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!”

PI Thaddeus and Cresta Lyn's Wedding

PI and Tata, let me tell you today how I made my homily for your wedding; it was with difficulty. Why? Well, this is my first time to deliver a wedding homily for my very own nephew -the son of my brother. I have already written three books about marriages and wedding. I have also delivered many wedding homilies. I have done what I have to do as a priest to preserve the sanctity of marriage. But today is different, I am not just speaking as a priest but above all as an uncle to you PI and Tata.  So, how shall I deliver my wedding homily today? With pleasure.  

PI and Tata, most couples who passionately love each other dream of a great wedding. But a great wedding is subjective. A wedding may be great to both of you but it may not be so to other couples. Be that as it may, a great wedding simply means a celebration of love between a man and a woman. Without love, the  wedding may still be in the public eye, it may run viral, it may go trending and the couple may become briefly famous, yet what will happen to their married life after it (the wedding)?

PI and Tata, history tells us there were great weddings but they never ended great due to the absence of love. Among those was the wedding of the century, the wedding between Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana which took place in 1981 and was watched by millions of people on television. But in 1992, they announced their separation. Then there was this celebrity wedding, the wedding between Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston who seemed to be a perfect couple. In year 2000, Brad Pitt and Aniston had their great wedding with classy decorations at their wedding venue, with multiple bands and fireworks galore. In 2005, they ended their marriage in divorce. I tell these to you PI and Tata, so that you should know that love matters to throw the best wedding ever. No matter how much you spend on this wedding, without love, it cannot guarantee a happy marriage.  

PI and Tata, I know you love each other. Tata, I remember the first time PI introduced you to me as his friend. I know he is not a good liar because the truth is -you are the only person, the only woman whom he has allowed to enter their home. Since birth, PI had never been with a woman except for his mother and sister. I know you are special to him. You are special to him because you make him feel loved. 

I remember when you PI got sick, it was discovered that you have had a heart problem. Your uncle Boyet and uncle Randy immediately advised you to see Dr. Jessore Ibabao Isidro because he is the best doctor who can help you with your medical condition. Then came my advice; I told you to look for someone to love and be loved. Right there and then, you brought Tata into your family home. Tata patiently took care of you until you finally met Dr. Isidro. PI, your doctor gives you a healthy heart while Tata gives you a loving heart.  

PI and Tata, I know you love each other that is why you have this great wedding. You both have the P-assion, I-ntimacy and T-rust. You also are C-ommitted and L-oving to each other. But PI and Tata, how shall this great wedding end? What is next after #PInally got Cresta?  

Obviously, your flowers and wedding bouquet wither, your wedding dress is kept, your printed wedding invitations go straight to the trash, no more leftover food and drinks to take home, your guests go home, you make your wedding announced officially in Facebook letting the world know you are "Married" and then  have your honeymoon. Of course, after the wedding, you open all of your cards and wedding presents and finally look at your wedding pictures and post them in Facebook as a sequel to your prenuptial photos. But I tell you PI and Tata, sooner or later, you will realize you barely remember the details of this wedding. Like what some married couples experienced with their wedding, your wedding day goes by in flash and the details of which are blurry. This is why you have your prenuptial photos and wedding pictures -to capture the day you celebrate love. Yet, even with those photos which remind you of how you celebrate love, you will struggle to keep your love alive. 

Once the passion to celebrate love runs out, there is a risk to fall out of love. Such was the experience of the unnamed couple during their wedding at Cana. The Gospel of John 2: 1-12 tells us that during the wedding, the wine ran out. Interpreted allegorically, "the wine runs out" connotes a lack of joy or that the passion to celebrate love runs out. Thanks to Jesus through the intercession of Mama Mary, a miracle happened that the best wine was served to save the couple on their wedding day from embarrassment. 

PI and Tata, I ask you then, "What shall you do when the wine will run out?" When there is no more passion to celebrate love, will you run away Tata and await for PI to get you back into his arms to suit the theme, PI finally got Cresta? Will you turn your back PI on Tata to let her feel that nobody has got her back? I hope not. I rather ask you to go to the Church together and pray incessantly to celebrate love.  

