Terra Sancta Philippines, San Pedro Bautista Street, Quezon City (2026)

25/05/2026

Tuesday of the 8th week in ordinary times: in faith and obedience, we can find our hundredfold... indeed, we need to hold on to God’s promise. But, we should realize the full implications of this in the way we live our life for this does not mean a bed of roses or a life of abundance and without problems. This means doing our task and responsibilities fulfilling the purpose of our life. “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.“ As, the first reading emphasizes. And the Gospel tells us, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.” Hence, let us reflect on the invitations of our readings:
1. Generosity as a way of life... in our relationships with God and with the others around us. This means deepening our prayer time with the Lord, recognizing and responding to the needs of others. Let us become persons willing to sacrifice for the sake of others.
2. Inner joy and smiling faces should be our disposition and character... so that no matters what our situation is, we can still be positive in our outlook. We may be poor in the eyes of the world but if we entrust ourselves to God, we will be rich in love, graces and friends; and in oneness, we will always have inner peace in our journey to fullness of life.
3. God is a just God but we have to understand that His ways are not our ways... and so, we have to let go of our ways and submit to His ways in love that we may be free from worries and have the capacity to embrace others as our brothers and sisters. Truly, our life and future are in God’s loving hands.

Today is also the Memorial of St. Philip of Neri … Philip lived in an atmosphere of sunshine and gladness which brightened all who came near him. “When I met him in the street,” says one, “he would pat my cheek and say, ‘Well, how is Don Pellegrino?’ and leave me so full of joy that I could not tell which way I was going.” Others said that when he playfully pulled their hair or their ears, their hearts would bound with joy. And long after his death it was enough for many, when troubled, to go into his room to find their hearts lightened and gladdened. He inspired a boundless confidence and love, and was the common refuge and consoler of all. He died in his eightieth year, in 1595, and bears the grand title of “Apostle of Rome.” Like St. Philip, let us develop our sense of joy in belongingness and striving for oneness. Let allow the Lord to became our protector. For indeed, He brought us not only salvation but has also given us freedom to make our decisions in life. Now the question is, will our decisions be sources of delight to our loving God and Father that would be leading us to fullness of life? All the best in the decisions we take for life in God’s grace!

24/05/2026

Reflections on the daily readings of the 8th week in ordinary times: once again, we are back in the ordinary times of our day to day situations and activities that we must live extraordinarily well. We are invited to focus on the movement of our life's journey in its totality and to grow in our faith, so that we can acknowledge God as the source of everything we have. He is our light and life, as Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Let us believe deeply on God's grace and blessings and start participating in His mission and not pursue our own mission or direction in life. Let us be more obedient to His will and lived out His plan. As we affirm and strengthen our faith through this daily reflections, we need to feel that Jesus assures us, I am with you. Do not be afraid; you are not facing life’s tribulations alone but with me who can calm even the stormy seas of life. Yes, let us face life’s problems with faith that God is with us and in us. Let us journey together, supporting each other on the path to fullness of life for on our own we could not do it...

Monday of the 8th week in ordinary times: we say we believe and are Christians, but are we willing to pay the price of discipleship living as Christians? Jesus looks at us with love... will we turn away sad like the rich young man who could not go beyond his vested interests in this life? Let us look deeply on the invitations of the readings and find implications that we can reflect on to develop our God given potentials and reach the fullness of life:
1. Make the question of the rich man in the Gospel our own, as we make our soul searching on how to live our faith... “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” But, we must be ready to obey what Jesus would asked us to do or else our life becomes miserable for we will now know what is right, and continue to hold on to our old ways would truly make us unhappy. This question will make us face the reality that many times we are satisfied in the spirituality of “I have not done anything wrong” and now, we should move on to the spirituality of “I have to do something good for the others”.
2. We have to reorient again our priorities, directions and the totality of our lifestyle as the first reading encourage us, “glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet you believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of faith, the salvation of your souls.”
3. These are easier said than done if, we rely on ourselves... for we need the grace, the words of Jesus and the wisdom and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Remember, what Jesus tells us in the Gospel today, “give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me... how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Indeed, we are truly blessed for God have called us and gifted us with faith. Let us join therefore, the Psalmist in saying “I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart in the company and assembly of the just. Great are the works of the Lord, exquisite in all their delights.” All the best in allowing God’s grace to work in your life!

