Santa Monica Parish - Mabini, Bohol

06/09/2026

Ikakawhaag-Tulo nga Domingo sa Sulod sa Tuig, Misa alang sa PAGAMPING SA KABUHATAN (2nd Mass).

Lampara - Diocese of Talibon
Santa Monica Parish - Mabini, Bohol

05/09/2026

THE SINNER BECAME A SHEPHERD | “Today, as we celebrate Saint Augustine, the Gospel gives us the parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise. Five were foolish. All ten had lamps. All ten were waiting. But only five had enough oil.

Perhaps the Gospel leaves us with one simple question: Is there still oil in your lamp?

The lamp is what people can see from the outside—our achievements, reputation, position, even our religious practices. But the oil is what keeps the flame alive from within.

Saint Augustine had many things. He was intelligent, educated, ambitious, and gifted. He searched for happiness in pleasure, relationships, ideas, and success. But something was missing. His heart was restless.

Later he would write: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”

Augustine discovered something we also need to learn today: you can fill your life with many things and still have an empty heart. You can have money but no peace. You can have thousands of followers but feel alone. You can know many things but still not know where your life is going.

A lamp is not enough. We need oil. And what is our oil?

Prayer is oil. The Eucharist is oil.
God’s Word is oil. Quiet time with God is oil. These ordinary things keep the flame of faith burning.

And notice something important in the Gospel: “The bridegroom was delayed.”

Sometimes God also seems delayed. We pray for healing, but healing does not come. We pray for a child to change, but nothing happens. We pray for peace in the family, but the problem continues.

That is when we need oil.

Faith is not only trusting God when everything is going well. Faith is keeping your lamp burning even when God seems to be taking His time.

Saint Augustine himself took a long time to return to God. His mother Monica prayed and waited for years. And eventually, Augustine came home.

The restless young man became a saint. The sinner became a shepherd. The man who searched everywhere for happiness finally discovered God.

Augustine would later pray: “Late have I loved You, Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved You!”

He came late. But he came. And perhaps somebody here needs to hear that today.

It is not too late to return to God.
It is not too late to pray again.
It is not too late to change.
It is not too late to put oil back into your lamp.

——

I once heard about an elderly father whose son had stopped going to church and had become distant from the family. For years the father invited him to come home for Sunday lunch. Most Sundays the answer was, “I’m busy.”

But the father kept setting a place for him at the table.

One Sunday, unexpectedly, the son came.

He saw his usual chair waiting for him and asked, “Papa, why do you still prepare a place for me when you know I rarely come?”

His father simply said: “Because you are still my son. And I always hope you will come home.”
——

My dear friends, perhaps that is also the heart of God.

Augustine wandered for years, but there was always a place waiting for him.

And there is a place waiting for us too.

So keep some oil in your lamp. Keep praying. Keep hoping. And if you have wandered far away, come home.

The Bridegroom is still waiting.”

— Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy
Maymay sa Magbalantay | 28 August 2026

05/09/2026

Season of Creation 2026

05/09/2026

Ikakawhaag-Tulo nga Domingo sa Sulod sa Tuig, Misa alang sa PAGAMPING SA KABUHATAN(1st mass).

Lampara - Diocese of Talibon
Santa Monica Parish - Mabini, Bohol

30/08/2026

IKAKAWHAAG-DUHA NGA DOMINGO SULOD SA TUIG (2ND MASS).

Lampara - Diocese of Talibon Santa Monica Parish - Mabini, Bohol

29/08/2026

IKAKAWHAAG-DUHA NGA DOMINGO SULOD SA TUIG (1ST MASS).

Lampara - Diocese of Talibon
Santa Monica Parish - Mabini, Bohol

28/08/2026

𝗔 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗢𝗡

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗼𝗻.

From October 19–23, 2026, representatives of our local Church will gather for the First Diocesan Synod of the Diocese of Talibon. Yet this Synod is more than an event in October. It is a journey that has already begun.