PI and Tata, I have counseled many couples with various kinds of marital problems and I have to be honest to tell you this -when marriage is at its worst, only prayer can bring the best out of which. Most married couples in difficult situations and strained relations only need prayers. It is true, prayer is more effective than any advice.  

PI and Tata, when you pray together and ask for the intercession of Mama Mary and for the presence of Jesus Christ in your married life, there will be miracles in your marriage like what Jesus did during the wedding at Cana. Thus, PI and Tata, pray incessantly to celebrate love. So that you will not forget this, remember the first letters of your names PIT-CL -Pray Incessantly To Celebrate Love.  

And as I end my homily, let me pray this to you PI and Tata, "The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." (Numbers 6: 24-26) 

PI and Tata, have a happy married life. Amen.

Eliana and Boom's Wedding

Today is a very extra-ordinary day to celebrate love in a wedding. I say this because December 12, 2012 or 12-12-12 happens only once in our lifetime. In addition, number 12 is rich with significance like there are 12 animals in a chinese calendar, 12 zodiac signs, 12 tribesof Israel, 12 disciples of Jesus, 12 months in a year, 12 hours for A.M. and another 12 hours for P.M. to  make a one whole day. 

My dear Eliana and Boom, as you celebrate your love today, you also want to convey to the world that your wedding is an extra-ordinary event or occasion.  But how do you make your wedding an extra-ordinary one aside from the date 12-12-12 which happens only once in our lifetime? Well, Eliana and Boom, you have an extra-ordinary story of love and relationship. Boom, you have met many women but you have chosen Eliana to be your partner. Eliana, you also have met many men, but you have chosen Boom to be your beloved. Aside from this fact, a teacher helped you to build love in your relationship, which means she chose both of you to be together. She trusted both of you that you can make a difference in the field of love. Eliana and Boom, trust also yourselves that you can make a difference.

In many cases of marital break-ups or troubled marriages, couples forget to make a difference in their lives. After their wedding, their interest for each other fades as they see their marital life monotonous and ordinary. They wake up, they have their breakfast, they go to work, they come home and everything is just customary, everything is part of an ordinary routine including their kiss. But for you Eliana and Boom, try to make a difference each day. When you are happy, praise God. When you encounter problems in life or you are in a conflicting situation, hold each other's hands and face everything as a partner. See each other as a solution to any problem and not as a problem to be solved. Then pray to God. By these, you can make a difference.

But  remember also that to make a difference is not easy. We are human beings and being human, we have limitations. Eliana and Boom, there are times that you reach your limits especially in expressing your love. You get tired, bored,doubtful, etc. and you do not feel that passion to love each other. When this happens to you, please be patient to each other. When you find yourselves quarreling, shouting, screaming or crying, please see to it that after the quarreling, shouting, screaming or crying, you do not forget how your love begins. End the day by recalling the happy moments you have had as partners. Make it your daily habit to spend your day with a happy ending.

To end my homily, Eliana and Boom your wedding has no magic to make you happy. Rather it is both of you who can make this wedding a happy event or occasion when you are happy being together. You can notice that your family and friends are at the back. Yes they love you. They can give you some advice on how to make your marriage a happy marriage. But the secret of a happy marriage is not so much about the strategies or techniques (most marriage counselors are also separated) they give. You can build a happy marriage when both of you remain in the love of God. Be focused on God who is the source of love. He said, "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love" (John 15:10). Eliana and Boom, if God is with you, your marriage shall remain extra-ordinary as it is only in Him that you can love with an unconditional love. Thus, pray to God, stay in love. Amen.

Lovely and Gliford's Wedding

Lovely and Gliford, long have you lived your life by simply existing. But you know and feel deep inside you, you do not just live for the sake of living. You know that life is more worth living when there is happiness.  This is the reason why every time something bad happens in your life, initially you react negatively, yet you bounce back over time. You believe that life must go on. You believe there is happiness and that happiness comes in God's time. Then one day, it happens that God leads you to each  other. It happens that you realize the time you spend for each other is a moment of happiness. So here you are now. You are happy to be together that is why you decide to get married.

