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Nuestra Señora de la Salud and Augustinian Recollect Devotions, Trinity Hill Road, Brgy. Quisao, Pililla (2026)

28/02/2026

2nd Sunday of Lent
1 March 2026

Reflection: “Beloved: Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

St. Paul reminds Timothy in our Second Reading to be steadfast for the sake of the Gospel. It is an invitation to faithfulness and being ready to face the consequences of such faithfulness. It is clear for St. Paul and St. Timothy that living up to the Gospel means giving up our own perceived ideas, opinions, and plans. It rather, allowing God to produce in us through the Gospel, the graces and virtues necessary to give witness to Christ and to attain the promised eternal life.

The story of the Transfiguration reminds us of God’s call for us towards transformation in Christ. Christ is set us the model of true transformation that is achieved by obedience. The words of the Father points us to Christ as the standard of obedience, and we have to listen to Him. He is the Word of the Father who transformed the formless void to become a world full of creatures that live in harmony before sin entered and destroyed such harmony. However, this Word was made flesh and dwelt among us transformed this broken world into a world renewed and saved. The Transfiguration was a prelude of the Resurrection. It was a testament to God’s fidelity to His promise of salvation and in turn a challenge for us to be transformed and sanctified by that faithful-love of God in Christ Jesus.

In the Old Testament we are given the example of Abram who was called by God to leave his familiar place and go to the place God wants him to be. He followed God full of hope and trust that this Being who called him will bring him to fruition. Abram, who will become Abraham our father in faith, challenges us to greater trust in God’s plans for us. It might be at times very unclear and uncertain, but it will direct us to a fuller life and a transformed humanity. God’s call transformed Abram to be Abraham, because he followed His biddings. In turn, our obedience to God will transform us to be the best version of ourselves.

21/02/2026

‎First Sunday of Lent
‎22 February 2026
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‎Reflection: "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous."
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‎We are now in the First Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel this Sunday talks about the Temptations of the Lord. These temptations reminds us of the three temptations that we undergo, fleshly desires, fame, and power. In these three temptations we oftenly fall and for many today they are not anymore temptations rather they are sort of necessities of life. The world teaches these as necessary and should be fulfilled. However, our Christian faith reminds us what is the most essential in life, our fidelity to God's commandments.
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‎The First Reading from the Book of Genesis reminds us of the fall of Adam and Eve. Their desire for God was lost because they succumbed to the temptation to fulfill what pleases the eyes, the idea that it was good for food, and the thought of becoming like God. Many today search for a god to his or her own liking, a god that will obey my principles and commandments. Many reject God who would bring them to the reality of their fragility, the God who would remind them that they cannot create their own world nor can make their lives last longer.
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‎The temptation to usurp God's power and throne is never new. Even from the very beginning of creation there were beings who thought the same, but failed. And these same beings are now enticing us all to follow their rebellious acts, to go against God even if we know we can never win. However, we must always remember that these beings, the devils, are not the only source of temptations, there is also the world and our own flesh (our wounded nature) that could give rise to more difficult temptations.
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‎In response to all these, our Gospel gives us a hint on how to win over these temptations that comes to us, FASTING. Fasting from the things that gives us delight or ignite our desire for pleasure will enable us to strengthen our will to choose God and love Him more. The three pillars of lent will help us combat the temptations that comes our way, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. May we find comfort in this reality that God has equipped us with the weapons to combat the devil and all his tactics and traps. Holy Church has been reminding us of these things every year as we enter into the holy season of Lent.
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‎May our lenten journey be fruitful through our personal choice of living out the values of the Kingdom and enter into the battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil with the weapons of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

