Holy Thursday: A Life of Serving the Lord is a Life well spent

HOLY THURSDAY 2019

YEAR OF THE YOUTH

April 18, 2019

Jesus, I trust in you!

Holy Thursday this year means a lot to me as I am currently celebrating my silver jubilee year as a priest. The anniversary of the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood during the Year of the Youth gives me the occasion to go back to the day of my ordination as a priest. I was 25 years old then, with more hair and with greater idealism. I remember that afternoon of November 30, 1993 in the Manila Cathedral when the deacon called my name. At that time, I answered: “Ad sum! Present!” I was called and so I answered: “Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.” So inflamed was I with the love of God that I was willing to say “Yes” to every question Cardinal Sin asked me. Maybe, at that time, I did not know better. Maybe I did not realize the cost of these “yeses.” All I knew at that time was that I wanted to serve. I wanted to offer God my life. And true enough, I have offered the best part of my life to God. I have spent my youth in his service. I am now 50 years old and I am feeling that my body is slowing down. There are many priestly tasks that I used to do easily but now, I experience certain limitations. But whenever I look back to the day of my ordination, I smile and say to the Lord: “Lord, I offered to you the best years of my life and I want to serve you until the end.”

The Lord Jesus was 33 years old at that time. He was at the prime of his life, the prime of his youth. He must have seen himself in that 1 year old lamb that was sacrificed on the eve of the Passover. That year old lamb has experienced a life independent of its mother only for 10 months and now, it is chosen to be sacrificed to the Lord and to be eaten in the Passover meal. We pity the lamb for it was not even allowed to live a full life. But what accounts for fullness of life? Is it the number of years? The lamb of sacrifice teaches us that life is full not because it was spent for many years but because it was offered to the Lord. Although it is very young, the chosen Lamb lived a full life because it was offered in sacrifice to the Lord. We may have spent many years but if none of them were offered to God, it would have been an unfortunate wasted life.

And this is how Jesus spent his life. Last Palm Sunday, Jesus declared to his disciples: “I am among you as the one who serves.” And tonight, he shows us what he meant: he took off his garments, wrapped his waist with a towel, and began washing the feet of his disciples. It was the most menial task. It was a task assigned to the lowest of slaves. And yet, he insisted to do it…even with the protest of Simon Peter. It simply had to be done. “He took the form of a slave and was born in our human likeness.” Jesus teaches us that this is life well spent. It is spent as an offering to God. It is spent in service of others. He challenges the world which teaches us to live lives with a sense of entitlement. He says: “I did not come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.”

This is the mark of those who wish to follow Jesus: “the kings of the gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as benefactors. But among you it shall not be so. Let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant…I am among you as the one who serves…” Dear brothers and sisters, let us allow Jesus to lead us to a meaningful life: a life of giving more than receiving, a life of serving more than entitlement. “I, your Lord and Master, washed your feet. You must also wash each other’s feet.”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Ash Wednesday: Let the Priests weep before the Altar

ASH WEDNESDAY 2018

YEAR OF THE YOUTH

March 6, 2019

Jesus, I trust in you!

“Between the porch and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say: ‘Spare, O Lord, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach…’”

The prophet Joel wrote at a time when the southern kingdom of Judah was devastated by a plague of locusts. The land was laid barren and the people suffered heavy losses. And so, the prophet calls for a time of penance: a time of fasting and sacred assembly: “Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly…” This call to penance was done because the Lord said to the people: “Even now, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning…Return to the Lord. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” The time of penance was necessitated by the plague. But such an occasion can only be called because of the mercy of God. The people can return to the Lord because the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in kindness. He is relenting in punishment. If the Lord were not so, then penance would have been useless. If the Lord is unmoved by acts of mortification, then why engage in penance?

Ash Wednesday this year finds the Church in a difficult situation. The crisis of clerical sins has brought about a severe beating for the Church. The scandal has risen to the highest offices of the Church. We have been brought low in the sight of people on account of the sins of our spiritual fathers.

In such crisis, the Lord tells us to return to him. And he seeks genuine conversion: Rend your hearts and not your garments. Tearing one’s garment looks dramatic enough but it would amount to putting up a show. But the Lord does not want a show. He wants conversion to be sincere. He wants this conversion to come from the heart. To rend one’s heart means to radically cut off ourselves from the roots of our sins. Repentance cannot be sincere if there is no desire to reform. Repentance involves a severing of ties and attachment to sin.

Our sorrow for sins must come from the heart. We are sorry that we have offended God. We are sorry for hurting others. In this crisis of clerical abuse, people kept talking about how victims were traumatized and rightly should we say so. But we will miss the point if we do not realize how such sins have offended the Lord. We will miss the point if we do not realize how such sins have defiled consecrations to the Lord. The sins of clerical abuse are so offensive because they violate the clergy’s consecration to God. That is why priests have to weep before the altar, before the altar where they must stand undefiled in order to worthily offer sacrifice. Priests have to weep before the altar because the altar makes the offering sacred. Priests have to weep before the altar because they place on the altar the spotless Victim who is Christ and therefore, by their lives of self-abnegation, they must lay down their lives together with Christ.

Dearly beloved, as we enter into this time of penance, may I humbly ask you to remember us, your priests, in your prayers. Many of us have fallen. We have fallen to sin. We have defiled our consecration. We have become unworthy ministers of the Lord. Like the public sinners of old who stand at the doorsteps of the Church to beg for the prayers of the faithful, we priests beg you to pray for us. Pray that we may acknowledge our sins and take responsibility for them. Pray that we may sincerely be sorrowful for our sins. Pray that we may make amends for them. Pray that we may rise and return to the Lord. “For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: ‘Against you alone have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.’”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno

January 9 in Manila is a great feast. It is the Feast of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo. Although it is not a liturgical feast, millions flock to venerate the image and also to join that immense procession that reenacts the transfer of the image to Quiapo Church/

The official name of the image is Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno. I have always been intrigued by this title. Why is the Black Nazarene called "Nuestro Padre?" He is God the Son and not the Father. So why should he be called "Padre"?

