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“Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons and daughters of God.” (Mt 5:9) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do we not all aspire for the grace to be called “sons and daughters of God?” If we do so, then we must constantly strive to be peacemakers in these troubled times in our country. And that means to always strive to bring love where there is hatred, pardon where there is injury, faith where there is doubt, hope where there’s despair, light where there is darkness, and joy where there is sadness (from the prayer for peace attributed to St. Francis of Assisi). PEACE: OUR COMMON VOCATION AND MISSION Our enemies in this world are not fellow human beings, not “flesh and blood” (Eph 6:12). We do not fight our battles with guns and bullets. We do not seek protection from those who might wish to harm us by wearing bullet-proof vests, because the battles that we fight are spiritual. In these times of darkness, when there’s so much hatred and violence, when murder has become an almost daily occurrence, when people have gotten so used to exchanging insults and hurting words in the social media, we admonish the faithful to remain steadfast in our common vocation and mission to actively work for peace. But make no mistake about it; even the master said, “Not as the world gives peace do I give you peace.” (Jn 14:27). His peace is never the peace of compromise or capitulation to evil; it is also not about the absence of conflict and turmoil. Was he not rejected by his own townsfolk in Nazareth? (Lk 4:16-30) Was he not called crazy by his own relatives? (Mk 3:20-22). Was he not called a “prince of demons”? (Mk 3:22-30). Was he not called a drunkard and a lover of tax collectors and sinners? (Mt 11:19) Did he not show us how to deal with adversities when he slept in the boat, or walked on water even in the midst of a storm? (Mk 4:35-40; Mk 6:45-52) But like the apostles, we are often so easily overcome by fear and panic. Even when we’re already making baby steps on troubled waters like St. Peter, we find ourselves sinking because of our “little faith” (Mt14:31). There is nothing that can calm us down in these turbulent times except the quiet recognition of him who assured us of his abiding presence — “Be not afraid; it is I!” (Mt 14:27) THE COST OF WITNESSING TO CHRIST What is new about priests being murdered for witnessing to Christ? What is new about modern prophets being silenced by the treacherous bullets of assassins? What is new about servant leaders who are maligned because they have carried out their duties as shepherds configured to the person of their Chief Shepherd? Have you forgotten that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians”? (Tertullian) It is what has kept the Church alive after two thousand years. Be not afraid! Did not our master say, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul into Gehenna” (Mt 10:28)? We are no strangers to ridicule and persecution. What we are going through is no different from what the Psalmist describes in Psalm 64: “They sharpen their tongues like swords; they aim bitter words like arrows to shoot at the innocent from ambush, shooting suddenly and recklessly.” But what does the Lord tell his disciples when they are persecuted or humiliated for his sake? He tells them to “rejoice and be glad” (Mat 5:12). These are the very words with which Pope Francis opens his apostolic exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate”. They are the Lord’s words to those persecuted and humiliated for his sake. With the intention of calling us all to strive for a life of holiness, Pope Francis says the Lord does not want us “to settle for a bland and mediocre existence” (GE 1). How have we been taught to deal with persecution? Listen to what the apostle, St Paul, says, “When we are insulted, we respond with a blessing; when we are persecuted, we bear it patiently; when slandered, we respond gently. We have become the world’s refuse, the scum of all; that is the present state of affairs” (1 Cor 4:12-13). And how are we to deal with divisions among ourselves? How are we to deal with fellow “Christians” who see nothing wrong about the killings, who just laugh when our God is blasphemed, and who take part in passing on fake news? Did not the Lord himself warn us that part of the exigencies of working for peace is having to go through the crucible of conflicts? (Lk 12:51-53) There will always be those among us who profess the faith in Christ but are so easily seduced by the empty promises of Satan. Remember him who once sold the master for 30 pieces of silver because he had allowed himself to be mastered by Satan? St. Paul is right in saying, “...there have to be divisions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may become known.” (ESV 1 Cor 11:19) THE SUFFERINGS OF THE POOR Our sufferings as Church leaders are nothing compared to the sufferings of the poor in our country. Do we not hear