At the End of UP’s Centennial Celebrations

17 December 2008. Dawn Mass at the End of UP’s Centennial CelebrationsGenesis 49, 2, 8-10; Psalm 72; Matthew 1, 1-17 Note: This homily is intended for the community of the University of the Philippines at the end of the Centennial Celebrations. President Dr. Emerlinda Roman will be present. But the points apply to a general

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The Zodiac and Revelations

19 November 2008 Wednesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary TimeRevelations 4, 1-11; Psalm 150; Luke 19, 11-28 Many of us find signs and symbols like horoscopes amusing. We don’t put our faith in it, but we enjoy the ‘classification’ because it somehow gives us a certain handle in understanding people. Many do find some

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Does Jesus encourage Dishonesty?

7 November 2008 Friday of the 31st Week in Ordinary TimePhil 3, 3:17 – 4,1; Psalm 122; Luke 16, 1-8 The Gospel today is about one of the most intriguing parables of Jesus. It is about the dishonest steward whom the master praised for his corruption. Does Jesus encourage dishonesty? In the parable, the master

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Up to the Mountain

28 October 2008 Feasts of Sts. Simon and JudeEphesians 2, 19-22; Psalm 19; Luke 6, 12-16 The Gospel today begins by telling us that Jesus ‘went to the mountain to pray and he spent the night in prayer to God’. After praying, he called his disciples, and from them, He chose Twelve, whom he called

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Climbing the Corporate Ladder

22 October 2008 Wednesday of the 29th Year in Ordinary TimeEphesians 3, 2-12; Isaiah 12; Luke 12, 39-48 Central to the test of our faith is the challenge to be constantly ready for the Master’s return. In the parable today, Jesus emphasizes that His return is guaranteed, but the timing is not. His return is

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God and Taxes

19 October 2008 29th Sunday in Ordinary TimeIsaiah 45, 1-6; Psalm 96; 1 Thes 1, 1-5; Matthew 22, 15-21 Jesus, in the Gospel today, is in the middle of a controversy. The opponents are the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Pharisees resent paying taxes to the emperor, while the Herodians administer the tax system in

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Legitimate Pretension

14 October 2008 Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary TimeGalatians 5, 1-6; Psalm 119; Luke 11, 37-41In the Gospel today, the host of the party was surprised that Jesus did not perform the ritual ablutions. The washing before meals was a Pharisaic practice not required by law. His puzzlement provoked a reply from Jesus

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Updating for Faith

13 October 2008. Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary TimeGalatians 4, 22-31 – 5,1; Psalm 113; Luke 11, 29-32Allow me to explain the Gospel today. We always want to have tangible evidence to establish the fact of a claim or a statement. But if the claim is fantastic, we demand spectacular proof. We want

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Why I Pray the Rosary

7 October 2008. Memorial of Our Lady of the RosaryGalatians 1, 13-24; Psalm 139; Luke 10, 38-42As we celebrate the memorial of our Lady of the Rosary, allow me to talk about the rosary personally. If you were to ask me why I pray the rosary, I would probably answer you this way. First, the

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The Lord’s Way

28 September 2008 26th Sunday in Ordinary TimeEzekiel 18, 25-28; Psalm 25; Phil 2, 1-11; Matthew 21, 28-32The phrase, the ‘Lord’s way,’ repeats itself in the readings today. In the first reading, the people who were exiled in Babylon complained that the “Lord’s way” is unfair. They thought that their banishment from their land was

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Seek the Lord

21 September 2008 25th Sunday in Ordinary TimeIsaiah 55, 6-9; Psalm 145; Phil 1, 20-27; Matthew 20, 1-16 The Book of Isaiah is divided into three parts: that of the Prophet Isaiah (742 BC, prophetic ministry in Jerusalem); Deutero-Isaiah (Babylonian Exile, Jerusalem is now destroyed); and Trito-Isaiah (Return to Jerusalem). Isaiah covers Chapter 1-39; Deutero-Isaiah

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Against Egocentric Competitiveness

16 September 2008 Memorial of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian1 Corinthians 12, 12-14, 27-31 Against Egocentric Competitiveness We are one body. This is one of the famous quotes of St. Paul taken from the first reading today. But Paul was unlikely to be the source of this concept. The idea of a society as one body

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Why We Exalt the Cross

14 September 2008 Feast of the Exaltation of the CrossNumbers 21, 4b-9; Psalm 78; Phil 2, 6-11; John 3, 13-17 Nicodemus is identified as an archon, a leader of the Jews, probably a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin is the civil ‘court’ of the Jewish community in Jerusalem. Previous to the Gospel readings, Nicodemus

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To Recreate the World

9 September 2008 Memorial of Peter Claver1 Cor 6, 1-11 and Luke 6, 12-19 To Recreate the World The Gospel tells us about Jesus choosing his disciples after he went to the mountain to pray. The reading mentioned that Jesus chose His Twelve among all other disciples. To these closest company, He had given a

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Without Rewards

20 August 2008 Wednesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary TimeMatthew 20, 1-16 Love Without Rewards The Gospel is in contrast with our notion of justice. Salaries are paid to according to the labor rendered, and the time we spent at work. In the parable, the vineyard owner hires laborers— idle men chosen from the

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