I think that we can explain this by affirming that the Lord Jesus is the First-born Son. Not only is he the first-born of the blessed Virgin Mary. St. Paul calls Jesus "the first-born of all creation" and "the first-born of the dead."

In the family, the first-born exercises some fatherly authority over the household. Parents entrust some parental responsibilities to the first-born over the younger sons and daughters. Thus, the first-born is "father" to his siblings. Not that he replaces the Father. Rather, the authority of the Father resides in him.

Thus, it is right to address him as "Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno" In fact, the title itself tells us that the Nazareno is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Before the priesthood was entrusted to the sons of Levi, it was first the work of the head of the household...a role which was entrusted to the first-born Son. Christ is the head of the Church. He is the first-born of creation. He is first-born of the dead. We see him carrying the heavy load of the Cross as Isaac carried the wood of the sacrifice. He is the Victim who will be laid on the wood of the sacrifice. He is the Priest who enters the Holy of holies not with the blood of animals but with his own Blood. Here is the Priest who walks towards the mountain of sacrifice. And the entire multitude follow him to the Altar.

Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, Priest and Victim, offer now your sacrifice for us!

Christmas Day: Christ the Word Incarnate

CHRISTMAS MASS AT DAY 2017

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PEOPLE

DECEMBER 25, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

The Word made Flesh

The new-born Baby is the Word of God made flesh. He is called Word because he is the self-revelation of God. St. Paul fittingly explains: “In these days, God 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.” With these words in mind, we look at the little Baby and we ask: How could this be? We find it difficult to believe because we know God to be powerful. And so, we expect something big…something grandiose…something Bongga! But all we see is a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying on a manger. Where is the refulgence of Divine glory? Where is the imprint of God’s being? Where is the might that sustains all things?

The difficulty comes from the fact that we keep trying to see the Baby from our own point of view…from the point of view of the world. We keep forgetting that God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. We keep imposing on God the way we want to see him. But the Baby born to us is not God the way we want to see him. It is the way God sees himself. It is the way God wishes to be known. God sees himself as the simplest of beings. God wishes to be known as the simplest Truth, the purest Good, as the truly Beautiful. And what could be truer than a new-born Baby, one that does not know how to pretend, one that tells you that what you see is what you get? What greater Good is there than a new-born Baby, one that simply makes you smile, one that elicits nothing from you but love? What is more beautiful than a new-born Baby, one that naturally attracts, one that does not even have to make an effort to draw people to himself? He is simply who he is!

We always say that Divine glory is hidden in this little Child. But this little Child is himself the Divine glory! He is “far superior than the angels and his name is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say: ‘You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.’” His glory is not his external garments. His glory is who he is: He is God’s Son! “We saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” When we look at this Baby what do we see? We see grace and truth! Grace is God’s gift of himself. Truth is who he is. When we look at this Baby what do we see? We see the invisible God. Jesus himself said it: “He who sees me sees the Father.” “No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.”

But he does not only reveal God to us. In this Baby, we see God giving himself to us. He gives himself to us so that we may transformed and become like him. “To those who accept him, he has given the power to become children of God.” The only begotten Son of God makes us like him – children of God. He became like us so that we can become like him. He came down to us so that we can rise up to him. Though Baptism, he shares us his Holy Spirit. He gives us a share of his Divine life. His Holy Spirit enables us to call God in the very same way Jesus calls him: “Abba! Father!” He transforms us and elevates us to himself. This was what Lucifer was afraid of: the “divinization of man”. He was afraid that God would also call us his sons and daughters. In vain did he try to prevent this from happening. But nothing could stop God from sharing his love. Nothing could stop God from sharing his Divine life. Nothing can stop God from giving himself. Nothing…not even Satan himself.

And so, we stand before the manger and we see our food. We look at the Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and we see the victim to be sacrificed for us. We look into his eyes and we see so much love and that love is for us. That love will feed us. That love will die for us. We can say nothing else but “Thank you.” Thank you, Jesus for coming. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for simply who you are…grace, truth, and love. “From his fullness we have received grace upon grace…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Christmas Midnight Mass: Christ the Priest, the Victim, the Bread of Life

CHRISTMAS MASS AT MIDNIGHT 2017

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 25, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

Our Parish Belen for 2017

Tonight we return to Bethlehem as Joseph and Mary did as they sought to comply with the worldwide census declared by Augustus Caesar. They had to return to the city of David because Joseph was of the House of David. It was necessary for the Messiah to be born in the city of David because he is Son of David, the legitimate heir to the throne of his royal ancestor. But there is another reason for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The name “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.” Bethlehem is the fitting birth place for Jesus who is the Bread of Life. In fact the sign which the angels gave the shepherds was that of a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying on a manger. The manger is the receptacle of animal food. On it is placed the hay for the feeding of the ox and the donkey and even of the sheep. The new-born baby of Mary was laid on a manger not because the hay was soft but because Mary’s child is our food: “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. The food that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

It is rather remarkable that we celebrate today the birth of the Son of God in the flesh. And later on, he shall give his flesh as food for the life of the world. We cannot deny the Eucharistic character of this Holy Day that we are celebrating tonight. It is called “Christmas” and its name is derived from two words: Christ and Mass. The Church, even from ancient times, has understood the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation in the mystery of the Eucharist. In fact, St. John Paul II himself said that the Eucharist is the continuation of the mystery of the Incarnation to our times.