the cry of poor slum-dwellers being jailed for “loitering”? Have they forgotten that for the homeless urban poor — the little alleys between their flimsy homes also serve as kitchens, bathrooms, recreation spaces, and playgrounds for their children? Have they forgotten that they live in tiny dwellings that are razed quickly to the ground when fire strikes, because they do not have proper roads? Do we not feel the sufferings of drug addicts who are labelled as “non-humans”, and are stigmatized as criminals when their names end up in the dreaded “drug watch lists”? Yes, we are aware of the sufferings of those who have been victimized by substance abusers, but can we not see them also as sick people who are struggling with a disease? Should we not rather look at them also as victims who are crying out for help? Are we to remain as bystanders when we hear of people being killed in cold blood by ruthless murderers who dispose of human lives like trash? Do we not realize that for every drug suspect killed, there is a widowed wife and there are orphaned children left behind — who could hardly even afford a decent burial for their loved ones? Do we not care when poor people’s homes are searched without warrants, or when drug suspects are arrested without warrants, or detained without charges? Do we not care about the misery of people charged of drug-related offenses and packed like sardines in extremely congested jails? Can we even bear the thought of seeing most of them languishing in jail, knowing that rehabilitation is what many of them need? Do we not hear of the sufferings of indigenous peoples who are displaced from their ancestral lands in order to give way to mining companies and dams? And how do we feel about communities that are forced to leave their homes for fear of being caught in the crossfire of conflicts between government troops and insurgents? How are we affected when our own troops die because of unceasing hostilities that have not been adequately addressed through peaceful dialogue? We have a saying in Tagalog, “Ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay ramdam ng buong katawan.” (The pain of one part of the body is felt by the whole body.) Alas, this is not always true! There is no way we can feel each other’s pains when some parts of the body are numbed by sheer indifference. To those in this world who boast of their own wisdom, those who arrogantly regard themselves as wise in their own estimation and the Christian faith as nonsense, those who blaspheme our God as stupid, St. Paul’s words are to the point: “For the stupidity of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25) And to those who ridicule our faith, we say with St. Paul, “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.”(1 Cor 1:27-29). THE WAY OF JESUS We wish to remind those who have been angered by the insulting statements of people in authority; remember what the Lord had taught his disciples. He said, “But to you who hear I say... bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well...” (Lk 6:27-29). Vengeance is never the way of Christ. It is not the way of Jesus to return evil for evil; no, we can conquer evil only with good (Rom 12:21). Up to the last moment of his breath, he had nothing but words of mercy towards his tormentors, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Lk 23:34). There are those who accuse us of getting involved in political moves to destabilize the government. Nothing can be farthest from the truth. Our concern is never the establishment of any earthly kingdoms. Worldly kingdoms come and go. We work only for God’s kingdom which is beyond this world — so that we can start learning to live life “on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). For the times in our history when we fell into the temptation of working for political power, we can only bow in shame and say, never again! We do not proclaim a false image of God, such as one who is just watching from heaven like a ruthless deity who threatens us of damnation in hell all the time. Ours is the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ — the God who saves, a God “rich in mercy and compassion”, a God involved in our history, a God who — for love of us — emptied himself totally, and “became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). CHURCH AND GOVERNMENT The Church respects the political authority, especially of democratically-elected government officials, as long as they do not contradict the basic spiritual and moral principles we hold dear, such as respect for the sacredness of life, the integrity of creation, and the inherent dignity of the human person. We are not political leaders, and certainly not political opponents of government. The Church has, throughout history, coexisted with countless forms of government. The Church has always been and will always be a partner of government (especially in the LGUs and barangays) in countless endeavours for the common good, especially in addressing