psalms (90:10)  also states, "Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone." 

Eventually, with all its struggles and troubles, life is reduced as a matter of existence. But we are not here on earth just to exist. We are here to live because life is beautiful. God Himself assures us this when He said, "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). If we put our hope in His words, God can make a  beautiful life rise from any unpleasant circumstances. "And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts" (Romans 5:5). 

Dear Mia and Frank, life is beautiful because of the love of God for us. It is the love of God, and not our past, which determines our future. God said, "Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; See, I am doing something new!" (Isaiah 43:18-19). Because God loves us, He makes our unpleasant circumstances a blessing in disguise -to start anew. At first, we may not understand what is happening in our life. But later we shall realize God makes all things come right. So that at the end, we can say, life is indeed beautiful. 

Mia and Frank,  look how far you have come and you have become. I believe you see your life as somewhat beautiful being with each other.  It is written on your invitation letter, "It is with great joy that we invite you to share in our happiness." You will never say this if your life is not beautiful despite both of you experienced a kind of heartache caused by someone's broken vow. But let me tell you this, your life is beautiful as it is God who has led you to each other. Because God loves you, He makes your life beautiful. Because God loves you, He chooses you for each other -to love and be loved. Because God loves you, love has been poured out in your hearts. As an act of your gratitude to God, Mia and Frank, always love God first as a couple. Romans 8: 28 has this to say, "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." This means that those who love God may expect that their life is and will always be beautiful regardless of their circumstances. Though they may not understand why some things have to happen, they just have to believe that God has a purpose i.e., to make life beautiful. 

Mia and Frank, your wedding tonight is an expression of your love for God. Though you can be together without the benefit of a Church's wedding, still you choose to ask for His blessing to live as husband and wife. Truly, there is no better way to show your love for God but to let Him continue His work which He started prior to your wedding.  To end, Mia and Frank, have no fear to live together because God is with you. Just remember the marriage of St. Joseph and Mary. God brought them together and He never abandoned them. So shall it be for you, Frank "Joseph" and "Maria" Melissa, God has brought you together in front of His altar. He would not bring you this far just to abandon you later. Rather, He will see to it that at the end of your long and well-spent life, you can say with confidence: Thank God for the gift of life, for another chance to live and love, which is beautiful. Amen.

Sr. Sto Niño de Kalibo 2020

Here we go again! Many people celebrate the feast of Sr. Sto. Niño here in Kalibo but only few understand why we celebrate the said feast. Even some Kalibeños or Kalibonhons are confused about the reason for the celebration. Why? This is because of the various versions of its origin.

When we were young, we used to present the “Barter of Panay Reenactment” during our Boy Scouts’ gathering or camping. We were told then that “Kalibo Ati-Atihan” started when in 1200 A.D., ten Bornean Datus led by Datu Puti were allowed to settle in Panay Island by the Ati tribe, in exchange for a golden salakot, brass basins, bales of cloth and a long necklace. A celebration followed thereafter the exchange. Because of this story of “Barter of Panay”, it is said that the celebration was originally a pagan festival. It was only during the Spanish Period that the Catholic Church placed a Christian meaning on it and celebrated it as a religious festival through what is called inculturation.

However, on May 9, 2013, it was written in Madyaas Pen, a local newspaper, by Mr. Odon S. Bandiola, that there was no Barter of Panay that ever happened between the Bornean Datus and the Aeta natives, not so in any province in Panay Island, neither in Aklan. This statement was stressed by Professor Jose Eleazar Bersales and in so far as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Commission on the Culture and the Arts were concerned, the Barter of Panay is a hoax. It was also said that Ati-Atihan all over Aklan have no historical basis. It could never be associated with an event which never happened.

With this contention, there is no good reason to celebrate an event when the event that gives us reason to celebrate does not exist at all. We have to settle then with this knowledge that the origin of our celebration here in Kalibo can never be farther from the celebration of the feast of the Sto. Niño in Cebu. It is written in history that the statue of the Sto. Niño was found in 1565 by Spanish explorers led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. This Sto. Niño was given by Magellan to the wife of Rajah Humabon as a gift after the latter’s baptism to Christianity. The devotion to the Sr. Sto. Niño is neither a legend nor a fiction but factual and real. This is why the former Bishop of Kalibo, Msgr. Gabriel V. Reyes exhorted the local government of Kalibo then to call this celebration as Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan and not only Kalibo Ati-Atihan. This is why we celebrate this feast in honor of our dear Sto. Niño because Sr. Sto. Niño is real and historical to us. This is why we shout out loud: Viva kay Sr. Sto. Niño and not Viva Datu Puti. The origin of this celebration is our devotion to Sr. Sto. Niño, and the reason why we celebrate this feast is Sr. Sto. Niño Himself who works in our personal story and even in our history.

I remember when I was assigned at St. Jude Parish, a woman was carrying her 5 year old son and she asked me to bless the dress which her son would wear. Some minutes after the blessing, I was surprised to see the boy dressed up as a Sr. Sto. Niño. But I was even surprised to learn that the woman was not a Catholic. She said she must have dressed her son in a Sr. Sto. Niño costume to express her gratitude to God. She said she gave birth to a dying son and someone told him to pray to Sr. Sto. Niño to save his life. She made then a promise to provide her son a dress like that of the Sr. Sto. Niño if her prayer for her son would be granted. The rest of her story is now a religious history.

This is why my dear friends, do not forget the religious or spiritual reason for this celebration –i.e., to foster our devotion to Sr. Sto. Niño. But this is more complicated nowadays. The government’s main thrust in celebrating the feast is to promote tourism and not to foster our devotion to Sr. Sto. Niño. This was the reason why the former President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared our celebration of the feast of Sr. Sto. Niño as the “Mother of all Philippine Native Festivals” to promote Kalibo as a premier tourism destination in Aklan aside from Boracay. She even “sadsad” after giving this statement to Aklanons in 2006. With her declaration, it boosts tourism in Kalibo. This sounds good for our local economy but not so good for the Church. Let us compare the former president’s declaration with the Holy See’s declaration that the Minor Basilica of the Holy Child or Sr. Sto. Niño in Cebu is the Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines. After the Sinulog Festival, people still go there to the church because of their devotion to Sr. Sto. Niño. Even without the festival, guests and tourists enter the church as pilgrims. How about us in Kalibo? After the Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan, can we still see devotees and pilgrims in our Cathedral praying before our dear Sto. Niño? Hopefully, we Kalibonhons, do not forget, we have the duty to foster our devotion to Sr. Sto. Niño and be proud to cry aloud, “Viva kay Sto. Niño!”