THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD: CHRISTMAS IS FOR ALL
The Epiphany is depicted in a mural titled “Adoration of the Magi” in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at Conception Abbey in Conception, Mo. Painted by Benedictine monks in th…
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Joseph Echano
Joseph Echano
4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: THE MISSION OF CHRISTMAS
The Visitation, James B. Janknegt, 2008 These past few days, many people have been taking the hard and long journey going home for Christmas. One could just admire all the hardship and troubles tha…
5 min read1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: salvation is now!
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! Perhaps you think I am getting confused about time. This is not January 1 nor is it the lunar new year or the beginning of the Muslim year. But this is the beginning of a n…
5 min read32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Widow’s Mite
One of the best things that happened in the midst of the pandemic in the Philippines was the explosion of thousands of community pantries all over the country. The community pantries are community-…
6 min read29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Counter-Symbol of Service
“I came to serve not to be served” In the Philippines last week, in the midst of the pandemic we saw a fiesta or shall we say a circus throughout the country. Thousands of wannabes vyin…
6 min read28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Imagine There’s No Possessions
In the popular song of John Lennon, Imagine, are words imagining a world without possessions; a world where people won’t seek wealth but no one will go hungry and discontented. As the song go…
5 min read27th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Divine Nature of Marriage
photo from Keeping the family close together is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Along with war, poverty, social injustice, violence and climate change, marriage and family break…
3 min read26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: God’s Love Beyond Borders
God’s love and redemption is boundless; it goes even beyond the Catholic Church. This theme is reflected in today’s readings of the 26th Sunday in ordinary time. In the first reading from the book …
5 min read24th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Knowing Jesus
In today’s gospel of the 24th Sunday in ordinary time, Jesus directly asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Je…
4 min read23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Lord, Heal Us
Image from Two years now into the pandemic, the paramount cry of all people in the world is healing. All over the world people are crying to the heavens for healing from the physical, mental, socia…
4 min read22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Finding God in the Midst of the Pandemic
In the midst of the pandemic, several religious memes have been circulating around social media which raises some serious concerns. For example, “Why worry about delta when you have the Alpha…
5 min read21st Sunday in Ordinary Time: To Whom Else Shall We Go?
During these times of pandemic, in the face of utter misery and depression, many found themselves scraping through their resource of faith, even questioning their faith in God. Many felt like God i…
4 min readSolemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Celebrating Hope Amidst the Pandemic
The Covid-19 global pandemic has devastated all aspects of our lives – health, economic, emotional, social, mental and spiritual. There is fear, anguish, and ambiguity surrounding our very ex…
7 min read18th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Satisfying our True Hunger
photo from All over the world, the biggest news of the week, and I foresee in the week to come at least, are the olympic games being held in Tokyo. Top of the olympic news is the first ever gold fo…
5 min read17th Sunday in Ordinary Time: God’s Way Amidst World Hunger
Despite the advance technology and economic progress the world has achieved today, many still go hungry and/or do not receive proper nutrition. During the pandemic, many people not just died becaus…
4 min readJune 21 – 4th Day of the Novena for the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help: Contemplating the Hands of Mary
Today is the 4th day of the Novena in preparation for the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help on June 27. National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help In preparation for the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help on June 27, we will not just be praying...