the needs of the most disadvantaged sectors of society. Sometimes we qualify the collaboration as “critical”, mainly to distinguish our differences in terms of ultimate goals, even as we partner in some shared endeavours. Needless to say, on some specific issues, collaboration might not be possible because of our spiritual and moral beliefs, which we persistently propose, but never impose on the unwilling. In such instances, we can only invoke our right to conscientious objection. We do recognise the constitutional provision of the separation of church and state, mainly in the sense of distinction of roles in society. When we speak out on certain issues, it is always from the perspective of faith and morals, especially the principles of social justice, never with any political or ideological agenda in mind. CHURCH OF SINNERS, CALLED TO HOLINESS We admit humbly that we are a Church made of members who are “wretched but chosen” (Miserando atque Eligendo, Pope Francis’ episcopal motto). We are a Church of sinners called to conversion and holiness at the same time. We bow in shame when we hear of abuses being committed by some of our fellow Church leaders — especially those ordained to “act in the person of Christ”. We hold ourselves accountable for their actions, and accept our duty to correct them — as duly mandated by our own higher authorities in the universal Church. We humbly admit that we have many weaknesses and shortcomings, human as we are. We have no reason to justify our weaknesses on the basis of our participation in the human condition, because we profess faith in the God who embraced the human condition, precisely to set a new template of humanity in his son Jesus Christ. We draw a lot of strength from St. Paul, who desperately begged the Lord to remove his weakness but only got these words as assurance, “My grace is enough for you; for in weakness power reaches perfection. It is when I am weak that I am strong” (2 Cor 12:9). CALL TO PRAYER AND FASTING On July 16, 2018 on the feast of the Blessed Mother of Mt. Carmel, the mountain associated with the bold challenge of the prophet Elijah in defense of God (2 Kings 18), let us spend a day of prayer and penance, invoking God’s mercy and justice on those who have blasphemed God’s Holy Name, those who slander and bear false witness, and those who commit murder or justify murder as a means for fighting criminality in our country. We invite you to join us, your bishops, in three days of fasting, prayer and almsgiving from July 17 to 19, 2018. We commend you, our dear people of God, to the maternal care of the woman to whom Jesus entrusted his “Beloved Disciple” and said, “Behold your son!” (Jn 19:26) We, for our part, behold her — our mother in faith — with filial love. Mary, mother of the Church, be near to us especially when we tend to despair and run out of the wine of faith, hope and charity (Jn 2:1-11). Teach us to do only what your Son asks of us. And when we lose heart in the face of persecution, may we stand by you at the foot of the cross and regain our strength from the blood and water that flowed from the wounded side of your Beloved Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, DD Archbishop of Davao President, CBCP July 9, 2018

There is this English saying that goes, “We become what we eat.” Accordingly, the idea of this saying is to give us a keen insight about our health: eating healthy food results to good health and eating unhealthy food results to bad health. If you eat good food, you could have a healthy body. But if you eat bad food, like for example, junk foods, you might suffer from many illnesses. If you eat less, most likely you could have a slimmer body. But if you eat excessively, you might gain too much weight and might endanger yourself by becoming obese. Thus, you become vulnerable to many diseases like diabetes. Well of course, this could not be absolutely true because having a healthy body does not only consist of eating healthy food or having a balanced diet. It also requires physical exercises and activities to flex and work out our muscles. But for the sake of the argument, let us consider the saying as perfectly true that “we become what we eat.” Let us then ask ourselves, for the past years that we have been receiving the Body of Christ in the Holy Communion, have we become more like Christ? Are we being transformed into His likeness, becoming holy and just? It is imperative that we grow and make progress with our spiritual life every time we receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist because our Lord himself is our spiritual food, our spiritual nourishment. The holiness which the Eucharist contains should overwhelm us, both body and soul. That in our words and actions, others may see in us our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. St. Augustine said, “Believe what you see, see what you believe and become what you are: the Body of Christ.” When we say “Amen”, we are saying “Yes! I believe this is