23/05/2026

Reflection time: on this Pentecost Day, we need to respond to the call of mission… we have to realize that Mission is not so much what we do as what we are! To be a Christian is to have a life not merely a job. Yes, a life of sharing in the life of the Lord in accordance to the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we have received from the breath of the Lord. We need to humble ourselves and recognize that we are called to unity and oneness, this means... Peace that is Enfleshed; Nurtured; made Transparent; and Energized by Christ Over and above Self vested interest Through Thick and Thin in living our life. The 1st reading (Acts 2:1-11) reminds us of the gift of the Spirit that can change us: “the time for Pentecost was fulfilled... Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The Res. Ps. (Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34) tells us that in the Spirit we have life: “If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” The 2nd reading (1Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13) exhorts us that the gift of the Spirit is not for ourselves alone but for the benefit of everyone: “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...” The Gospel (Jn 20:19-23) invites us to be conscious that we should always be peace makers and instruments of reconciliation and forgiveness: “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’.”

We have to remember what Jesus once said "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God". We are truly peacemakers if, we are able to preserve peace of mind and heart for love of our Lord Jesus Christ, despite all that we suffer in the world. This can truly be a grace-filled day for us... if, we allow the Spirit to inter into our life. Yes, the invitation of this day is to be united and to renew the face of the earth by living as the body of Jesus Christ and building up our communities. We can realize this through:
1. Undergoing Conversion and renewal of life... when this happens, the results is we begin to become understanding, forgiving and supportive to everyone we meet along the way.
2. Humility to accept fraternal correction and changing our behavior and life style according to the demands of our faith. We are called upon to carry to our family and the whole of humanity His message of Peace but we have to understand that the deepest-rooted obstacle to peace is lodged in our heart… our pride.
3. Let us live up to the invitation to renew the face of the earth. Let us Enter into a process of self examination and make a personal response to the demands of the invitation and challenge.

Yes, let us look at our way of life; are we a fault finder or a path finder... Meaning to say are we focus on the negative or the positive; critic or supportive; judgmental or affirmative? Talk to the Lord about what you see in yourself… All the best. May the God of peace and His breath of the Spirit dwell with you now and forever. Amen.

22/05/2026

Saturday of the 7th week of Easter: emphasizes our role as missionaries of Jesus Christ... these are missions of love, truth and peace. But being missionaries of love and mercy is not as easy as it may sound. This is the experience of Paul and the apostles, it coz them their very life! Now realizing this, would you still want to be missionaries of love? If you truly want, then, let us reflect on these ideas:
1. “For the Lord is just, he loves just deeds; the upright shall see his face”... can you and more importantly are you willing to develop more fully your capacity to be just and righteous in your ways no matter what it may cost you?
2. Jesus breathed on us, the Holy Spirit (at confirmation)... to bless us with His love and to help us in time of need. With this gift, we can have complete assurance and confidence to witness the building up of the kingdom. Do you believe this completely and make this your guiding principle in living your life?
3. Humble and total surrender to Christ and the prompting of the Holy Spirit... so that we can give a credible testimony of the love of God and His saving act. Do you thinks you can live this out or up to what cost are you willing to pay to be Christ’s disciples or should I say Christ’s samples in the world today?

Let us pray to praise and thank the Triune God who has poured out the grace of the Spirit on us all. May the Holy Spirit enlighten our hearts and strengthen our faith in times of doubt and crises. We truly need a greater share in the gifts of the Holy Spirit or rather, to have a greater desire to develop in us the gift of the Spirit. All the best!