But take note, Lovely and Gliford,  it does not always mean that when both of you are happy, you will also have a happy marriage. There is a distinction between personal happiness and marital happiness. Lovely, I am sure you are happy as a lawyer and you are happier to be with Gliford, a nurse, and soon to be a doctor. Gliford, I am sure you are happy too as a nurse and you are happier to marry Lovely, a lawyer. This is your personal happiness. This personal happiness of yours may affect your marital relationship positively. Positively, in the sense that with your job, you can secure a better future. With your combined work force, what else would you ask from you partner in marriage? You have money, property and industry. You have all the reasons to feel fulfilled and live a life of happiness. You have a very ideal wedding as both of you enter into this with emotional maturity and financial stability.

However, you should be aware that your personal happiness may affect your marriage negatively. Sometimes, your work demands from you most of your time. You have to respond to a call beyond your duty. This means that at some point in your life, you have to sacrifice your marriage for a greater cause i.e., service to mankind. Gliford, I personally know Lovely being my classmate in the College of Law. She often forgets herself just to serve and help those who are in need. In this sense, your marriage is not one without a struggle.

But Lovely and Gliford, this does not mean there is no happy marriage for you. There is a happy marriage as long as both of you never give up despite the struggle. A happy marriage is your reason why every time something bad happens in your married life, you must bounce back over time. Believe that married life must go on. Believe there is a marital happiness and that happiness in marriage comes from God. As you struggle to get hold of happiness in your marriage, and you find yourselves beset by your weaknesses and imperfections, just let God be your guide.

Lovely, remember when Gliford extended a friend request to you on your Facebook account, you could have ignored or deleted his name in your list like what you have done to others. But God is good. God has guided you to give a special attention to Gliford's name.  Gliford, if Lovely had not accepted your friend request, you could have go on with your life without her. You do not just waste your time with people who make you feel unimportant. But God is good. God has guided you to express your particular interest to Lovely. Lovely and Gliford, nothing happens by chance. Everything about the two of you happens because God has guided you.

If you think that Dr. Porferio G. Bullo has guided you to know each other, well, believe that it is God who has guided Dr. Bullo to make all these happen. It is God who has guided you to celebrate this wedding! Therefore, remain in Him; for in Him alone your happiness is made complete. Jesus Christ confirmed this when He said, "Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete" (John 16: 24).

Moreover, Lovely and Gliford, a happy marriage is not made by chances. Rather, it is a gift from God. Yours then is a happy marriage as you believe that God has lead you to each other and to no other. Believe also that what God has joined together, no one can put asunder (Mark 10:9). Just like the marriage of St. Joseph and Mary, your marriage is in accordance with the will of God. Gliford, you are from Banga, Aklan and the patron saint of your place is St. Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Joseph was married to Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the patron saint of Batan, Aklan where Lovely comes from. I say this again, just like St. Joseph and Mary's marriage is according to the will of God, yours too is according to the will of God. As your marriage is in accordance with the will of God, yours will be a happy marriage. So be happy together. Amen.

9th Day of Simbang Gabi 2019

There is a story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields.

One day, the horse escaped into the hills. When the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?

A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills. This time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?

Then when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this was very bad luck. The farmer’s reaction: “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg, they let him off. Was that Good luck or Bad luck? Who knows!

My dear friends, bad things do happen to good people and at times we cannot understand why it should happen to us. Even those who achieved the highest educational attainment in this world cannot provide us the answer. If ever we get an answer, it will all be attributed to something that goes beyond the physical realm like –it is written in the stars, it is destiny or fate, or it is the will of the gods. But when people do not believe in the supernatural, they just say –who knows if it is bad luck or good luck?