the Body and Blood of Christ and that I will be the Body of Christ to others.” Jesus does not give us his flesh not only for own benefit but also for the benefit of others. Without the Eucharist, life is meaningless. We may be physically healthy by eating healthy food. But if we neglect to receive Christ in the Eucharist, we then become spiritually weak. We need Christ in the Eucharist so that our lives may be complete. Remember His words, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever.” (John 6:51). Jesus gives us his very self as our daily bread not only to satisfy our hunger and sustain our earthly life but for us to attain eternal life with him in heaven. By giving His Most Sacred Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, Christ prepares us to be citizens of His Kingdom by transforming our humanity to his divinity. May we always desire to be in communion with Christ, the Bread of Life, at all times. May we always make ourselves worthy in receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist and continue to be transformed into His image and likeness. Amen. - Fr. Emil Valeza #Eucharist #BreadofLife #HolyMass

(On the Ascension Sunday, World Communications Day, Brgy Election and Mothers Day) We begin by gratefully recognizing all our mothers. We honor them as we offer the mass for our Nanay, Mama, Inay, Lola. Mothers are so dear to our hearts. In fact, we do not only use word “mother” to our biological mother. We often associate mother with important realities close to our hearts. So we include “mother” in referring to our country (inang-bayan), to our Catholic church (inang-simbahan) or even to our native language (inang wika). Indeed, we find an affective connection of the love of a mother whenever we speak of our church, of our country and of our power to communicate. Love for the Church On the day of His ascension, Jesus entrusted His disciples the mission of forming communities of faith . Go and proclaim to the whole world, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Through the apostles, the church was born. Jesus does not leave his flock orphan but continues to send his disciples to take care of them. Like a mother who gives birth to her child, she always yearns to be with her child. She does not abandon her beloved child. Our mother church likewise cares for her flock. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus sent his disciples take care of His flock. Up until the present, the church through her ministers continues to proclaim the gospel so that the everyone will benefit from His message of love. How do we extend our love to our mother church? Do we participate in the common mission of proclaiming the good news to others? Or have we caused the pain of the spouse of Christ, the church, because we have been passive to our mission? Love for the nation. Our mother land is again in pain to see the constitution being mocked by our leaders, no less than by the magistrates of the Supreme court itself. Yes we blame always the government leaders for our misery. But who were the ones who placed them there? Our votes! We have been duped by the evils of the society. We have been guiding everyone to choose wisely our leaders. But unfortunately, many are already swept away by the flood of money, power and trapo politics. Tomorrow, we will once again vote for our barangay leaders. Though the barangay is the smallest unit of the society, yet it is where we immediately feel our being a citizen. It is where our children directly receive the services of the government. If we are going to be fooled by the saying “barangay officials lang naman yan” we will lose sight of the greater threats of evil that start in the very place closest to our loved ones. Many times, we have been convinced by the empty promises of our politicians, let us learn from our mistakes of the past. Let us vote wisely and responsibly this time. The Power to Communicate This Sunday, we celebrate the World Communications Day. If there is one beautiful gift that we receive from God, that is the power to communicate. But communication has been so abused and misused in the past and even until these days. In today’s fast-changing world of communications and digital systems, we are witnessing the spread of what has come to be known as “fake news” (WCD Message of Pope Francis) How can we be freed from this phemomenon? Pope Francis continues: “The most radical antidote to the virus of falsehood is purification by the truth. In Christianity, truth is not just a conceptual reality that regards how we judge things, defining them as true or false. The truth is not just bringing to light things that are concealed, "revealing reality” The best antidotes to falsehoods are not strategies, but people: people who are not greedy but ready to listen, people who make the effort to engage in sincere dialogue so that the truth can emerge; people who are attracted by goodness and take responsibility for how they use language. Let us once again value the gift of communication of truth and love as every mother does. Our society is tired of falsehood and empty promises. Everything started with the mission of the disciples to spread the good news to all the land. In spreading the good news, we bring about peace. If only we are true to this mission of communicating the love of the Father, only then can we have a better mother church and mother land. As Jesus ascends to heaven, he left with us a mission to communicate peace and truth so that the Kingdom of God will reign on earth. Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News. - Fr. Louie Occiano #worldcommunicationsday #mothersday #ascensionsunday