We have to respond to the call of mission... by humbling ourselves and recognizing that we are called to Enflesh Peace; Nurture it; make it Transparent; and be Energized by it, so as to rise above our selfishness and vested interest. May this be a grace-filled day for us… that we may become men of hope, peace, and live in the joy of the reality of the kingdom in the here and now!

21/05/2026

Friday of the 7th week of Easter: the voice of jealousy and worldly concerns seem to be stronger and winning at the moment... but we should not lose hope for darkness and evil could never blow out the joy of love and the light of life eternal. The Spirit is a spark that can rekindle our zeal for goodness and fullness of aspiration for our identity and destiny. God has done His part, May we do our part. And so, let us start with these points for our reflections:
1. To grow in courage and face what the situations dish out to us... everything is grace and opportunity with the Spirit working in us. This was the experience of St Paul and will be our own experience if we accept, open ourselves and develop the gifts of the Spirit in us. This was the promise of Jesus Christ!
2. Allow the Holy Spirit to remind us of the teachings and precepts of Jesus... to inspire, and teach us to gain new insights and implications of these teachings suited to our time and situations.
3. To grow in love and to do things out of love... yes, caring, serving and feeding the little ones and the whole flock are the keys to God’s kingdom.

Christ, once again, invites us to simply “come and follow”... and He breathed on us the Holy Spirit, His unsurpassing love and oneness with us. As a result, we can become caring and compassionate in Jesus’ ways through the Spirit!

20/05/2026

Thursday of the 7th week of Easter: be strengthened and take courage are the invitations for us today... we still have works to do in the vineyard of the Lord. God will keep us safe as we do His will and He can lead us to eternal life! Truly, with faith and courage, we can live in obedience to the plan and purpose of our life and this means that we must continually develop and strengthen certain aspects of our life, like:
1. Our Relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters... for it is only in oneness that we can partake of the delight of God kingdom.
2. Our life of Witnessing and showing others the path to life of goodness and joy... is the mission entrusted to us. And we must always remember that fullness of joy is achieved in sharing.
3. Our Prayer life, we need to realize that we pray not merely for ourselves alone but for others also. We need to realize that credibility of life is achieve only if, we can go beyond our comfort zone… beyond ourselves.

In this way we can move on to perfection as Christ desires of us to achieve. “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Let us, therefore, develop ourselves into beautiful gifts of God to others by growing in our capacity to love and respect even the unlovable. All the best in God’s grace!

19/05/2026

Wednesday of the 7th week of Easter: today is a great challenge for us to be faithful to Christ who has given us a name... and in being true to our name we can have wholeness in our personal life and achieve oneness with the others around us. Here is the great challenge for we need to do our part by keeping His teaching and concretizing this in our acts of compassion and concern in helping others, especially the helpless. Let us ponder more fully on this by looking at these realities and reflecting on the following questions:
1. Christ has already called, strengthened and given us a future and destiny. Yes, He has built us up to be His instruments to continue to tend His church today. And the question is, can this be seen in our actuations and behavior as we interact with one another?
2. He invites us to consecrate our life to truth and goodness by living His precepts and prioritizing His words not the worldly temptations. Again, we need to ask do we always tell the truth even if it would seem to lead us to troubles and pains or try to escape by by lies and justifications?
3. Believing and in being baptized in Jesus’ name means, we no longer belong to the worldly ways but to His ways. Now carrying the name of Jesus Christ, do we truly believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive and are we willing to live out the implications of this Christian principle?

May, we always be on guard that we will not succumbed to the influence of the worldly allurements... rather, that we constantly submit ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we can gain strength and will never be lost like St Bernardine of Siena whose memorial we celebrate today. St. Bernardine was born in 1380 and he left the world at an early age in order to lead a hermit’s life. When he was twenty-two, he entered the Franciscan Order, he became the minister General of the order. But, later on he resigned this charge in order to devote himself to preaching. He preached the name of Jesus with such love that it wrought the transformation of many souls. He was instrumental in effecting many conversions. He died at Aquilea, in the midst of his missionary labors, on May 20, 1444, and was canonized six years later. May all the best come our way in oneness with the Spirit!