2 min read12th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Struggling with God
When we find ourselves at the darkest and deepest pit of misery and despair, when all is lost and we have nowhere to run to and no one to call, perhaps we may have cried to God for help and pleaded…
5 min read11th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Kingdom of God in our Daily Life
Everyday in the news we hear of killings, violence, oppression, suffering, and poverty of majority of our people while an elite few bask in power and wealth. The power of evil seems overwhelming, a…
7 min readThe Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: Becoming Sacrifice for Others
Baclaran Shrine Community Pantry visited by thousands daily One of the best things that happened in the midst of the pandemic in the Philippines was the explosion of thousands of community pantries…
4 min readTRINITY SUNDAY: God’s Circle of Love
The Trinity Sunday proclaims to us that God is not a self but a relationship. God is a community. To put it simply, God is love. God is ever loving and ever helping each other, ever forgiving and e…
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Pentecost Sunday: Learning to Breath Again
Photo by Kelvin Valerio from Pexels In the madness and chaos of the present world, we become engrossed with so many things but have taken for granted the more essential things. Among…
6 min readSolemnity of the Ascension of the Lord: There is no Final Goodbye
Photo by Layyana Sheridean from Pexels One of the most painful experiences in our lives is the pain of separation. We experience this in the departure of somebody we deeply love whet…
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6th Sunday of Easter: Jesus’ Abiding Presence
This Sunday is sixth Sunday of Easter which coincides with the special celebration of Mother’s Day. Since its Mother’s day, let me begin by talking about my mother. My mother died 16 years ago. I r…
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5th Sunday of Easter: We are all Interconnected in Jesus
In this time of pandemic, one of the buzz words we often hear is social distancing. Social distancing is keeping at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from other people who are not from one’s…
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4th Sunday of Easter: Laying Down One’s Life for the Other
National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Baclaran community pantry The biggest good news in the Philippines today is the mushrooming of thousands of community pantries all over the country.…
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3rd Sunday of Easter: Are We the Body or the Ghost of the Risen Lord?
Jesus is risen in the world today! Where? His risen body can be seen in the church today. Or is it? The church is the risen body of Christ so that the world may come to believe in the risen Christ.…
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2nd Sunday of Easter: How to Live as an Easter Community
Perpetual Help Kitchen to feed the hungry during the pandemic. Eight days have passed since Easter. But the conditions we are living today seem like we are still in the Lenten season. With the quar…
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Easter Sunday: Living the Easter Spirit
On Easter morning, while the men were sleeping, the women went to the tomb very early in the morning and witnessed the first appearance of the risen Jesus. This is perhaps the first surprise of the…
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Easter Vigil: We are Children of Eastern Morn
Tonight is the final day of our triduum which we celebrate through the liturgy of Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil, the mother of all liturgies, is the most beautiful and the longest liturgy in the R…
4 min readGood Friday: The Goodness of God Dying on the Cross
We are on our second day of the triduum. Today’s liturgy is called Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion. We don’t have a mass today. Instead, we have a liturgy which is made up of three parts: the Lit…
6 min readHOLY THURSDAY: A NEW COMMANDMENT
Tonight we begin the paschal triduum. Paschal Triduum also called Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or The Three Days. They are the most important three days in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Firs…
5 min readHoly Wednesday: The Tragedy of Judas
On this last day of Lent, Holy Wednesday of the Passion Week, we hear in the gospel how Judas cut a backroom deal with Ananias and his corrupt family, to hand over Jesus for 30 …
3 min readHoly Tuesday: Betrayals and Denials
Today’s Gospel of the Tuesday of Holy/Passion Week focuses on Jesus’ prophecies about Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial. Judas betrays him, Peter will deny him, and then the remaining ten will sca…
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Holy Monday: Preparing for the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus
Throughout this holy week, the holiest of all weeks, we will reflect on the liturgical readings of each day. The readings of each day of the holy week lead us to the greatest event of our salvation…
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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion: Entering the Holy Week with Jesus
Tomorrow in the Catholic liturgy, we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This marks the beginning of the Holy Week–the holiest of all week which celebrates the paschal mystery of our…
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5th Sunday of Lent: Dying to Give Life