Jesus in the gospel today, uses this powerful image of the vine and its branches to convey this very important message: God is the source of our very life and strength; without Him, life is barren, useless, nothing. Jesus uses this image because He knows that His disciples understand well the vital relationship between the vine and its branches and the equal significance of pruning the latter in order for them to bear much fruit. It is a common agricultural knowledge for them since growing grapes, which are vines, are quite common in their place. And so for Jesus this is a perfect image for his message: He is indeed the vine, the source of life and fruitfulness, and we are His branches. If we remain attached with Him we can become fruitful. But apart from Him life would be nothing. Jesus tells us that this must be the kind of relationship that we should all strive to have with Him. We should always be connected with Him at all times and never allow ourselves to be separated from Him lest we die. One of the best ways to get always connected with Him is through prayer. Our constant communication with Him in prayer keeps us in touch with Him and nourishes our relationship with Him. Communication always plays a great role in cultivating and maintaining a good and heathy relationship not only with God but also among us. People maintain and strengthen their bonds of relationship through good and constant communication. Prayer is the best way to communicate with God. It helps us stay connected with Him. Through prayer, God bestows upon us his enormous graces, protects us from evil and guides us in our journey. Thus, if we are always with Him in prayer, like a branch attached firmly to its heathy vine, we will certainly bear more fruits. Remember what happens when we stop praying and disconnect ourselves from Jesus? We become weak, spiritually weak. Our desire to fight temptations ceases. Our minds are clouded with our inordinate desires. Thus, we become more prone to commit sins and eventually fall away from Him. However, some of us may argue that if it is true that when one is separated from God, especially by way of committing sins, grave sins, then why is it that evil people in this world continue to thrive and prosper? Why is it that the more they separate themselves from God, the more they become richer and powerful? To avoid this confusion we have to understand that the fruitfulness that Jesus speaks about when we remain with Him is not about increase in material possessions, fame or power but increase of good deeds and holiness due to our firm attachment with God. If we are with Christ always, we will continue to do more good deeds to others and to ourselves. The more we do good works, the more we become holier and closer to God. The holier and closer we are to God, the happier we become. And this should always be our aim: to bear good fruits, to continue to do good deeds and be holy and just in the eyes of God. We can only do those things if we remain attached with Jesus, the vine, our source of life and strength, our true source of happiness and peace. May we all remain connected with Christ and live a happy, bountiful and holy life. - Fr Emil Valeza Photo credits to the owner

In the gospel Jesus gives us the Parable of the Good Shepherd. It shows the deep bond between the Shepherd and the sheep, explaining that strangers may try to persuade the sheep, perhaps by imitating the voice of their shepherd. But they will not follow them because they only obey the voice of their shepherd. “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me…and they will hear my voice.” (John 10:14, 16). Accordingly, sheep have the ability to distinguish the distinct voice of their shepherd among the many voices of strangers. The latter may try to mimic their shepherd’s voice but their sharp memory can never be fooled. They know well their pastor’s voice and only his they will listen and follow. Sheep are also dependent on their shepherd since they cannot protect themselves from predators (They are prey animal.) They need to submit themselves under his guidance, follow him and rely on his protection and care in order to survive. And this is the key to their survival - heeding and obeying their shepherd’s voice. Just like the sheep we need the guidance of a shepherd in order to live, in