18/05/2026

Tuesday of the 7th week of Easter: the invitation for us is to serve the Lord in humility and not serving as a way of carving a name for ourselves rather for the benefit of the common good. This is the challenge of the readings for us today. And so, let us look at how we can develop and grow into this attitude of humility:
1. Faith in Jesus Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives are the starting points... this means openness of our minds and hearts to God’s grace. Yes, we need to obey the will and plans of God and strive to be true to our nature and the purpose of our life.
2. Acceptance of our sinfulness and recognition of our need of God‘s mercy... yes, repentance and desire to change and to begin again must become our goal. We need to bear witness to the beauty of the Gospel and the working of grace in our life.
3. To consider Christ’s teachings as the priority and not our wishes and dreams... is the way of humility and this is the only way to reach our destiny. The Gospel, tells us, “this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.”

Indeed, we should realize that ultimately it’s not we that bear the burdens of life but God, who is our salvation. The responsorial psalm tells us, “God is a saving God for us; the Lord, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.” Let us therefore, give glory to Jesus Christ by our life of humility. All the best!

17/05/2026

Reflections on the daily readings of the 7th week of Easter: we continue to focus and deepen our understanding on the role of the Spirit in our life... here, we can give emphasis on the challenges and invitations of our readings that can leads us to a meaningful preparation for the celebration of the Solemnity of Pentecost. We need to prepare ourselves so that the power of the gift of the Holy Spirit must have a real impact in us... and so, we must start the process of transforming our life! Remember our mind and heart have been imbued with the Holy Spirit. Let us live out the effects of these gifts of the Spirit that we have received in baptism and brought to fullness in the sacrament of confirmation. Reflect that we may be transformed...

Monday of the 7th week of Easter: many times, we just take for granted the role of the Holy Spirit’s in our life. We have never fully understood and appreciated the gifts of the Spirit that we received in the sacrament of confirmation... today’s readings and celebration make us aware of the working of the Spirit in our life. Let me offer you three aspects to reflect upon:
1. The gifts of the Spirit gives us a sense of understanding; a focus in our life so that we can become more understandable; and makes us more vibrant and persuasive in our relationships and interactions. Have we allowed the Spirit to grow in our hearts?
2. Gives us the capacity and ability to be able to sing praise to God worthily and make us realize our oneness with the Father and the others as our brothers and sisters. Have we brought this to concreteness in our interactions and relationships?
3. Provides us with solid foundation and anchor that we may live in peace inspite of troubles and problems in life. Do we realize its implications in our day to day living and activities?

If, we truly, believe in Christ’s resurrection... we will realize that in His ascension, we become nearer to God for the Spirit is now with us and prepares us to be worthy dwelling place of the Triune God. Let us allow therefore, the Spirit to work in us and transform us. God bless and all the best. Yes, we need to take courage, for Christ have conquered the world!

16/05/2026

Here is the right Reflection this Sunday… we are celebrating the solemnity of the Ascension. Ascension signals the completion of Jesus' physical presence and mission in this world, the apostles has to take over. And now, we are also invited to share and continue Christ’s mission, to transmit grace and mercy to others around us. We must become proclaimers of the good news by our life's witnessing. The first reading (Acts 1:12-14) is a reminder of our task and responsibility... “men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Hence, the Res. Ps. (Ps 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9) is an invitation to praise: “God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise.” And the second reading (Eph 1:17-23), tells us: "May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call". The Gospel (Mt 28:16-20) exhorts us: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." The focus of the gospel is indeed on commissioning of the apostles...