And it is in this light that we have a renewed appreciation of the mystery of the Priesthood. We are celebrating this Christmas in the Year of the Clergy and the Consecrated People. As Mary brought forth the birth in the flesh of God the Son, so also the priest, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the words of Christ, brings about the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. The Mass, presided by the priest, is not only our encounter with the Paschal Mystery. It is also our encounter with the mystery of the Incarnation: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. The Incarnation took place in Mary’s womb. The Transubstantiation takes place in the hands of the priest. The priest may not be as pure and sinless as the Virgin Mary. But nevertheless, the Son of God humbles himself to take flesh in the bread and wine offered on the altar during Mass.

In fact, we cannot miss the fact that the angels appeared to shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock at night. The sheep they were tending were the Awassi sheep, the only breed of sheep that is indigenous in Israel. The Awassi sheep breed in the summer and drop lambs in the winter. Thus, in Israel, the principal lambing season runs from December to January. These shepherds to whom the angels appeared were Levitical shepherds who were tasked to keep watch over the temple flock. The reason why the shepherds kept watch at night was that they were attending to the dropping of the lambs. Once a lamb is dropped, they bring it into the cave where it is wrapped in swaddling clothes to keep it from being injured at birth. The lambs they watch over were destined to be the Passover lambs that are supposed to be unblemished. Thus, the shepherds understood what the angel’s message meant: the one born on this night is the unblemished Lamb of God who would be sacrificed on Passover. Christ born today is not only the Bread of Life. He is also the Paschal Lamb, the Victim who would render God the most perfect and the highest act of worship. This Lamb of God is also the High Priest of the new covenant. Being the first-born of creation, he is the head of the household who offers the sacrifice of the family of humankind. He will offer not the blood of animals or of other human beings. He will offer his own flesh and his own blood for the redemption of the world.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us not look at him simply as a cute new-born infant. The one who rests on the manger is the Bread of Life. The one who is wrapped in swaddling clothes is the unblemished Lamb of God. The first-born of Mary is the first-born of creation, the High Priest of the new covenant. This great mystery is renewed every day during Mass. In the Mass, the priest acts in the person of Christ the High Priest. In his hands the incarnation takes place so that the Lamb of God may be offered to the Father and he be returned to us as the Bread of Life that we must eat to enter into communion with God and so receive access to the Divine Life. Truly, this is Christ’s Mass where Jesus comes both as Priest and Victim. Come, let us adore him.   

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Simbang Gabi 9: The Priest as Herald of the world to come

SIMBANG GABI 2017 9

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMER 24, 2017

 

Jesus, I trust in you!

On the last day of the Simbang Gabi, we hear Zechariah’s song of praise. Remember that he was silenced for 9 months and on the day of the circumcision of his newly born son, his mouth was opened, his tongue loosed, and he began singing the praises of God. His is a fitting song because it was basically about the end of the night of waiting and the coming of the dawn: “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Every Advent, St. Paul reminds us that “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far spent; the day draws near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Rom 13:11-12) He compared the time of waiting to night and the coming of salvation to the drawing near of the day. And every Advent brings us closer to that promised day. Zechariah ends our Advent journey by referring to the dawn from on high breaking upon us. He recognized that his son, John the Baptist, is the one “who will go before the Lord to prepare his way.” He could almost see the end of the long wait. His son is the precursor and he prepares the way of the one who is sure to follow. The Dawn of Salvation is so close. He is sure to come.

The Precursor of the Lord

This is the witness of John to the coming of the Lord. The priest also gives witness to the same coming of the Lord. He points out the nearness of salvation. Not only does the priest bring Christ closer to people by making him present in the preaching of the word and the celebration of the sacraments, he himself gives witness to the world about the coming end…the day of the resurrection. Leaving his biological family, the priest puts himself in the service of the family of God. His celibacy does not only provide the availability that he needs to fully serve the kingdom. His celibacy is also the sign of the world to come where men and women no longer will marry not be given to marriage because they will be like the angels. His priestly service will be the only one that remains in heaven. In the afterlife, doctors, soldiers, architects, engineers, teachers and other professions will no longer be needed. There is only one thing that we shall do in heaven and that is to worship God for all eternity. That is why Christ’s priesthood is an eternal priesthood. It is one that does not cease on earth but rather in continues in heaven for all eternity.

It is when the priest comes to anoint the sick and to minister to the dying that he clearly becomes a herald of the nearness of the dawn. Oftentimes, people are afraid of calling for a priest because they mistakenly think that the priest is the bringer of death. The priest is not the bringer of death because whether he comes or not, death will come upon a person if his time is already up. The priest comes with the consolation of the sacraments. He provides for the dying person the spiritual helps he needs as he prepares for his final battle on earth. Remember that Satan wants the dying person’s soul. That is why he uses all the tricks and deceptions in his book in order to instill in a person some sense of despair, some thought that he cannot be saved. That is why a person’s greatest battle will be the hour of his death. This is the reason why the ministry of the priest is very important at that moment. The priest comes in the name of Christ. He provides for the dying the forgiveness of sins and also the help of the Holy Spirit so that the person might remain steadfast in his faith in Jesus. The priest is not the bringer of death. Rather, he is the bringer of hope. He is the bringer of mercy. He is the bringer of strength in that moment of great spiritual distress. When a priest ministers to the dying, he is like Zechariah who says: In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us. He, who is ministered to by a priest, will surely close his eyes in this world and will open then in the next, in the world of the eternal day. He need not fear the night of death because the sacraments will make sure that the eternal day will come.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Simbang Gabi 8: The Priest as Minister of the Word

SIMBANG GABI 2017 8

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 23, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

When the angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah the birth of John the Baptist, he had difficulty believing in it. Thus, he was made speechless, unable to talk until the day of the fulfillment of the words of the angel. And so, he spent 9 months in silence. Deprived of voice, Zechariah experienced what the prophets of old lamented in the past: “We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.” (Daniel 3:38) The silence of the Lord was a deafening silence.