order to survive from all the onslaughts of the devil. The closer we are to our Good Shepherd, the safer we are. And the safer we are, the more we can enjoy life to the fullest. But this cannot be realized if we do not have a sheep-like attitude. We have to understand that just like the sheep we need to be meek and humble. And most importantly we must always be familiar with the voice of our Good Shepherd, LISTENING ATTENTIVELY to his words and humbly obeying his will. We can only know and be familiar with his voice if we spend an enormous time with Him in prayer (both personal and communal), Bible reading, catechism and most importantly through the Eucharist. It is through the holy celebration of the Eucharist that we personally encounter our Good Shepherd as we listen attentively to His words in the readings, in the homily of the priest and as we receive Him worthily in Holy Communion. Our constant communication and communion with Jesus will surely help us build a strong bond with Him which will give us great opportunities to be more acquainted with His voice. So that when difficulties, confusions, temptations and trials come we will remain calm as we listen faithfully in his consoling words, “I am your Good Shepherd.” Jesus indeed is the Good Shepherd and he will do everything to take care of us, to protect us and give us life. But we need to cooperate with Him by heeding his voice and doing what he tells us. All His efforts will be in vain if we continue to cover our ears with our selfishness and pride. We will continue to be lost if we continue to deafen our ears by entertaining and following other “voices” in this world which only intend to kill and destroy us. Let us strive and continue to be humble and docile sheep to Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Let us talk to Him always in prayer, listen to His voice and follow His commandments. - Fr. Emil Valeza #GoodShepherd #4thSundayEaster

April 14, 2018.  It was a humid sunny morning when the faithful of the Parish of Santa Maria Josefa warmly welcomed the Archbishop, Most Rev. Rolando Tria Tirona, OCD,  in the Church in Payak, Bato, Camarines Sur as they were set ready for the Church to be consecrated to their Patron Saint, Santa Maria Josefa. In the celebration, the Archbishop emphasized that as having the Church blessed and dedicated, each one is called to participate actively, fully, and consciously in the Sacraments of the Church, in remembrance of the Cross and in the jubilation of Christ's resurrection.  He thanked the faithful for showing support and expressing themselves as true community of Christ in their valuable participation. Within the Eucharistic celebration, a first class relic of Santa Maria Josefa was entombed beneath the altar, the archbishop anointed the Altar and the pillars of the Church with chrism oil and the  entire Church was filled with aroma of incense.  The altar was decorated and the Church was fully lighted signaling the consecration. In his thanksgiving message, Fr. Cresencio Abinal, Jr. acknowledged the support of the faithful and donors that made the completion of the Church possible.  He especially mentioned the Archbishop for his fatherly guidance and support, and his predecessor, Fr. Jayvee Rosero who laid the foundations of the Church in Payak. The Sisters from the Siervas de Jesus joined in celebration the consecration of the completed Church. They were asked by the Archbishop to render a song in Honor of Santa Maria Josefa at the near end of the Holy Mass. The Parish in Payak was established in 2004 by the late Archbishop Leonardo Legazpi, OP., and will celebrate the 15th year as parish next year 2019.

Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona visited last April 11-12, 2018 the Prelature of Marawi and the Diocese of Iligan together with  CBCP-NASA staff to conduct briefing with the Diocesan Social Action Centers and give assistance to the internally displaced people of Marawi. The itinerary  includes visit to the evacuation in Toril in Iligan and to the Christian Tent Camp and Sarimanok Camp in Marawi.  The Archbishop had the opportunity to make dialogue with Maranao volunteers. In this two day visit, the Archbishop commented, “The damage of conflict to the community of Marawi is disheartening, but what is wonderful and heartening to see is the enthusiasm of both Christian and Maranao youth  and the cooperation for peace to help the displaced people.  CBCP-NASA is here to promote peace and give its assistance to our people." CBCP-NASA provides livelihood assistance of 5,000 sarisari stores with an allotted 20 Million Budget for the displaced people in Marawi.   Archbishop Tria Tirona is the present chairman of CBCP-NASA/ Caritas-Philippines, a social action arm of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines. #CBCPNASSA #CaritasPhilippines #archbishopTriaTirona #Caceres