Truly, this Ascension Sunday, is also an invitation for all of us to be involved and have the sense of being commissioned. Therefore, we are invited to:
1. Cleanse ourselves (for w/o washing in the baptismal water, we cannot have a part of the gift of the Spirit that will be breathe on again to us next Sunday) and be nourished by the Eucharist. Reflect... We have been so accustomed to washing our hands from guilt and responsibilities but the real demand for us is to wash the feet of our brothers and sisters in a sense of service and responsibility!
2. Make others grow in dignity and importance. Reflect... We have been so focused on our sense of self importance. Now is the time to make others feel important! Let us make them our kamahalan (highness) in the way we love and serve them. Yes, we have to recognize that deep inside they have that kingly dignity. A potential that must become a reality in our lives!
3. Sacrifice and bend down in service. Reflect... We always see our needs and desires to be pampered but the real demand of Jesus is to see the needs of others and to offer humble service. Now is the time to pamper others with our love, understanding and works of mercy!

Now, that we too have received the gifts of the Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation... we need to share and continue this mission of the apostles and our Catholic Church. Each of us can strive to live this out in our own lives. Maybe the results will not be quite as remarkable as those of the apostles or the saints like St. Francis’ life, but if we persist in charity and good works; if we listen to God’s voice when He calls us; and if we remain open when He shows us that power, popularity, money, and possessions—all that the world offers us—will never satisfy us; we will be changed. We will want to live more simply, so that we can give more to those in need, we will be filled with the joy that only God can give, and we will without a doubt grow closer to God, and be able to share our faith more authentically and not remain standing or idle in living the beauty of our faith in living our life. Indeed, even in this life we will experience a taste of what St. Paul wrote, and what Francis lived out so beautifully: “eye has not seen, and ear has not heard... what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9). All the best and may God bless everyone with health, serenity and harmony!

16/05/2026

Reflection time: in this Pentecost Day, we need to respond to the call of mission… we have to realize that Mission is not so much what we do as what we are! To be a Christian is to have a life not a job. Yes, a life of sharing in the life of the Lord in accordance to the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we have received from the breath of the Lord. We need to humble ourselves and recognize that we are called to unity and oneness, this means... Peace that is Enfleshed; Nurtured; made Transparent; and Energized by Christ Over and above Self vested interest Through Thick and Thin in living our life. The 1st reading (Acts 2:1-11) reminds us of the gift of the Spirit that can change us: “the time for Pentecost was fulfilled... Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The Res. Ps. (Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34) tells us that in the Spirit we have life: “If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” The 2nd reading (1Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13) exhorts us that the gift of the Spirit is not for ourselves alone but for the benefit of everyone: “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...” The Gospel (Jn 20:19-23) invites us to be conscious that we should always be peace makers and instruments of reconciliation and forgiveness: “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’.”

We have to remember what Jesus once said "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God". We are truly peacemakers if, we are able to preserve peace of mind and heart for love of our Lord Jesus Christ, despite all that we suffer in the world. This can truly be a grace-filled day for us... if, we allow the Spirit to inter into our life. Yes, the invitation of this day is to be united and to renew the face of the earth by living as the body of Jesus Christ and building up our communities. We can realize this through:
1. Undergoing Conversion and renewal of life... when this happens, the results is we begin to become understanding, forgiving and supportive to everyone we meet along the way.
2. Humility to accept fraternal correction and changing our behavior and life style according to the demands of our faith. We are called upon to carry to our family and the whole of humanity His message of Peace but we have to understand that the deepest-rooted obstacle to peace is lodged in our heart… our pride.
3. Let us live up to the invitation to renew the face of the earth. Let us Enter into a process of self examination and make a personal response to the demands of the invitation and challenge.

Yes, let us look at our way of life; are we a fault finder or a path finder... Meaning to say are we focus on the negative or the positive; critic or supportive; judgmental or affirmative? Talk to the Lord about what you see in yourself… All the best. May the God of peace and His breath of the Spirit dwell with you now and forever. Amen.

Terra Sancta Philippines

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