It was at the circumcision of John when the silence ended. Asked about the name of the child, Zechariah wrote: His name is John. “And immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.” The birth of John brought about not just the end of the silence of Zechariah but also the end of the silence of God. At last, a prophet was sent. And the one who was born was not just a prophet. He is the voice in the wilderness who would declare: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” The voice is born. The Word will follow soon.

The birth of John the Baptist gives us the occasion to speak about the Priest as the Minister of the Word. “The People of God is formed into one in the first place by the Word of the Living God, which is quite rightly sought from the mouth of priests. For since nobody can be saved who has not first believed, it is the first task of priests as co-workers of the bishop, to preach the Gospel to all men.” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 4.) The first task of priests is to preach the Word of God. The priest is ordained to preach. He carries out the mandate which Christ gave to the apostles: “Go to all the world and preach the Gospel to all creatures.” This task is vital for the Church. “By the saving Word of God, faith is aroused in the hearts of unbelievers and is nourished in the hearts of believers. By this faith, the congregation of believers begins and grows according to the saying of the Apostle: ‘Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the preaching of Christ.’ (Rom. 10:17) ” (PO, 4.)

Thus, it is important that priests share the Gospel to everybody. “Whether by having their conversation heard among the gentiles they lead people to glorify God, or by openly preaching proclaim the mystery of Christ to unbelievers, or teach the Christian message or explain the Church’s doctrine, or endeavor to treat of contemporary problems in the light of Christ’s teachings – in every case, their role is to teach not their own wisdom but the Word of God and to issue an urgent motivation to all men to conversion and to holiness.” (PO, 4.) Like John the Baptist, the priest is just the voice. He is not the Word. The only Word is Christ. He speaks not in his own name. He repeats the words of Jesus himself: “The word that I speak is not mine but of the one who sent me.”

Because the word he speaks is not his but of the One who sent him, the priest “ought first of all to develop a great and personal familiarity with the word of God…He needs to approach the word with a docile and prayerful heart so that it may penetrate his thoughts and feelings and bring about a new outlook in him…Nor should (he) forget that ‘the greater or lesser degree of the holiness of the minister has a real effect on the proclamation of the word.’ As St. Paul said: ‘we speak, not to please men but to please God who tests our hearts’ (1 Thess. 2:4). If we have a lively desire to be the first to hear the word which we must preach, this will surely be communicated to God’s faithful people, for ‘out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ (Mt. 12:34)” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 149.)

Thus, the priest must be a man of the word of God. He is, first of all, an obedient listener and then an ardent proclaimer. He is the voice and not the Word. He is its servant and not its master. Like Zechariah, the priest must open his mouth and speak the praises of God.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!  

Simbang Gabi 7: The Priest and the Church of the Poor

SIMBANG GABI 2017

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PEOPLE

DECEMBER 22, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

Elizabeth called Mary blessed because she believed that everything told to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Mary’s response was a song that the Holy Spirit inspired her to sing. In this song, she acknowledged the greatness of the Lord who looked upon her with great kindness. Elizabeth’s praise is the first of so many people who would call her blessed simply because the Almighty has done great things for her.

However, Mary’s song goes beyond thanking God for favors she personally received from him. She recognized how God is now moving in order to bring about the renewal of the entire created world. She sings of God’s mercy inverting the established worldly order: the proud being scattered in their conceit; the mighty being cast down from their throne and the lowly being lifted up; the hungry being filled with good things and the rich being sent away empty…This inversion of the world order is the breaking in of the Kingdom of God in the world. Wherever the gospel is preached to the poor, wherever the brokenhearted are healed, wherever the oppressed and the prisoners are freed, the Kingdom of God is found. The Kingdom of God is the gathering of people around Christ so that they may share in his Divine life. In this gathering of believers, Christ’s law of charity, justice and mercy is lived out.

The priest plays an important role in establishing on earth the Kingdom of God. “Priests exercise the function of Christ as Pastor and Head in proportion of their share in authority. In the name of the bishop, they gather the family of God as a brotherhood endowed with the spirit of unity and lead it in Christ through the Spirit to God the Father. For the exercise of this ministry, a spiritual power is given them, a power whose purpose is to build up.” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6.) The work of the priest is to gather and build up the family of God. He builds the kingdom of Christ by treating everybody with great kindness and by acting towards people according to the demands of Christian doctrine and life: “Be urgent in season and out of season, convince (manghikayat), rebuke (magsaway), and exhort (magpayo), be unfailing in patience and in teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2) His work is to educate people to reach Christian maturity: “Christians must be trained so as not to live only for themselves. Rather, according to the demands of the new law of charity, every man as he has received grace, ought to minister it one to another, and in this way all should carry out their duties in a Christian way in the service of their fellow men.” (PO, 6.)

“Although priests owe service to everybody the poor and the weaker ones have been committed to their care in a special way. It was with these that the Lord himself associated, and the preaching of the Gospel to them is given as a sign of his messianic mission.” (PO, 6.) The Magnificat is fulfilled not through an armed struggle or a class war. It is fulfilled in the exercise of charity, of mercy, and of justice. The inversion of the world order takes place through conversion – the conversion of the Church so that it may be a church for the poor. Pope Francis said: “I want a Church which is poor and for the poor.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 198.) The priest not only leads the community in works of charity for the poor. He must also allow the poor to be evangelizers themselves.  “We need to let ourselves be evangelized by (the poor). The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the center of the Church’s pilgrim way. We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voices to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them, and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.” (EG, 198.)