3rd Sunday of Easter - Gospel Reflection: Luke 24:35-48 Many of us, if not all, have already experienced “dark moments” in our lives, moments when our life seemed to be abandoned by the light of hope, when we felt so lonely, left out and discouraged by life’s miseries like the inevitable death of a loved one due to an incurable disease, betrayed by a trusted friend, failed in board exams, or when we struggled from certain addictions and the like. These are just some of life’s “dark moments” that we might have all experienced in one way or another. Such moments could bring us down and tear our life apart. They could also gravely affect our relationship with God. They could weaken our faith in Him and could eventually lead us to fall away from Him forever. Yes. Many times we are easily discouraged by all these negativities. We find it hard to cope with all kinds of challenges in life. Many times we tend to stop from struggling. We stop from believing that God is always there for us. However, despite of all our doubts and hopelessness, God never ceases to encourage us. He never abandons us. For always, he gives us hope and strength to persevere just like what Jesus did to his disciples when they were in their lowest point of their lives. In our gospel, the disciples of Jesus are confined in a room, hiding in fear from their enemies, the same enemies who persecuted and killed their Master. They are apparently in despair, confused. And even if some of their brothers have already reported to them that they met Jesus on their way and He is truly alive, they are still in doubt. What happened to their faith? Their faith was weakened by their doubts and fears. It only shows that the disciples of Jesus have not yet fully realized His true identity and mission. They are so slow to understand everything that Jesus told them before He was crucified. This is affirmed when Jesus suddenly appears in their midst, consoling them with His words, “Peace with you”. In their surprise, they think of Him as a ghost! Maybe Jesus is quite disappointed with them. Perhaps He is expecting that they will embrace Him with great joy once they see Him. But because of their incredulity, the disciples react in a different and negative way. So Jesus has once again reminded them of the prophecy about His Passion, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” (Luke 24:46). He tirelessly and patiently teaches them that all the prophecies about Him are true, and He has finally fulfilled them. “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44). He also addresses their questions about His resurrection by showing them the marks of his wounds. He even asks them for food, telling them that He is indeed truly alive, flesh and blood, subject to hunger and thirst. The struggles of the disciples in their early life with Jesus could also happen to us or could already be happening to us. And just like them, we also have our own Calvary experiences, problems, difficulties, and challenges in life. Our initial reactions could be the same, fearful and full of doubts. But we do not have to repeat the same mistakes. Rather, we should learn from them. We have to remember that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is truly alive and not dead. He knows our struggles and hears our pleas. He understands our sufferings because it is through His own suffering and death that we were saved. Therefore we should not allow despair to conquer us. We should never lose hope. Remember that God is always with us to comfort us in our sorrows, guide us in our journey and strengthen us in carrying our own crosses as we follow our Lord Jesus Christ. - Fr. Emil Valeza

Sunday Reflection (Third Sunday of Easter) The Risen Jesus appreared again to his disciples saying “Peace be with you” First, He showed his nailed hands and feet. He is not a ghost that causes fear. Like Jesus, let us not hide our woundedness. Our multiple deaths and sufferings are not cause of fear but source of strenght. Once shared to others, it can in fact inspire them. Second, He shared the bread. Table fellowship is another source of strenght. Living in community of friends will foster peace and joy. The Sunday Eucharist is a must for everyone because we see Him always there. And lastly, He shared his command to become witnesses to others. If we are asked to share our woundedness, we are also sent to share the Good News. As the saying goes, “Shared sorrow is half sorrow and shared joy is a doubled joy”.Have a blessed Sunday. - Fr Louie Occiano #ThirdSundayofEaster #LouieOcciano #SundayReflection

The Parish of St. Maria Josefa in Brgy. Payak, Bato, Camarines Sur will be blessed and dedicated on April 15, 2018 Sunday, 9:00AM by the Archbishop of Caceres, Most Rev. Rolando J. Tria Tirona, OCD, D.D. Rev. Fr. Cresencio Abinal, Jr., stated, “This year is a grand preparation for the 15th Anniversary as a parish next year.  Our parish community  has been so blessed that after more than a decade, we will celebrate the blessing of our Church.” Fr. Abinal also expressed his gratitude to he donors of the Church building, the parishioners and to the former parish priest, Rev. Fr. Jayvee Rosero. Blessing and dedication of a Church is part of the rituals of the Catholic Church to consecrate the Church and Altar for liturgical purposes.  A Relic of St. Maria Josefa will be entombed beneath the altar during the rites. #Payak #StMariaJosefa #blessinganddedication