14/02/2026

‎6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
‎15 February 2026
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‎Reflection: "‎Before man are life and death, good and evil,‎whichever he chooses shall be given him."
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‎The words of the Book of Sirach in our First Reading reminds us the reality of how the Commandments are to be understood. As Moses would remind the people of Israel from the moment that the Commandments have been promulgated, that it is directed to give life to those who live by them and death to those who wouldn't. This may not be physical death, but it goes beyond it, spiritual death, a complete estrangement from God who is Life Himself.
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‎The Lord Jesus in the Gospel this Sunday brings us deeper into the meaning of the Commandments. What we can easily discern to be sinful has a deeper source or can lead to another sin. Where we can easily find way to acquit ourselves, a greater sin might be lurking there. The Lord further reminds us that sin is not only committed, it can also be thought of, and at times there can be omissions. In other words, it is very easy to fall into sin when we are not focused on God and our relationship with Him. So there is the challenge for us to live a godly life, a holy life to which the commandments are our parameters. The Commandments keep us from falling into sin if we understand them in a more positive way, rather than restrictions to our freedom, in another words they keep us free to live in God's grace and in good relationship with Him and the rest of creation. This is why the Lord would remind us in another passage that the Commandments are summarized in loving God above all things and our neighbors as we love ourselves.
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‎St. Paul, in our Second Reading, reminds us of the wisdom that flows from Cross of Jesus with which the Holy Spirit reaches us. When we are made aware of the wisdom that flows from the Cross, we would never allow anything that would deny it to stay in our lives, that sin. The wisdom of Cross brings us to the reality of redemption and salvation. The Holy Spirit perfects us through the power of Christ's Cross. He ushers us through the pains of life and transform them into avenues or means of salvation if we would allow Him to work it out in our lives.
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‎As we prepare for Lent, which will begin this Wednesday, let us examine ourselves and make necessary preparations by going to confession and doing charitable acts. May the coming Lenten Season and Holy Week be fruiful for us all.

31/01/2026

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
‎1 February 2026
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‎Reflection: "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God."
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‎Our Readings this Sunday calls us to build up ourselves after Christ. We who have been baptized into Christ ought to live after His example. The Beatitudes points us to the person of Christ, they express the different aspects of Christ's life and each of us is called to follow after Him in a very specific way according to our vocation in life. But at the end, each beatitude is a way towards holiness of life, it a path towards perfection.
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‎But in order to live out the Beatitudes, we have to cultivate a humble heart. Since humility is the mother of all virtues, and it is also the foundation of all virtues, we have to live it out without prejudice. Humility transforms us to conform ourselves to Christ. This is the virtue that enables us to see what lies beyond what our eyes can see, for it is only the humble who can distinguish what is divine and what is evil.
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‎St. Paul reminds us in our Second Reading about God's love that transforms those who are nothing in the world to be His own. It is God's prerogative to call us to call the lowly so that through them His power maybe made manifest in their lives. It is God's will to lift up those who are humble to the heights of heaven and to make them partaker of His divine life and blessedness.
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‎It is to this that the Prophet Zephaniah calls the people. He says, "Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth,who have observed his law;seek justice, seek humility;perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger." The Lord will protect those who humble themselves in His presence, He will bless those who seek Him will their whole heart.

24/01/2026

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
25 January 2026

Reflection: “Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.”

For St. Paul, in our Second Reading, his mission was clear. He is called to preach Christ not with human eloquence but the Cross. The Cross is the central in our Christian faith, for we understand it to be God’s instrument of salvation. Through Christ’s death on the Cross, we have been liberated from sin and the grasp of the evil one.

Christ’s coming into our human scene is the fulfillment of the Prophet Isaiah’s prophecy. Christ is the light that pierces the darkness that envelops us. He, through His Cross, opened the gates that separate us from God and from each other. And so He invites us to share in this mission of preaching the Good News.

As in today’s Gospel, Jesus calls His first four disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He called them to be His close associates in His mission of gathering the people back to God. He called them to be fishers of men, an allusion to their trade as fishermen. This reminds us that God calls us where we are and who we are. It is in our present state that He calls and transforms us according to His plan without taking our will but inviting us to surrender to His will with generosity and love.