Zechariah, the main actor in our Gospel (Luke 1: 67-79), was not alien to bad experiences, to failure, pain and frustration. He submerged himself in the negative weight of luck not knowing that what he considered bad luck would later turn into a blessing in disguise. He was old and had no children with his wife Elizabeth. It was big deal in those days to have children. In their culture, the family line ended when couples were found childless. They too considered that it was a blessing to have many children while it was a shameful thing to have no child at all. So Zechariah felt he was doomed as he would die childless. But it turned out that everything was a blessing in disguise. In his old age, God gave him a son to be named John. He was given a son who was not just an ordinary person but a precursor of Jesus. His only son John would play a vital role in preparing the way of the Lord. Thus, in our Gospel, we could feel how happy Zechariah was for having a son destined to greatness. Even Jesus Himself said something good about John, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John” (Luke 7:28).

My dear friends, our Gospel reminds us to stay calm and refuse to become devastated when things seem to fall apart or when everything seems to bring us bad luck. We have to trust God and believe He knows what is best for us. We have handled crises before and there has always been this assurance that there is no such thing as bad luck because in God, everything is a blessing in disguise. Amen.

8th Day of Simbang Gabi 2019

A young boy aged 9 lived with his father, mother and his 85-year-old grandfather. The grandfather, in his old age, had poor eyesight and was also rather feeble at his limbs. As such, porcelain bowls often slipped from his wrinkled hands when he was eating, much to the annoyance of his son and daughter-in-law.

On this day when the young boy was playing in the backyard of the big mansion they were staying in, his grandfather accidentally broke another porcelain bowl yet again, just a few feet away from where the boy was playing. Hearing the breaking sound of the bowl, the boy’s mother and father came rushing out of their room and stated chiding the grandfather on how clumsy and troublesome he was.

Deciding that he had had enough, the boy’s father commented to the boy’s mother, “Don’t worry. I know that all these bowl-breaking by the old man will never end so yesterday I told our butler to make a bowl out of the coconut husks found in our backyard.” With that, the boy’s father disappeared for a few moments before reappearing with a brown coarse-looking bowl carved out of an old coconut husk. He gave it to the old man who took over the coconut bowl silently.

It was at this moment when the parents heard a soft but clear grinding sound behind them. They turned around and saw that their 9-year-old son was playing with a metal spoon and a coconut husk. Unsure of what their son was doing, the father proceeded to ask his son, “Son, what are you doing with a spoon and the coconut husk?’ The boy looked up and with his gentle eyes and innocent voice, he replied to his father, “Oh I saw how papa gave grandpa the coconut bowl. I thought papa may also need this bowl in future when you are old. So I am making the bowl in advance for you.”

Children are gifts from God. They are born innocent and pure. But when they grow old, some of them remain good, others change for the better while still others for the worse. Yet, the problem in attitude lies not only when children grow old, but even at their young age, children nowadays talk about sex, pornographic movies on cable television, drugs, etc. Young as they are, they are already worldly. We may say that children have lost their innocence. They have lost their true identity as gifts from God. Why? This is so as there is a change in values among parents when it comes to parenting. Parents allow their children to be exposed early to the adult world thinking that it is better for them to learn early from adult experiences. What parents fail to foresee is that their children miss their age of protection.

Our Gospel (Luke 1: 57-66) tells us that when John was born, he was exposed to the adult world where their neighbors and kinsfolk were very involved at his birth. Thanks to his parents because they protected John by insisting that his name should be John despite the protest of the people. They said, “None of your kindred is called by this name.” The act of his parents to give the child the name John reminds all parents that young children should be given love and protection. They should show love to their children as love is the highest form of communication between parents and children. They have to give protection to children because the latter cannot yet protect themselves. In protecting them, they should protect them not only from physical threats but also from that which could rob them of their childhood. Parents should treat their children as a child. They should let their children play with them and be who they are in their presence. They should allow their children to confide in them and give them a hug. All these may be understood by parents if they read Proverbs 22: 6 stating, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

May all parents then today learn from Zechariah and Elizabeth to love and protect their children. Amen.

7th Day of Simbang Gabi 2019

A famous actor often referred to a special day in his childhood when his father took him fishing. The day was fixed in his mind, and he often reflected upon many things his father had taught him in the course of their fishing experience together. After having heard of that particular excursion so often, it occurred to his cousin much later to check the diary that the actor’s father kept and determine what had been said about the fishing trip from the parental perspective. Turning to that date, the reader found only one sentence entered: “Gone fishing today with my son; A DAY WASTED.”

