THE 3rd Sunday of Advent is usually dubbed as Gaudete Sunday (Rejoice Sunday) because the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass for that day starts with the joyful greeting, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.” (Phil 4,4-5) We are clearly...
WE are now in the Season of Advent, a time to develop the sense of yearning for Christ in our life. And the readings of the Mass on Friday of the 2nd Week of Advent encourage us to do just that. In the first reading, from...
THIS should be the attitude to have. If we still don’t have it, then let’s start training ourselves to acquire such outlook in life. The secret is again to strengthen our faith in God who takes care of everything, even if his ways escape our...
IT should be to look for Christ, to be with Christ, to follow Christ. That’s where we can find what is good for us in any situation we can find ourselves in. If that is not yet our greatest desire, then it’s about time that...
DECEMBER 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe whose image was miraculously imprinted on a simple cloak of a Mexican of Aztec descent, now saint, Juan Diego, back in 1591. The image has become so famous that it now is a national symbol...
THOSE are words that come from the Book of Isaiah. (35,4) Those words are most worthwhile to be repeated as often as possible to reassure us that whatever happens in our life, with all the heavy drama that it brings, God, our Father, will surely...
Misa de Gallo is the most celebrated advent season traditions in the Philippines. The Misa De Gallo was brought-in by the Spaniards during their time of colonization. The most notable part of attending a Misa De Gallo is the churchgoers buying Christmas delicacies from the vendors...
(Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao during the Region XI World Teachers’ Day Celebration at SMX Convention Center, October 3, 2023.) St. Paul says, “I thank the Lord because of you,” that thought today comes to mind, simply because we thank...
The Misa De Gallo is one of the beautiful Filipino traditions, we Filipinos, have practiced since the time of the Spaniards. On these novena masses at early dawn, “the liturgical texts of Advent are more directly concerned with the immediate preparation for the Christmas feast”...
THAT’S right. All our human faculties, both spiritual and corporal, should have God as the primary object. As of now, it is clear that this truth of our Christian faith is still unknown or, at best, some breaking news yet, for which many of us...