As we enter into the fifth week of Lent, we draw closer and closer into the heart of the Lenten journey. As we said at the beginning of Lent, the heart of the Lenten journey is the paschal mystery …
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4th Sunday of Lent: Walking Out into the Light
In the shrine at Baclaran, the second most popular place after the shrine is the candle chapel. There, thousands of people light candles and pray silently and solemnly. Many stay still lengthi…
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3rd Sunday of Lent: Holy Rage
The Angry Jesus by Filipino artist Lina Pontebon Can anger be holy? Can rage be spiritual? In today’s gospel Jesus erupts in rage when he sees people vending oxen, sheep, and doves and money-…
5 min read1st Sunday of Lent: A Radical Beginning
At the beginning of Jesus ministry, the Holy Spirit led him into the desert and remained there for forty days. Jesus did not begin his ministry in Jerusalem, the seat of religious and political pow…
5 min read6th Sunday in Ordinary Time: No One is Unclean in God’s Mercy
As the world continue to cry out for healing amidst the continuous pandemic, we hear in the readings of the 6th Sunday in ordinary time, the same cries for healing and cleansing. The cry for healin…
5 min read5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Heal the World
Its been one year since the outbreak of the pandemic worldwide but there is no sign that the pandemic is going away. As the pandemic rages, the greatest cry of the world today is healing. The whole…
6 min read4th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Speaking with Authority
Many people in authority from government to civic groups to the church, has given authority a bad name. Thus, many persons in authority are treated either with fear or suspicion. Fear, because thos…
5 min read3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Audacity of Good News
Everyday, we are bombarded with bad news. From the enormous suffering and gloom brought about by the pandemic to corruption in government to scandals in the church to natural and human-made calamit…
4 min read2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Finding Our Deepest Longings in the Gospel
We now begin what the Church calls “Ordinary Time.” Christmas season is over. During Ordinary Time, we focus on Jesus’ ministry. Our readings today touch on the theme of vocation—God’s calling. Ca…
4 min readThe Baptism of the Lord: Living the Spirit of Christmas Throughout the Year
Today is the last day of the Church’s Christmas season. Jesus’ birth has now been celebrated. His public life comes next. His baptism begins it. The end of Christmas is not just the putting down of…
5 min readThe Epiphany of the Lord: Christ is the Light to All People
Today we celebrate the second solemnity of the Christmas season—the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany means ‘manifestation’ or ‘theophany’ understood particularly as the manifestatio…
5 min readSolemnity of Mary, Mother of God: How to Start the New Year with Mary
Welcome, New Year 2022! January 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics not because it is New Year ’s Day, but because it is the octave (8th day) of Christmas. On this Octave of Christmas…
6 min readFeast of the Holy Innocents: Christmas in the Midst of the Suffering of the Innocents
Today, December 28, in the midst of Christmas festivities, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents. They are the young boys in and around Bethlehem, two and under, whom Herod had massacred. We…
4 min readThe Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph: God’s Dwelling into our Families
Christmas is the season for the family. It is the time when the whole family gather together to celebrate Christmas. Each member of the family wherever he/she is, even if it is from the farthest po…
4 min readFeast of St. Stephen: First Martyr of Christmas
After all the merry-making, all the festivities, all the food and drinks, all the joyous gatherings we attended yesterday on Christmas day, we celebrate today the feast of St. Stephen, first martyr…
5 min readChristmas Midnight Mass: The People who Walked in Darkness have seen a Great Light
Tonight’s liturgy and readings of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Mass during midnight, is full of contrasting words and images. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah proclaims, “The pe…
7 min read4th Sunday of Advent: Mary’s Story – Let Go, Let God!
(For an audio version of this reflection, click here) On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we hear of the annunciation story of Mary. We have heard this story many times already that sometimes we do no…
7 min read3rd Sunday of Advent: Celebrating the Joy of Christmas
(For an audio version of this reflection, click here.) For most of us, Christmas is the happiest time of the year. As early as September, we feel a profound feeling of joy. But the sad reality of o…
5 min read2nd Sunday of Advent: The Sign of St. John the Baptist
(For an audio version of this reflection, click here) The Gospel of today’s 2nd Sunday of Advent is the opening of the gospel according to Mark: “The beginning of the Good News (euangeli…
5 min readFirst Sunday of Advent: Living the End Times in the Present
HAPPY NEW YEAR! No, I haven’t forgotten or am I confused about the date. But today is the beginning of a new year in the church otherwise known as liturgical calendar. Why is the church…
6 min readSolemnity of Christ the King: We are all King
Jesus’ kingship is also our kingship. We can all be king even without any wealth, royalty blood, power or might. We can be king if we serve the least of our brothers and sisters.
6 min read33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: What is a Good Life?