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Simbang Gabi 6: The priest as vessel of Divine mysteries

SIMBANG GABI 2017 6

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 21, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

Having heard that Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age, Mary immediately went in haste to the house of Zechariah so that she may be of some help to her cousin. But what transpired revealed that something mysterious happened…something which the eye could not see. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Baby John leaped in his mother’s womb. It was a moment of salvation because as the angel said to Zechariah, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb.” John, who was conceived in original sin, was sanctified by the Holy Spirit on the 6^th month of his mother’s pregnancy. Thus, in his mother’s womb, John was liberated from original sin.

The sanctification of John in his mother’s womb could only point out to what was yet invisible to the human eye, and that is the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb. And so, it was not only Mary who went in haste to visit Elizabeth. She brought Jesus whom she carried in her womb. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, acknowledged this when she said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

The priest also lives in a similar way. As a man consecrated to God, the priest bears in himself the presence of God. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves…” (2 Cor 4:7) The priest may be a human being like other human beings, frail, weak, and sinful. He is so much unlike the Blessed Virgin who is pure and unstained by any sin. And yet, in spite of his sinfulness and weakness, the priest carries with him an anointing that makes the presence of God felt wherever he goes. When our Lord sent his disciples to go in pairs in every town, he admonished them to take nothing with them except the blessing of God: “Take nothing with you…into whatever house you enter, say “Peace be with you!’ If a peaceful man lives there, your peace will rest on him but if not, your peace will return to you.” The presence of a priest should bring about God’s blessings upon a place. He comes in the name of the Lord.

The priest is the conduit of God’s blessings upon the world. As Elizabeth and John were sanctified by the Lord through the Blessed Virgin, so also people are sanctified by the same Lord through the presence of the priest. This is why it is important for a priest to pursue a holy life because he must first be sanctified by the mysteries he bears so that he can sanctify others. Contrary to present opinions that the priest must conform himself to present trends and fashions of the world, he must actually strive to conform himself to Jesus in whose Name he comes. The priest must strive to be a man of the Spirit more than of the flesh. He must strive to be a man of God and not a man of the world. The priest should strive to live a life worthy of his consecration.

Elizabeth was blessed to welcome Mary into her home. But remember that Our Lady did not go to Elizabeth’s house for the adulation. She went there to serve her cousin in the hour of need. In like manner, it may seem unavoidable that the priest be considered a welcome guest in homes and other places. But he goes not for the adulation. He goes to serve. He goes so that he may bring Christ closer to people. He goes to bring Christ’s blessing to them.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Simbang Gabi 5: The Incarnation and the Priest

SIMBANG GABI 2017 5

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 20, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

The most awaited moment has at last arrived. It is the fullness of time and at last, God sends his Son into the world to be born of a woman. He sends his Angel Gabriel to a virgin named Mary. The angel acknowledged the Virgin’s blessedness: Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. And then he proceeded to reveal the Divine plan of her conceiving and bringing forth into the world the Son of the Most High. It was planned even from the beginning of time, yes, even before the fall of man. God intended to send his Son as man in order to give man a share of the Divine Life. It was the plan that Lucifer resisted and rebelled against. He thought that by seducing Adam and Eve to sin, he could prevent this plan from being fulfilled. But the fall of man even gave God greater reason to pursue the plan of the incarnation.

And so the plan was all set, only one thing was still missing and the angel Gabriel was sent to get it: it was the consent of the Woman who was destined to be his Son’s mother. The Son was willing to descend from heaven. The Holy Spirit was willing to make it happen. All that was needed was for the chosen Woman to say “Yes.” And so it happened. Mary said: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.” And the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

God elects. God calls. And yet man must respond, “Yes.” This was the story of Mary. This is the story of every priest and consecrated person. We have seen in the past nights that God elects and calls every priest from the people of God. We heard yesterday that God wills to make men his allies and helpers in his work of sanctification. He chooses his men and calls them to follow him. Through Holy Ordination, the Lord will bestow on them the authority to transform bread and wine into his Body and Blood. In other words, the Incarnation will once again take place upon the altar…if only priests would imitate the Blessed Virgin and consent to his will.

When the Virgin said “yes” to God, the Son’s “yes” to the incarnation is enacted by the Holy Spirit. in like manner, the priest who has said “yes” to God’s call is bestowed the power to bring about the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ on the altar. When the priest repeats the words of the Lord upon the bread and wine, the Holy Spirit overshadows the offerings and transforms them into Christ’s body and blood. In a way, Christ obeys the words of the priest and descends upon the altar. Thus, bread is no longer bread but his body and wine is no longer wine but his blood.

St. John Eudes said: “Do you not envision Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of angels and men, Who was subject to His Mother and to St. Joseph on earth, erat subditus illis (Luke 2, 51), actually subjected to the power of His priests? Does He not obey their commands and their words? Does He not hear their voice when they summon Him to come into their hands at the consecration of the bread and wine in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Have they not power over His Mystical Body, which is the Church, over His Holy Spirit, over His grace and His mysteries? Is it not through priests and their ministry that the Holy Spirit is imparted to the faithful, that the treasures of grace are distributed and that the secrets of the eternal mysteries are made manifest? For that very reason Sacred Scripture attributed to them the function of "dispensers of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4, 1). Above all else, how wonderful is the power of priests over the very Body and Blood of the Saviour! That power not only gives them the right to bring Our Lord down upon the altar whenever they wish or to transport Him from one place to another; it also extends to the point of sacrificing Him every day, and of annihilating Him so far as it is possible to annihilate Him, because sacrifice means the destruction of the object sacrificed. Whoever possesses sacrificial power likewise must have power to destroy what he sacrifices. This is indeed the greatest and most absolute power God Himself can exercise over His creatures, to destroy and annihilate them for His glory.

