Poor Clare - Tayud, Cebu Phils.

27/05/2026

MAY 28, 2026 - 6:30 AM MASS
THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST - FEAST OF
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE ETERNAL HIGH PRIEST

REV. FR. GORGONIO "TATA" LLUBIT, MSP
Presider

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

HOMILY | Wednesday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Mark 10:32–45

The Gospel presents a scene that feels surprisingly familiar. Jesus is walking toward Jerusalem. He knows suffering and sacrifice await Him.

But what are the disciples discussing? Power. James and John approach Jesus and say: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”

In other words: “Lord, when You become successful, can we reserve the highest positions?”

Does that sound familiar? People competing for position. People seeking recognition. People wanting influence.

Even in our time, many enter leadership not always to serve but to secure power, status, visibility, or advantage.

Jesus responds with words that should be written in every office, every city hall, every government building, every senate hall, and perhaps even every church office: “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant” (Mark 10:43). Jesus completely turns leadership upside down.

In the world, greatness often means: How many people obey you.How many privileges you receive. How many cameras follow you.

But for Jesus, greatness means: How many people become better because of you.

Today I ask myself—and perhaps all of us should ask: What if our public servants truly understood this Gospel?

What if senators understood that a seat in the Senate is not a throne but a table of service?

What if congressmen understood that public funds are not personal rewards but resources entrusted for the common good?

What if politicians measured success not by surveys but by hungry people fed, schools improved, hospitals strengthened, corruption reduced?

Imagine if leadership became less about reelection and more about responsibility. Imagine if public office became what it truly means: public service.

But before we point fingers at leaders, Jesus speaks first to us. Because leadership is not only for senators and congressmen. Parents lead families. Teachers lead students. Priests lead communities. Business owners lead employees. Older siblings influence younger ones. The temptation is the same everywhere: To be served instead of serving.

Jesus gives us His own example: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Notice—Jesus had all authority, yet He chose humility. He had power, yet He washed feet. He was Lord, yet He carried the Cross. That is Christian leadership.

So today let us pray: Lord, raise up leaders for our country who seek service more than applause, integrity more than influence, and sacrifice more than privilege.

And Lord, begin with us. Because the renewal of a nation begins not in Congress, but in converted hearts. Amen.

26/05/2026

MAY 27, 2026 - 6:30 AM MASS
WEDNESDAY - 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY,

REV. FR. FLORIANO "NONONG" ROA, MSP
Presider

25/05/2026

MAY 26, 2026 - 6:30 AM MASS
TUESDAY - 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
MEMORIAL OF ST. PHILIP NERI, PRIEST

REV. FR. GORGONIO "TATA" LLUBIT, MSP
Presider

24/05/2026

MAY 25, 2026 - 6:30 AM MASS
MEMORIAL OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,
MOTHER OF THE CHURCH (Monday after Pentecost Sunday)
(Decreed by Pope Francis on March 3, 2018 & signed on February 11, 2018)

REV. FR. GORGONIO "TATA" LLUBIT
Presider

24/05/2026

HAPPY PENTECOST SUNDAY! | “Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. Pentecost is often called the birthday of the Church. But if we reflect carefully, Pentecost is not simply the birthday of the Church—it is also the day the disciples stopped being fearful believers and became courageous witnesses.

Before Pentecost, the disciples already believed in Jesus. They already attended His teachings. They already prayed. But they were hiding behind locked doors. After Pentecost, they went out. That is the difference.

And perhaps this is the challenge for many of us today: Are we Christians only inside the church, or are we disciples also outside the church?

Many Filipinos still go to Mass. But Pentecost asks us a difficult question: Does our faith continue after the final blessing?

Today’s readings give us three invitations.

1. The Holy Spirit sends us beyond the walls of the Church.

In the Gospel (John 20:19–23), Jesus entered the room where the disciples were hiding and said: “Peace be with you… As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Notice: Jesus did not say, “Stay here and remain comfortable.” He said: Go. The Spirit was never given for private comfort but for public mission.

Sometimes we unconsciously become “Sunday Catholics.” We attend Mass faithfully—but Monday to Saturday, our faith becomes invisible.

We pray at church, but become impatient at home. We receive Holy Communion, but refuse reconciliation. We know Bible verses, but ignore justice, honesty, and kindness.

Pentecost reminds us: Our churches are not parking areas for believers. They are departure areas for missionaries.

The true test of Mass is not attendance but transformation.

When people meet us in the office, school, market, classroom, social media, or at home—can they somehow encounter Christ through us?

2. The Holy Spirit transforms ordinary life into a place of mission.

Saint Paul says in Romans: “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.”

Not everyone preaches. Not everyone sings. Not everyone leads. But everyone has a gift.

Your mission may not be in a foreign country. Your mission may be: to become an honest public servant, a faithful spouse, a patient parent, a responsible student, an ethical businessman, a compassionate doctor, a teacher who forms values, a worker who does not cheat.

Many people think holiness happens only in convents and rectories. No. Pentecost says holiness can happen in traffic, in offices, in kitchens, in meetings, in hospitals, and even online.

One of the biggest misunderstandings is this: People think faith is one part of life. But for Christians, faith must shape all of life.

Do not leave Jesus inside the church. Bring Him to your decisions. Bring Him to your conversations. Bring Him to your spending habits. Bring Him to your social media. Bring Him to how you treat people.

3. The Holy Spirit makes us witnesses, not merely spectators.

In Acts, after receiving the Spirit, the disciples spoke in many languages and people understood them. Why? Because the Spirit wanted the Gospel to reach people where they were.

Today, people also speak different “languages.” Some speak the language of loneliness. Some speak the language of anxiety. Some speak the language of anger. Some speak the language of disappointment.

Some no longer listen to sermons, but they still notice kindness. Some no longer read the Bible, but they still read our lives. And perhaps this is where Pentecost challenges us most.

Our country today does not only need more churchgoers. It needs more Christians who refuse corruption, speak truth without hatred, care for creation, forgive, serve, and choose integrity even when nobody is watching.

The strongest homily is not preached from a pulpit. It is preached through life.

My dear brothers and sisters,

Today, let us ask the Holy Spirit: Do not allow us to become Christians only on Sundays. Set our hearts on fire so that our faith may be seen every day.

Because the world will not be changed by Catholics who only attend Mass. The world will be changed by Catholics who live the Mass.

Come, Holy Spirit. Set our hearts on fire and send us out. Amen.”

— Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy
Maymay sa Magbalantay | 24 May 2026