Being a father is different from being a mother. A father has a different approach to raise children than a mother does. A child learns from his father without his father knowing it. A father influences his child without him realizing it. He/she learns about what a man is from his/her father. He/she may either want to be like his/her father or to be his exact opposite.

In our Gospel (Matthew 1: 18-25), Joseph was told by an angel in his dream to take Mary as his wife and to father God’s only Son –Jesus. Although God could take care of His Son with all His power, He still chose Joseph to play the role of a foster father of Jesus. Why? Joseph was obedient to God. Jesus could learn from him through his example. As any child looks to his/her father to lay down the rules and enforce them, the former learns what it means to obey. But he/she sincerely learns to obey only when he/she sees his/her father as his/her model or idol. If not, then he/she obeys only because of fear.

Jesus, like His human father Joseph, grew up obeying His Father God. Philippians 2: 6-11 states, “Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death.” Joseph, though human as he was, never failed God to be the father of Jesus as he passed on to Him what it takes to obey God.

We pray then that all fathers teach their children how to obey God by giving them examples. We pray then that all fathers find Joseph as their model in parenting their children. Amen.

6th Day of Simbang Gabi 2019

Devina Nund wrote this beautiful story about mothers:

When God created woman, he was working late on the 6th day...

An angel came by and asked, “Why spend so much time on her?” The lord answered, “Have you seen all the specifications I have to meet to shape her?”

“She must function in all kinds of situations, she must be able to embrace several kids at the same time, have a hug that can heal anything from a bruised knee to a broken heart.

She must do all this with only two hands, she cures herself when sick and can work 18 hours a day.”

The Angel was impressed. “Just two hands...impossible! And this is the standard model?” The Angel came closer and touched the woman.

“But you have made her so soft, Lord.”

“She is soft,” said the Lord, “But I have made her strong. You can't imagine what she can endure and overcome.”

"Can she think?” The Angel asked...The Lord answered, "Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate."

The Angel touched her cheeks..."Lord, it seems this creation is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her."

"She is not leaking...it is a tear," The Lord corrected the Angel...

"What's it for?" Asked the Angel...The Lord said, "Tears are her way of expressing her grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, her suffering and her pride."...

This made a big impression on the Angel, "Lord, you are a genius. You thought of everything.

A woman is indeed marvellous"

Lord said, "Indeed she is. She has strength that amazes a man. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens. She holds happiness, love and opinions. She smiles when she feels like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying, cries when happy and laughs when afraid. She fights for what she believes in.

Her love is unconditional. Her heart is broken when a next-of-kin or a friend dies but she finds strength to get on with life."

The Angel asked, "So she is a perfect being?"

The lord replied: "No. She has just one drawback, she often forgets what she is worth."

My dear friends, this story reminds us of the meaning of being a mother. A mother is selfless –one who sacrifices her wants, needs and ambitions as long as the wants, needs and ambitions of her children are fulfilled and satisfied. Her reward is being a mother herself. It is not the medal or certificates that can make her happy but the arms of her children who hug or embrace her.

Hear and see the experience of two mothers in our Gospel (Luke 1: 39-45). Mary and Elizabeth were both happy because they were now ready to be called mothers. They rejoiced because of the baby in their womb. How fulfilling it was for them to become mothers. All they did was to talk about their baby. This is the true meaning of being a mother –selfless. Why? Everybody can notice that she changes her name when she gets married. She leaves her own home and moves in a home with her husband. She gets pregnant which changes her body and risks her own life in the labor room. After she delivers her baby, she knows it comes from her yet it does not bear her surname. Everything she does from the birth of her child until the child grows mature is for the benefit of the said child and sometimes she does this at the expense of her needs and ambitions.

Today, we continue to pray for all our mothers. We thank God for creating mothers because it is never easy to be one. During this Simbang Gabi, we resolve before the altar of the Lord to understand and respect our mothers. We give them thanks for the priceless gift of motherhood God has blessed us. Amen.