Ministry Of Altar Servers -Dalaguete

03/03/2026

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH | “The readings today are not meant to shame us, but to wake us up. God speaks to His people not with anger, but with the love of a Father who wants His children to live rightly and freely.

Let me share three simple invitations from the Word of God today.

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1. God desires a changed heart, not just religious actions.

In the first reading, God says something very striking. He tells His people: “I have had enough of your sacrifices.”

Why? Because their worship had become empty. They were offering prayers, rituals, and sacrifices—but their lives were not changing.

So God says instead: “Wash yourselves clean. Stop doing evil. Learn to do good.”

The message is clear: God is not impressed by religious appearances. He looks at the heart.

We may go to Mass, pray the rosary, hold titles, or be active in church—but the real question is: Are we becoming kinder? More honest? More forgiving?

Faith is not proven by how much we do in church, but by how we live outside of it.

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2. Practice what you preach.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the scribes and Pharisees. He says something very honest: “They preach, but they do not practice.”

Jesus is not against teaching. He is against hypocrisy.

This Gospel is for all of us—priests, parents, leaders, elders, professionals.
People are not converted by our words alone. They are converted by our example.

Children learn faith not from sermons, but from what they see at home.
People learn integrity not from speeches, but from daily choices.

The strongest witness of faith is a life that quietly says: “I try my best to live what I believe.”

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3. Greatness in God’s eyes is humility and service.

Finally, Jesus gives us the heart of the Gospel: “The greatest among you must be your servant.”

In the world, greatness means position, recognition, and power. In God’s Kingdom, greatness means humility, service, and love.

True faith does not seek attention. True goodness does not demand praise.

The holiest people are often the quiet ones:
• Those who serve without being noticed,
• Those who forgive without being thanked,
• Those who do good even when no one is watching.

And Jesus assures us: “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Final Words

Today, the Lord invites us to simplicity:
• Not perfect faith, but sincere faith.
• Not loud religion, but lived love.
• Not proud titles, but humble service.

Let us ask for the grace to wash our hearts, live what we believe, and serve with humility.

If we do this, God promises us in Isaiah:
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”

— Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy
Maymay sa Magbalantay | 03 March 2026

10/02/2026

Serving the Church is not about being seen, but about being sincere. 🙏

27/12/2025

24/12/2025

𝘾𝙃𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙈𝘼𝙎 𝙏𝙍𝙄𝙑𝙄𝘼: 𝙒𝙃𝙊 𝙈𝘼𝘿𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙑𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙎𝘾𝙀𝙉𝙀?

'Belen' is a prominent display in churches and even in houses during Christmas season. Did you know that the first ever nativity scene was invented in 1221 by a saint?

The idea came from Saint Francis of Assisi. To celebrate the birth of our Lord, he wanted to recreate the experience of the first Christmas. He did this not with statues inside a church, but with animals in a humble hilltop grove. His inspiration came after traveling to the Holy Land and seeing the exact site of Jesus' birth. The poverty of it all made a huge impact to Saint Francis and was a particular element that he wanted to celebrate on Christmas.

Franciscan friar Thomas of Celano narrates the rest of the story.

"[A]bout 15 days before the Nativity of the Lord, [Francis] said to [a friend in Greccio], "… For I would make memorial of that Child who was born in Bethlehem, and in some sort behold with bodily eyes His infant hardships; how He lay in a manger on the hay, with the ox and the ass standing by."

"There Simplicity was honored, Poverty exalted, Humility commended; and of Greccio there was made as it were a new Bethlehem. The night was lit up as the day, and was delightful to men and beasts … [Francis] stood before the manger, full of sighs, overcome with tenderness and filled with wondrous joy. The solemnities of Mass were celebrated over the manger, and the priest enjoyed a new consolation."

According to Saint Bonaventure, a miracle also happened on that night and someone noticed Saint Francis holding the Christ Child.

"A certain valiant and veracious soldier … affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful, sleeping in the manger, Whom the blessed Father Francis embraced with both his arms, as if he would awake Him from sleep."

The scene was powerful for all present and emphasized the poverty into which Jesus was born. It was truly “Franciscan” in every sense of the word. The idea caught on quickly and in 1291 the first Franciscan pope, Nicholas IV, commissioned statues to create the first permanent Nativity scene in the Roman Basilica of St. Mary Major. Ever since, Nativity scenes in all shapes and sizes have been made worldwide and they are one of the most popular Christmas traditions.

N.B. "Belen" is the Spanish term for "Bethlehem," the birthplace of Jesus.
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Sources:
(1) How St. Francis invented the first Nativity scene—Aleteia

(2) 📷 Pinterest

23/12/2025

https://buff.ly/46zVqiV