For months, our Diocese has listened to the voices of our people through consultations with parishes, BECs, commissions, ministries, clergy, religious, lay faithful, youth, families and various sectors of our communities. Their hopes, concerns, struggles and dreams have helped us see both the life that is already present in our Diocese and the areas where we are being called to renewal.

At the heart of this journey is one question:

Where is the Holy Spirit leading the Diocese of Talibon?

The Synod invites us to look back with gratitude for forty years of God's faithfulness, honestly acknowledge what still needs healing, and discern how we can become a Church that is more deeply formed, more synodal, more compassionate and more missionary.

The Synod belongs not only to those who will gather in October. It belongs to all of us. What happens in the Assembly will be rooted in the prayers, hopes, and experiences of the entire local Church.

As we prepare for this historic gathering, we invite everyone, especially our brothers and sisters in the wider Church, to join us in prayer for the Synod and its delegates. May the Holy Spirit guide our listening and discernment, strengthen our communion and lead the Diocese faithfully into the mission entrusted to us by Christ.

Sa maka-usa pa, atong ampoon ang Pag-ampo Alang sa Unang Sinodo Diocesano sa Diyosesis sa Talibon

𝐏𝐀𝐆-𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐎 𝐒𝐀 𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐃𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐎 𝐒𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐎𝐍

O Santisima Trinidad, nagapasalamat kami Kanimo tungod sa mga panalangin nga Imong gibubo alang sa Diyosesis sa Talibon sulod sa kap-atan ka tuig nga paglawig. Sa among pagsaulog sa UNANG SINODO DIOCESANO, kami - kaparian, relihiyoso ug laiko - nagtahan sa among kaugalingon nganha Kanimo diha sa pagpasalamat, paghinulsol ug paglaum, aron bisan unsa nga among himoon niining Sinodo mapunting unta alang sa kabag-ohan sa Simbahang Lokal sa Talibon nga nagkahiusa isip Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban nga gisangonan sa misyon isip nagasimba, nagasangyaw ug nag-alagad nga Simbahan, nga andam sa pagkab-ot ngadto sa mga nahimulag ug napadaplin, uban sa kahiusahan sa Simbahan sa tibook kalibutan ug sa kapunungan sa mga kaobispohan nga nahiusa sa Santo Papa. Kami usab nagpahimutang sa among pagsalig ubos sa inahanong pagpanlaban sa Bulahang Birhen Maria, ang modelo sa Kristohanong Pagkatinun-an ug kang San Jose Iyang Bana nga among amahanong manlalaban. Kining tanan among gipangayo pinaagi ni Kristo nga among Ginoo. Amen.

𝗔 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗢𝗡

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗼𝗻.

From October 19–23, 2026, representatives of our local Church will gather for the First Diocesan Synod of the Diocese of Talibon. Yet this Synod is more than an event in October. It is a journey that has already begun.

For months, our Diocese has listened to the voices of our people through consultations with parishes, BECs, commissions, ministries, clergy, religious, lay faithful, youth, families and various sectors of our communities. Their hopes, concerns, struggles and dreams have helped us see both the life that is already present in our Diocese and the areas where we are being called to renewal.

At the heart of this journey is one question:

Where is the Holy Spirit leading the Diocese of Talibon?

The Synod invites us to look back with gratitude for forty years of God's faithfulness, honestly acknowledge what still needs healing, and discern how we can become a Church that is more deeply formed, more synodal, more compassionate and more missionary.

The Synod belongs not only to those who will gather in October. It belongs to all of us. What happens in the Assembly will be rooted in the prayers, hopes, and experiences of the entire local Church.

As we prepare for this historic gathering, we invite everyone, especially our brothers and sisters in the wider Church, to join us in prayer for the Synod and its delegates. May the Holy Spirit guide our listening and discernment, strengthen our communion and lead the Diocese faithfully into the mission entrusted to us by Christ.