Thus, God has honored the sovereign Priest, His Divine Son, and all those whom He has called to this holy state of the priesthood.‘’

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Simbang Gabi 4: The Priest and the Sacrifice

SIMBANG GABI 2017 4

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND THE CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 19, 2017

Jesus I trust in you!

The calculation of the date of the birth of the Lord is really based on the story told by the Gospel today. The Angel Gabriel announced the birth of St. John the Baptist to Zechariah as he was fulfilling his temple duties during the evening sacrifice on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement, which normally is offered in the month of September. Zechariah was serving in the temple because he was a priest. He came from the tribe of Levi which was the priestly tribe of Israel. Because he was a priest, Zechariah performed duties related to worship.

This is basically the work of a priest. In every religion, there are priests tasked to offer the highest act of worship, and that would be the offering of a sacrifice to the deity. The offering of the sacrifice was a sublime task because it was and continues to be the highest act of worship. The sacrifice is the highest act of worship because it involves the killing of an animal or a human victim in acknowledgment of the deity’s dominion over life and death.

Before the Levites were appointed as the priestly tribe, the offering of the sacrifice was the work of the head of the household, a work that was later passed on to the first-born son. After the worship of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai, the offering of the sacrifice was given as the task of the sons of Levi who were the only tribe that did not take part in the idolatrous worship.  And so the sons of Levi took turns in their temple duties and that was what Zechariah was doing when the angel appeared to him.

Christ’s offering of himself on the wood of the Cross is the most perfect sacrifice because what was offered to God was not the blood of any animal nor that of any human being but that of God’s only begotten Son. This perfect sacrifice of Jesus nullified all other sacrifices because nothing else will be as worthy of Divine Majesty as the offering of God’s Son. Thus, at the death of Jesus, the temple curtains were rent into two, marking the end of all sacrifices to give way to the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus.

Jesus perpetuated his sacrifice by establishing the Holy Mass during the Last Supper. On Holy Thursday, he established the Holy Eucharist and in order to perpetuate it, he ordained his apostles as priests. He had to ordain priests because only priests can offer the sacrifice. “God, who alone is the holy one and sanctifier, has willed to take men as allies and helpers to become humble servants in his work of sanctification. The purpose for which priests are consecrated by God through the ministry of the bishop is that they should be made sharers in a special way in Christ’s priesthood and, by carrying out sacred functions, act as his ministers who, through his Spirit, continually exercise his priestly function for our benefit in the liturgy.” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.)

The offering of the Eucharist is the center of the life of the Church. “The other sacraments and all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate are bound up with the Eucharist and are directed towards it. For in the most blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself our Pasch and the living Bread which gives life to men through his flesh – that flesh which is given life and gives life through the Holy Spirit.” (PO, 5.)

Because of the supreme importance of the Mass in the life of the Church, the work of the priests is so important. Without priests, the sacrifice cannot be offered. Without the sacrifice, God cannot be worship in a way he rightfully deserves. “The Eucharistic celebration is the center of the assembly of the faithful over which the priest presides.” (PO, 5.) Let us assist at the most perfect Sacrifice. Let us teach our children to love the Mass. Loving the Mass, we will love God all the more because through the hands of the priest, we offer God the one whom he loves the most: Jesus Christ his Son.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Simbang Gabi 3: The Spiritual Fatherhood of Priests

SIMBANG GABI 2017 3

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

“Live with me and be my father and my priest!” (Judges 17: 10)

Definitely St. Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. The Gospel reading was clear: “Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.” To allay doubts of the involvement of a third party, through a dream, the angel assured Joseph: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home, for it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived.” However, even though he was not the biological father, St. Joseph was entrusted with the responsibility of being a father to God’s only Son. “You are to name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” Although Jesus did not come from his loins, he was still called “father” by our Lord. When the child Jesus was found in the temple, our Lady said to him, “Your father and I have been distressed looking for you.”

Is it not strange that on account of the discipline of celibacy, the priest has no biological children of his own and yet he is called “Father” by so many people. In the parish, I am even amused by the fact that people older than me still call me “Father.” Many still call me “father” even without knowing my name. I left the possibility to have a wife and children of my own and yet turned out to be father to so many people…so much more than I could ever beget for myself.

Why do Catholics call priests “father”? Christ is the true priest of the New Testament. As the first-born sons were the priests before the Levitical priesthood, so Christ, who is the first-born of all creation, is the priest of the new covenant. As the first-born is a fatherly relationship with his brothers, so Christ, the first-born, exercises a fatherly role with all of us.

All priests of the New Covenant pattern themselves after Jesus. They share in the priesthood of Christ. Thus, St. Paul says: “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (1 Cor. 4:14-15)  The fatherhood of priests is a spiritual fatherhood. Fatherhood is a life-giving task. Through Baptism, the priest brings about the rebirth of the children of God. In the Eucharist, the priest provides the Bread of life for his spiritual children. In Confession, the priest forgives sins and restores the penitent to the communion of the family of God. In the Anointing of the sick, the priest provides consolation and strength in times of bodily weakness. Acting in the person of Christ, the priest becomes the first-born son, and therefore, he exercises a fatherly role towards his brethren. He does not replace the one Father of all. Rather, he has been handed a share in the Fatherly role of God in the lives of his children.