May the we continue to preach the Cross as source of hope in our world today. May we never tire of giving witness to our faith in good times and bad times that we may ever grow in patience, love, and mercy after the Heart of Jesus.

17/01/2026

‎Feast of the Sto. Niño
‎18 January 2026
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‎Reflection: "His dominion is vastand forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,‎which he confirms and sustains‎by judgment and justice,‎both now and forever."
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‎Today we celebrate the Feast of the Sto. Niño. This feast reminds us of God's love manifested through the Incarnation of the Son. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity became one like us in all things but sin, and His Incarnation brought a new beginning in the History of humanity and its relationship with God. The Sto Niño reminds us of God the Father's promise and the its fulfillment. The Savior is with us, God is with us.
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‎In our history as a nation the presence of the Holy Child has been the turning point ushering a new era that would bring this islands to be a nation under God. The Presence of the Sto. Niño brought our forefathers to the light of the Gospel imperfect it might have been, but it is true and a fact. Our faith in God might not be that strong, but it is resilient as that of a child ready to listen and follow after hurting itself from wrong choices. The Prophet Isaiah has foretold that this Child will be a light for a people in darkness, and indeed the Sto. Niño is our bright light leading us to the Father.
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‎St. Paul reminds us beautifully of what this Child has accomplished for us, for this Holy Child did not remain a child but grew up to be the Christ, our Savior. He says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved." He has brought us the best gift we can ever receive, the gift of becoming God's children. The Holy Child is the Father's gift to us. May we also become a gift to others.
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‎Our Gospel today invites us to live in humility after the example of the Lord Jesus. We have to become what He gifted us to become, to be true children of Father and live as responsible brothers and sisters to others by living out the values of the Kingdom. We are responsible that no one will be lost because of our words and action, even our inaction in desperate times. We have One Father, we are brothers and sisters let us hold on to the things that will foster unity and holiness in us, in turn shun the things that will divide and destroy the image of God within us.
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‎May Señor Sto. Niño inspire us to a greater trust in the Father, unite us as a family under the Fatherhood of God, and strengthen our resolve to be obedient and loving sons and daughters.
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‎Viva Pit Señor!
‎Viva Señor Sto. Niño!

10/01/2026

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
11 January 2026

Reflection: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit…”

As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we also end the Season of Christmas. Christmas has brought us to the fulfillment of God’s promise of sending us a Savior. Christmas also opened to us the mystery of the Incarnation. Now, as we enter the Ordinary Time of our Liturgical Year, we care invited to reflect on the mystery of Christ’s Baptism.

The words of St John the Baptist to the Lord Jesus expresses the profound humility of the servant to his Master, the precursor to the One he was sent to proclaim. Humility is indeed the mother of all the virtues. She opens one to the reality of the faith, strengths our hope, and invigorate charity. The humility of St. John brings us to know the central message of Christ’s Baptism, that is obedience. Christ went for baptism to fulfill His mission of salvation, He received baptism not because He was sinful and in need of repentance rather to take on our sinfulness upon Himself and sanctify the waters that later on be our source of sanctification.

In baptism, we are immersed in the water that is sanctified by Christ’s saving passion, death, and resurrection. This Paschal Mystery of Christ is the profound expression of His obedience to the Father and through which we receive the grace of regeneration and adoption. Through Christ we have been given a new identity, we are made children of God and heirs of the Kingdom with Christ. However, baptism also gives us a responsibility of forming ourselves after Christ, that we live a life of obedience to the Father’s will and Christ did. By living out our Baptismal Promises we grow more to be matured Christians and witnesses to Christ and the Gospel in the world today. Let us, therefore, listen to Christ that we may be able to obey and bring ourselves to fruition. May the graces of baptism increase in us as we continue to grow as disciples of Christ and children of God.

03/01/2026

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
4 January 2026

Reflection: “They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. This celebration invites us to reflect on God’s offer of salvation for all. Christ opens Himself to us, to be our light in the darkness of the world.