Gospel Reflection God’s Divine Mercy Today, in the second Sunday of Easter, we celebrate a very special occasion. As officially announced by then Pope John Paul II, now, St. John Paul II during the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska in the year 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter is especially devoted for the celebration of the Divine Mercy. On this special day we remember and thank God for allowing us to experience his infinite mercy through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior. In her diary, St. Faustina Kowalska, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, writes these words of Jesus for us, “Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.” Indeed, this is the attitude of God towards us: His Divine Mercy is what makes Him persistent in finding each of us, his lost sheep. Through His Divine Mercy he will do whatever it takes to find us. We just need to cast off our doubts and believe in Him so that He may carry us back to His flock. Yes. Our personal response, a positive response to God’s efforts in saving us is decisive. And it starts in believing in Him. This is demonstrated in our gospel today. In the gospel, St. John tells us how fearful the disciples were that they even locked themselves up inside a room. Perhaps they were afraid that they might also suffer the fate of their Master: persecution and death. Thus horror has overcome them to the point that they lost their hope and forgot the words of their Lord, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day”. However, in spite of their incredulity, Jesus has once again enkindled their dying faith by appearing before them, showing his wounds particularly to Thomas who was skeptical to the reports of his fellow disciples that Jesus indeed has truly risen and fully alive. In spite of their weakened faith caused by their fears and doubts, Jesus remained patient with them. He did not look ON their frailties but looked AT them with loving mercy, trusting that they will be able to understand His words and eventually believe in Him, which fortunately they did! And that is what Divine Mercy is all about. God never gives up on us. He patiently waits for us hoping that we may also profess the same faith in Him in words and deeds, “My Lord and my God”. In our celebration today of the Divine Mercy, we remember and thank the Lord for the great mercy that He continuously gives us. Despite of our frailty, ungratefulness and sinfulness, Jesus did not, and does not give up on us. He remains merciful and ever determined in entering into our “locked hearts” to give us peace. Let us allow Christ to enter into our hearts, empty them from our sinfulness and pride. And with all humility let us participate in his grace so that He may completely save us. Remember the words of St. Augustine, “God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us.” (Sermo 169,11,13:PL 38,923). As our Catechism explains it, “To receive His mercy, we must admit our faults. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (CCC# 1847) The resurrection of Christ from the dead is no wonder the greatest manifestation of God’s Divine Mercy on us. We pray that, in great faith and in response to His call for mercy, may we also learn to forgive and be merciful towards our fellow sinners.

The liturgy this Sunday includes the Renewal of Baptismal Promises. Saint Paul understands our baptism is a participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery—his passion, death, and resurrection (and our own future resurrection)—the center of our Faith. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:3-5; see also 1 Cor 15:13-14). During the Renewal of Baptismal Promises, we are asked to reject the person of Satan who desires through his works and his deceptions to unseat God’s place in our lives. And thus, we are asked to accept, profess, and renew our belief in God, in whose name we were baptized (cf Mt 28:19): in our Father who created us, in the Son who redeemed us, and in the Holy Spirit whose works sanctified us. Once a year, together as a Church we renew the promises we made during our baptism. Some of us were too young to make and remember those promises so, our parents helped us in everything, as was expected of them, including those matters of Faith. After all, no one is too young to be admitted into God’s universal family! For, even in the Old Testament, eight day-old babies were admitted into God’s covenant family (cf Gen 17:11-12). Saint John’s Epistle gives us another reason to celebrate and rejoice in our baptism: “Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1) #Easter #BaptismalPromise