The man who has given up marriage has become the eldest brother of the Christian family. Renouncing the possibility of having biological children of his own, the priest receives more brothers and sisters, more sons and daughters that he can ever have on his own. Thus, like what he did to Joseph, God has made the priest the head of his household and ruler over the King’s possession. (Ps. 105:2)

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Simbang Gabi 2: The Priest called from the People of God

SIMBANG GABI 2017 2

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 17, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

The 2^nd day of the Simbang gabi will always be memorable because we always read today the long list of the Lord’s ancestors. Here we see a glimpse of the family of the Lord in a span of many centuries: 14 generations from Abraham to King David, 14 generations from David to the Babylonian exile, and 14 generations from the Babylonian exile to St. Joseph. At the end of this long list is Jesus Christ, the son of Mary.

Jesus came from this long family line.  It would be to this family that the promised Messiah will be born. Jesus came from this family. As in the case of Jesus, the priest will always be called from the people of God. Ministers are called by the Lord from his faithful. These ministers will be called to be at the service of the people of God. Thus, all the members of the People of God must do their part to foster priestly vocations. “The duty of fostering vocations falls on the whole Christian community, and they should discharge it principally by living full Christian lives. The greatest contribution is made by families which are animated by a spirit of faith, charity, and piety and which provide as it were, a first seminary, and by parishes in whose abundant life the young people themselves take an active part.” (Optatam Totius, 2.)

Priestly and religious vocations do not just happen. They are fostered. This means that the family and parish must provide an atmosphere that is conducive to the forming of priestly vocations. Indeed, a vocation is a calling from the Lord. But we must provide our young people with an atmosphere that can help them hear the voice of the Lord. Pope Pius X said that the family is the first seminary. Seminary means seed bed. It is in the family where the seeds of vocation are planted. Pope Pius himself experienced this. Pope Pius’ real name is Guiseppe Sarto. When he was studying for the priesthood, his mother worked as a cleaning lady to support his studies. Eventually, Guiseppe was ordained priest and later on, was ordained a bishop. After his ordination as bishop, he proudly showed his mother his episcopal ring. He said to her: “Mother, look at this ring, which is so beautiful.” His humble mother took off her wedding ring and said to him: “My son, without this ring, you cannot have your ring.” Pope Pius discovered his vocation thanks to his parents who were faithful in their wedding vows.

The family is the domestic Church. It is the first school of faith where children first learn by experience faith and love. In a prayerful family, children first learn to love God. When a family is generous to the poor, children learn the lesson of charity. Children observe and learn the lessons of sacrifice and self- giving when they see it in their parents. When children are educated with examples of faith, love and self-giving, they increase in their desire to serve God and his people. Here we have the beginnings of priestly and religious vocations.

Thus, we must truly live out our faith in our families. We must help our children listen to the voice of God. Why should we care? Why should families care about fostering priestly vocations? It is because a priest is a great blessing to the family. St. John Bosco said: God’s greatest blessing to a family is a son-priest! 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!   

Becoming fishers of men

St. Andrew the Apostle

I was ordained a priest on the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. I consider it a great honor to be ordained on this feast because St. Andrew was one of the first to the called by the Lord. As he walked by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lord Jesus saw the brothers Peter and Andrew casting their nets. To them he gave the invitation: Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men. I like those words "fishers of men". The Lord called them and myself to become "fishers of men." The work of fishermen is really very simple. All they had to do was cast the net into the sea and haul into the boat whatever is caught in that net. I realize that my job as a priest is simply to cast the net and haul in what is caught. The Lord called me to be a fisher of men, not a member of a screening committee. All I have to do is to keep the Church door open and welcome anyone who enters through it. It is not my job to screen people and decide who should be deemed worthy to enter the Church and who should not. When a person finds his way to the Church, he has not done it on his own, Rather, it was the Father who called that person to approach his only begotten Son. It was the Holy Spirit moving in his soul. The fisherman simply casts his net and does not determine which fish should be caught in it. He hauls into his boat whatever the net catches. My task as fisher of men is to welcome those who find their way into the Church. It is not even my task to convert them or to touch their hearts. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Holy Spirit can convert hearts. Only He can change lives. Only He can sanctify sinners. Only He can deify men. And I am not the Holy Spirit. I can only cast my net by preaching. Whatever happens to those who listen to what I preach is not within my control. I can only cast the net by celebrating the sacraments. Whatever happens to those who receive the sacraments is no longer my turf. Moving hearts, converting lives, sanctifying sinners, deifying men...all these are the work of the Holy Spirit. I can only cast the nets and nothing more,

At the Beginning of a New Pastorate

Hesus, nananalig ako sa iyo!

Sa unang linggo ng aking paglilingkod sa parokyang ito, parang nananadya ang Panginoon sapagkat tungkol sa mga pastol o pinuno ang mga pagbasa sa araw na ito. Sa unang pagbasa, binantaan ng Panginoon ang mga suwail na pinuno na parurusahan niya ang mga ito sapagkat “pinabayaan ninyo ang aking kawan. Hindi ninyo sila binantayan.” Upang maremedyuhan ang pinsalang dinulot ng kapabayaan ng mga tiwaling pinuno, sinabi ng Panginoon: “Hihirang ako ng mga pastol na magmamalasakit at mangangalaga sa kanila. Hindi na sila muli pang daranas ng takot at agam-agam, at wala nang maliligaw kahit isa.”