The Prophet Isaiah prophesied of God’s coming and bringing light to His people. This light offers them a new sense of freedom in the Lord, for He Himself is the light that brings them a new identity beyond compare. It is through them that the world would know God’s salvation. The people who are in darkness will come to light, they will bring to that light to the world and set it on fire with love for God.

To this, St. Paul reminds us that it is by God’s grace in Christ that we are made coheirs of heaven. We gentiles have become coheirs through Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. He opens us to a new relationship with Father who adopted us to be His children in Christ Jesus.

In other words, the star of Bethlehem was the sign of God’s call for all to towards salvation. On the other hand, the Magi’s response to the sign presents to us our own way towards salvation. God calls us in our own state of life, even in our sinfulness and destitution,that we may be able to see the beauty of the light even in the darkness that we are in. The light, no matter how small it might be, leads us towards God, however we must follow it and start going after it that it may lead us towards where God wants us to be. The light of Christ, Christ Himself, transforms us to be the best of who we are and He ushers us not to fall back to the past that we have been to. Like the Magi, we are to take another path that we maybe able to reach our home and transform it for the better.

31/12/2025

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
1 January 2026

Reflection: “So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.”

Our being children of God through baptism open us to a wider world, a world that is transformed by love that knows no bounds. In this world under the Fatherhood of God peace reigns, mercy and forgiveness is given, love or charity is the norm. In this family, we are given a mother, one like us but sinless, human yet sanctified, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As we begin another year, we are invited to enter a new relationship with God, and the Blessed Mother is our beacon that leads us to Him. Mary is first and foremost the model of true discipleship. Her maternity goes beyond generation of children, she ushers us towards transformation in Christ. Mary is never a hindrance to our desire of following Christ, rather she teaches us how to follow Him unreservedly and to give ourselves to Him entirely. God gave us Mary as an example that holiness is not impossible, difficult but never impossible. Our humanity can be transformed by the grace of God and our will to cooperate with this grace.

So, as we open another year, let us allow the Holy Spirit to envelop us with His gifts and be transformed as authentic disciples of the Lord. It is only when we have been transformed by grace that true peace can dwell with us. It is, then, our hope that we find the “Shalom” of God by living out our Christian life with fidelity. Let us not rest our hope in “luck”, charms, polka dots, etc., but in the Living God who was Incarnate of the Virgin Mary.

A Blessed New Year to you and your family. May Christ, the Prince of Peace, and the Blessed Mother bless you all throughout this new year.

27/12/2025

Feast of the Holy Family
‎28 December 2025
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‎Reflection: "Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways."
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‎Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. This feast reminds us of the importance of family life in our spiritual life. As we celebrate Christmas, we invited to enter into the mystery of God's loving plan of salvation and it is in the context of building up a family that He wishes us to see this mystery. God entered our human scene by being born in a family that loves, prays, respects, cares, and protects. So it is in this context that God plans to be part of us and so it will be for us to be part of His.
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‎Our Readings this Sunday remind us of the important roles that each member of the family has to play. No one is unimportant, each one has to do his or her part so that the family may become how God intended them to be. God wants each to reach perfection, not in the way the world views perfection rather in the context of participation in the divine life, in other words to become holy. Each member of the family grows in holiness through prayer and self-giving.
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‎The father is to lead, protect, and provide. His presence reminds us of God's providential love that keeps us in the path of sanctification. He is to exercise his leadership by being an example of faithfulness to God and in selflessly loving his family.
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‎The mother is to teach, nurture, and comfort. By her virtues the father is strengthened and the children are uplifted. She is to be the light when darkness seems to envelope the family through her pure love and care, her prayers and sacrifices.
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‎The children are to love and honor the parents. These are clearly seen in the way they treat them, by being grateful to them, by caring for them especially in their old age. The Book of Sirach reminds us of this, "‎My son, take care of your father when he is old;grieve him not as long as he lives. ‎Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;revile him not all the days of his life; ‎kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the debt of your sins—a house raised in justice to you."
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‎In all of these, we are given the example of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus as examples of family life. We can see in them how it is to be a family that is holy and full of grace. Their poverty is never a hindrance to their holiness abd they show to us that material wealth is not the measure of true blessedness, rather God's true blessing is a holy life. Material wealth or prosperity is an added bonus if He deems it helpful for our sanctification and salvation. We have to aspire to reach heaven even in our poverty, than be rich in worldly things and lose eternal life.
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‎Most Holy Family of Nazareth help our families become holy after your example. Bless us all with your presence and make our homes a place of prayer, love, forgiveness, and peace. Amen.