Photo by Mathew Thomas from Pexels We are not just born to live but to live a good life. The good life is a central question of many philosophers since time immemorial. One of the earliest philosop…
5 min read32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Living Life Wisely
Our readings for today’s 32nd Sunday in ordinary time talks about wisdom. Wisdom is not so much about having higher learning, earning academic degrees or knowledge of everything inasmuch as l…
4 min readSolemnity of All Saints: Dare to be a Saint
This Sunday, we celebrate the great Solemnity of All Saints. We celebrate the glory with God that all the saints, holy men and women of God now experience. All the innumerable saints of God are an …
2 min read30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: In God’s Love, We Live and Move and Have our Being
St Augustine, in his homily on the First Epistle of John, remarked, “Love – and do what you like.”[1] St. Augustine’s tenet expresses the theme of the readings of today’s 30th Sunday in ordin…
7 min read29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Give unto God all that Belongs to God
Every now and then in the shrine, we get reactions from some people when our homilies touched on social issues. Some react by saying that they went to the shrine to seek spiritual solace and peace,…
6 min read28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Everyone is Invited to God’s Table of Plenty
Food ready for distribution to feed the hungry during the Covid-19 pandemic at Baclaran Shrine Perpetual Help Kitchen The main symbol of our readings for today’s 28th Sunday in ordinary time …
5 min read27th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Tenants in God’s Vineyard
When I was a seminarian, I had the opportunity to experience immersion among sugar plantation workers in Batangas. They were called kasama’ (sakada in Bisaya). In my short immersion with the …
5 min read26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Doing the Will of God
Every Sunday Eucharist, God invites us to take a risk in leaving behind our own values, attitudes and thinking and embrace God’s values, attitudes and thinking. In other words, every Sunday w…
4 min read25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Fairness and Equality in God
One of the highest demands of workers all over the world is fair wage and equality. Sadly, many workers in our country do not even receive the legally mandated minimum wage, let alone, the real jus…
5 min read24th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Forgiven in order to Forgive
To be forgiven is one of the most liberating experiences of being human. When we are forgiven, we are so full of gratitude and joy that not just we were given pardon for our sins but also the oppor…
6 min read23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Fraternal Correction
Many of us are reluctant to correct the faults of others. Especially for us Filipinos, we don’t want to point the wrong doings of others lest the other would think that we are maligning their dign…
4 min read22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Cost of Being a Christian
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Christianity is costly. Becoming true Christian will cost us our dear life. But in return, we will exper…
4 min read21st Sunday in Ordinary Time: To be a Rock Christian
In today’s gospel of the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus asked the rock foundational question of our Chistian faith. “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter, on behalf of all the discipls, repl…
4 min read20th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Meaning of Catholic Church
Today’s readings of the 20th Sunday in ordinary time touch on the theme of the inclusivity of God’s salvation. God’s salvation is not just for a select group of people; it is avai…
4 min read19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Where is God in the Pandemic?
Where can we find God in the midst of the pandemic and all the sufferings from the trials and tribulations today? Today’s readings of the 19th Sunday in ordinary time can enlighten us in resp…
5 min read18th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Abundance of God and the Hunger of the World
Laging Saklolo Kitchen in Baclaran church to feed the hungry during the pandemic Despite the abundant riches and resources that mother nature can give, many still go hungry and/or are malnourished.…
5 min read17th Sunday in Ordinary Time: What is your Greatest Treasure?