Once again, together we pray the prayer of the First Diocesan Synod of Talibon:

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗢𝗡

O Most Holy Trinity, we thank you for the blessings You have showered upon the Diocese of Talibon through the past 40 years of existence. As we celebrate the FIRST DIOCESAN SYNOD, we—clergy, religious and laity—surrender ourselves to You in gratitude, repentance and hope, in order that whatever we do in the Synod may be for the renewal of the Local Church of Talibon united as basic ecclesial communities entrusted with the mission as worshipping, evangelizing and serving Church, reaching out to those alienated in the peripheries, in union with the Universal Church and the conference of bishops in union with the Pope. We likewise place our trust under the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the model of Christian discipleship, and St. Joseph her spouse, our paternal protector. All this we ask through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

27/08/2026

27/08/2026

JESUS WANTS MORE THAN APPEARANCES | “You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones.”

These words of Jesus sound harsh. But He is not condemning people simply because they are imperfect. If that were the case, none of us would survive this Gospel!

Jesus is confronting something more dangerous: a life that looks good outside but refuses conversion inside. And so, if there is one message I would like us to bring home today, it is this: DON’T JUST LOOK GOOD. LET GOD MAKE YOU GOOD.

THE PROBLEM OF THE “WHITEWASHED TOMB”

The image Jesus uses would have been very familiar to His listeners. According to Jewish law, contact with a grave brought ritual impurity. Tombs were therefore made visible, traditionally by whitening them, so that people would not unknowingly come into contact with them. Jesus takes this familiar image and turns it into a spiritual warning.

Something can be clean outside and unclean inside. Beautiful outside, but lifeless within.

And this is where the Gospel becomes uncomfortable—because it is very easy to work on the outside. We know how to look respectable. We know what to wear. We know what to say. We know how to behave when people are watching.

And today, with social media, we have become even better at presenting the outside. We can choose the best picture, the best angle, the best smile, even the best Bible verse!

But there is no filter for the heart before God. People see our posts. God sees our hearts. People hear our words. God knows our intentions. People may applaud our goodness. God knows whether there is love behind it.

That is why Jesus’ words are not simply an attack against the Pharisees. They are an invitation for every disciple to examine the heart.

JESUS WANTS MORE THAN APPEARANCES

Notice something important: Jesus is speaking to very religious people. Their problem was not that they prayed too much or observed the law too seriously. The problem was that religious observance could become a substitute for genuine conversion.

We can go to Mass and still refuse to forgive. We can pray the Rosary and still destroy somebody with gossip. We can quote Scripture and still treat our employees, helpers, family members, or neighbors badly. We can appear generous while secretly wanting recognition. We can defend morality very loudly while refusing to examine our own sins.

Jesus is saying: Do not use religion to decorate the outside. Allow God to transform the inside. This is why Psalm 51 gives us such a beautiful prayer: “A clean heart create for me, O God.”

Not merely, “Lord, make me look good.” But: “Lord, make my heart good.”

Because Christianity is not primarily about managing our image. It is about allowing Christ to transform our heart.

THE STORY OF THE MIRROR

There was once a man who was preparing to attend an important celebration. Before leaving home, he stood in front of the mirror and carefully fixed his hair, adjusted his clothes, and polished his shoes. He wanted to make a good impression.

As he was about to leave, his young daughter looked at him and asked, “Daddy, did you check your face?”

He laughed and said, “Of course. I have been looking in the mirror for several minutes.”

But the little girl pointed to his cheek and said, “No, I mean the mark on your face.”

He looked again and discovered a dark stain that he had not noticed. He had carefully arranged everything else, but he had failed to see what was most obvious.

My dear friends, sometimes we do the same thing with our spiritual lives. We carefully arrange our appearance, our reputation, and our religious activities, but we avoid looking honestly at what is happening within us.

Prayer is like a mirror—not a mirror that humiliates us, but one that helps us see the truth. God reveals the stains in our hearts not to shame us, but to cleanse us.”

— Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy
Maymay sa Magbalantay | 26 August 2026