24/12/2025

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
25 December 2025

Reflection: “Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.”

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord or Christmas Day, let us take time to reflect on the profound mystery of the Incarnation and the marvelous fruits that it brings to us. Christmas always brings joy and excitement to many who experienced it in a way that is filled with festivities and merrymaking, but if we recall that very first Christmas, it was filled with both sorrow and joy. Sorrow because they cannot find proper lodging and was brought to a stable. Joy for the whole of creation rejoiced at the coming of the Savior, angels sung and pointed out to the shepherds the joyful news of His birth.

On the other hand, we are also invited today to reflect on the person of the Savior. The Letter to the Hebrews expresses the mystery that comes with His Person, He is the Father’s voice that speaks to us directly as a human person. He is one like us in everything but sin. He is the Son through whom everything was created and in Him we find the fulfillment of our humanity.

The Word who was with the Father from the beginning, now enters our world to bring us all back to the Father. He entered our darkness that He might enlighten us and enkindle our hearts and burn brightly for the world to see where it is now and what God offers it through Him. The Word is made flesh and dwelt among us, that we might be transformed by His Words and be nourished by His Flesh.

Let us, therefore, turn to the Lord with Mary and Joseph and be amazed of the beauty of this day. God comes to save us, may we allow Him to save us.

A Blessed and Joyful Christmas to you and your family!

20/12/2025

4th Sunday of Advent
21 December 2025

Reflection: “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”

As we continue our Advent Journey, we are invited today to reflect on obedience. In our world today that gives so much emphasis on personal choices or personal freedom, the topic of obedience is so difficult to tackle. For many, obedience seems to deprive them of freedom and personal preference or choice, and this topic seems to fall on deaf ears. But our faith points us to the importance of faith and the wonderful fruits it bears for us.

Our Gospel this Sunday gives us the example of St. Joseph as an example of such obedience. St. Joseph’s obedience and self-surrender to God has earned him the title that no one else cannot gain, “Redemptoris Custos,” (Guardian of the Redeemer). St. Joseph teaches us that when we choose to follow God we can achieve great things for which He wants us to achieve. Obedience leads us to see beyond ourselves, it helps us to put ourselves in the proper place at the proper time. We can exercise our freedom to choose whatever we want or choose to be, God respects this. However, if we really understand that God’s plan for us is always for our betterment and the betterment of others, it would not be difficult to follow it as St. Joseph did.

We can ask ourselves, “How did St. Joseph know that the message really comes from God?” As it is said of St. Joseph, he was a righteous man, this can lead us to say that he was attuned to the voice of God because he was a person of prayer and was full of wisdom. His righteousness goes beyond mere observance of the law, he was a man of great faith and this faith led him to a deeper relationship and knowledge of God. And because of this righteousness, he knows God’s ways and means in human life.

As we come to this final days of Advent, may we take on the challenge of growing in grace through obedience and self-sacrifice. May we take on the path that God will show us even if it seems too difficult and remote from our plans and desires. May St. Joseph guide us through these paths and show us that to be able to live in holiness we need obedience and a deep love for God.

Nuestra Señora de la Salud and Augustinian Recollect Devotions

28/02/2026

21/02/2026

14/02/2026

31/01/2026

24/01/2026

17/01/2026

10/01/2026

03/01/2026

31/12/2025

27/12/2025

24/12/2025

20/12/2025

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