Ang mapagmalasakit na Pastol na hinirang ng Diyos ay walang iba kundi ang kanyang Anak na si Hesus. Sa Mabuting Balita ay nakita natin na nahabag si Hesus sa napakaraming taong nag-aantay sa kanya sapagkat para silang mga tupang walang pastol. At upang tugunan ang kanilang pangangailangan, tinuruan sila ng Panginoon ng maraming bagay. Tingnan ninyo kung paano ipinakita ng Panginoon ang malasakit niya sa mga tao: tinuruan niya sila ng maraming bagay. (Dito tayo madalas magkulang sa ating pangangalaga sa mga ipinagkatiwala sa ating pangangalaga…hindi natin tinuturuan ang mga ito ng maraming bagay tulad ng ginawa ng Panginoon. Siguro magandang tanungin rin natin ang ating mga sarili: naglalaan ba ako ng sapat na panahon na turuan ang aking mga anak?) Higit pa rito, inialay ni Hesus ang kanyang buhay upang iligtas tayong lahat at tipunin sa pagkakaisa ang mga anak ng Diyos na pinagwatak watak ng kasalanan: “Winakasan niya ang alitan ng dalawang bayan, kapwa ipinanumbalik sa Diyos at pinagbuklod sa iisang katawan. Naparito si Kristo at ipinangaral sa lahat ang mabuting Balita ng kapayapaan…Dahil kay Kristo, tayo’y kapwa makalalapit sa Ama sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu.”

Sa diwang ito nagsisimula ang aking paglilingkod sa parokyang ito. Aaminin ko pong may kaunting pangamba akong nadarama dahil sumusunod ako sa mga yapak ng mga batikang mga pastol na naunang dumaan na sa kasaysayan ng parokyang ito. Minsan, tinatanong ko ang Panginoon kung ano ba ang inaasahan niya sa akin sa pagdating ko rito. At parang sa mga pagbasa ngayon, narining kong tumugon ang Panginoon sa tanong na ito: “Hihirang ako ng mga pastol na magmamalasakit at mangangalaga sa kanila.” Ito po ang hinihingi ko sa Panginoon: na sana bigyan niya ako ng biyaya upang alagaan kayo nang may malasakit. Ipinagdarasal ko na matularan ko si Hesus at kayo’y turuan ko rin ng maraming bagay. Hindi ko alam kung talagang matutumbasan ko ang kakayanan ng mga nauna sa akin. Hindi ko alam kung matutumbasan ko ang inaasahan ninyo sa akin. Kaya nga sa pagsisimula ng paglilingkod ko sa inyo,  humihingi ako sa Panginoon hindi lamang ng karunungan at lakas kundi ng malasakit. Bigyan sana ako ng Panginoon ng kaloobang tulad sa kanya: pusong maamo at mahabagin…pusong may tunay na pagmamalasakit.

Ave Maria purissima, sin pecado concebida!

Priests Smelling like the Good Shepherd

PRAISED BE JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!

The TV series ‘Parikoy” is creating a renewed interest in the Catholic priesthood. It casts a handsome actor to play the role of a young priest who definitely immerses himself into the lives of the flock he serves. Perhaps, the TV series would like to portray what Pope Francis said: that shepherds must acquire the smell of the sheep. Indeed, the Pope’s words are creating a great paradigm shift in the way we now see the priesthood. There is now a trend of expecting priests to descend from their exalted social pedestals in order to be more immersed in the lives of the ordinary people and this seems laudable. After all, this is the example that the Lord Jesus himself left us. He descended from his heavenly throne and became poor like us. He embraced the misery of the human condition. But we must not forget the reason for this self-emptying. He came down in order to lay down his life for his sheep. He came in order to battle the wolf that threatens his sheep. He engages in this battle by laying his life and in this way, he emerged as the victor: “I have power to lay (my life) down, and power to take it up again.” He descended into the depth of our human misery, which is death, so that rising from it, he may take us up with him. And it is this truth that many of us miss. Expecting the shepherd to smell like the sheep, we think that the priest should be like everybody else and thereby lose sight of the very purpose of his ministry, which is to be like Christ as told to us by the 1^st letter of St. John.

Jesus said: “I am the Good Shepherd, I know my sheep and mine know me.” That Christ knows each of us is something that we are sure of. But do we, who consider ourselves as the sheep of Christ, know Christ? I think it is important to know Christ because unless we do so, we will never be like him. And this is the role of the priest. His role is to elevate the flock so that they may know and be like Christ. I remember my seminary rector who told us that when everybody is drowning in the mud, someone has to be on a higher place in order to pull up those who are drowning. If everybody is in the mud, who will be capable of pulling people out of their predicament? In a hospital, it is important that the doctor be well because if he were sick like everybody else, how can he treat and cure his patients? Christ who went down into the depth of human misery had the power to rise from it and to bring us with him. If the sheep want to pass through the valley of death, they have to listen carefully to the voice of the Good Shepherd  and follow him because “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

If we expect shepherds to acquire the smell of the sheep, we must not forget that the sheep must acquire the smell of Christ the Good Shepherd. The sheep must acquire the odor of holiness, the sweet odor of Christ, lest the shepherd fails to bring them to the green pastures and the restful waters of heaven. We simply cannot afford to remain in the world as if we were of the world. Remember that St. John tells us in the 2^nd reading: “The world did not know him.” Being the alter Christus, the priest cannot smell like the world. He must be the first to exude the sweet odor of Christ. Kailangang mag amoy Diyos ang pari. Hindi mag astang Diyos kundi mag amoy Diyos. This is what we need: holy priests, not entertaining priests, not singing priests, not acting priests, not running priests, but holy priests, priests who pray, priests who really know the ways of God. If the sheep are to be led to holiness, they must be guided by holy priests. Look at how St. Margaret Mary was guided by a holy spiritual director in the person of St. Claude de la Columbiere. Look at how St. Faustina was guided by Blessed Michael Sopocko. Look at how St. Dominic Savio was guided by St. John Bosco. The list goes on and on and on…holy priests leading their flock to holiness. We need to pray for holy priests to serve God’s holy people…priests who do not smell like the world but who exude the sweet odor of Christ!

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.