If you could ask God only one thing, what is it that you would ask of God? In today’s 17th Sunday in ordinary time 1st reading in the 1st book of Kings, God told Solomon, “Ask what you would …
5 min read16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Patience with God
In today’s gospel, Jesus talks about the patience of God. He does this through three parables: The first is the parable about the wheat and the darnel (Matthew 24 – 30, with an interpretation in 36…
5 min readSolemnity of the Most Holy Redeemer: The Crazy Love of God
Every third Sunday of July, Redemptorists all over the world celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer. Thus today, all churches, parishes and shrines all over the world under the care of Redem…
4 min read15th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Prodigal Sower
Jesus taught mainly through parables. Parables are stories or analogies drawn from everyday life. The parable of the sower is one of the greatest parables of Jesus. From a farmer’s point of view, h…
5 min read14th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Resting in Jesus
For many of us, our idea of rest and recreation is taking few days off from work, chilling out, having fun, hanging out and enjoying the company of friends and family. It can also involv…
5 min read13th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Christianity as Discipleship
Christianity is much more than religion. It is a discipleship, an apprenticeship if you like–an apprenticeship with Jesus. What kind of apprenticeship does Jesus leads us to? In the Gospel Re…
4 min read12th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Fear of the Lord
Every day our world is becoming a fear-driven society. Anxiety has become the new normal. As we open the newspapers and watch TV, we read and hear news of the worsening pandemic. We are terrified b…
4 min readSolemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ: God’s Sacrifice, Our Sacrifice
Whenever we go on mission to remote barrios in the Philippines, we often joke that as soon as we enter the area, the chickens, ducks and other livestock animals run for their lives as if they knew …
4 min readSolemnity of the most Holy Trinity: God is Love
Icon of the Tinity by Andrei Rublev We celebrate today the most significant feast of our God and central core of our faith–we believe in One God, three persons. However, this belief is also t…
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Pentecost Sunday: Celebrating Pentecost in the time of Pandemic
The world continues to reel from the negative impact of the covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic jolted and disrupted our “normal” life and caused unprecedented distress and hardships. In th…
4 min readThe Ascension of the Lord: I will be with you always, until the end of times
During these times of unprecedented suffering and death due to the covid-19 pandemic, there is not a single moment that we looked up to the heavens asking for divine help and intervention. We celeb…
3 min read6th Sunday of Easter: The Abiding Presence of Christ
In today’s pandemic, one of the most ab/used word is social distancing. While “social distancing” is essential to help avoid getting sick and “flatten the curve” in the spread of COVID-19, it…
5 min read5th Sunday of Easter: The Church of “The Way”
This Sunday is fifth Sunday of Easter which coincides with the special celebration of Mother’s Day. Since its Mother’s day, let me begin by talking about my mother. My mother died 15 years ago. I r…
6 min read4th Sunday of Easter: Jesus, our Gate to Fullness of Life
On my first year in Australia during my study leave in 2008, I adventurously drove alone from Melbourne to my cousin’s place in Ipswich, QLD, a distance of about 1,628 km. I drove it for thre…
6 min read3rd Sunday of Easter: Jesus Walking with us on the Road
Today’s gospel is my favorite resurrection story in the New Testament. It is a beautiful story full of symbolism and overflowing with meaning. The gospel story is the story of the risen Jesus’ appe…
5 min readEarth Day in the Time of Pandemic
Painting by Nick Esquivias Today, April 22nd we celebrate earth day. Earth Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide to honor our common planet we call earth and to highlight our role as s…
3 min read2nd Sunday of Easter: Living as a Resurrected Community
Eight days have passed since Easter. But the conditions we are living today seem like we are still in the Lenten season. With the quarantine and lockdown, we are relegated to stay home and distance…
9 min readEaster Sunday: Easter Surprise
On Easter morning, while the men were sleeping, the women went to the tomb very early in the morning and witnessed the first appearance of the risen Jesus. This is perhaps the first surprise of the…
6 min readEaster Vigil: We are an Easter People
Tonight is the final day of our triduum which we celebrate through the liturgy of Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil, the mother of all liturgies, is the most beautiful and the longest liturgy in the R…
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Black Saturday: Christ’s Work Continues
We usually associate Black Saturday as the day when God did nothing because God is dead. And so in the church, there is no Eucharist. Today is mostly a day of silence, sitting, and waiting. That’s …
4 min readGood Friday of the Lord’s Passion: The Triumph of the Cross
We are on our second day of the triduum. Today’s liturgy is called Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion. We don’t have a mass today. Instead, we have a liturgy which is made up of three parts: the Lit…
6 min readHoly Thursday – The Lord’s Supper: Participation in Jesus’ Passover
Tonight we begin the paschal triduum. Paschal Triduum also called Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or The Three Days. They are the most important three days in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Firs…
5 min readWednesday of Holy Week: From Handing Over to Passing Over
On this last day of Lent, Holy Wednesday of the Passion Week, we hear in the gospel how Judas cut a backroom deal with Ananias and his corrupt family, to hand over Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. O…
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Tuesday of Holy Week: Facing our Betrayals and Denials
Today’s Gospel of the Tuesday of Passion Week focuses on Jesus’ prophecies about Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial. Judas betrays him, Peter will deny him, and then the remaining ten will scatter.…
5 min readMonday of Holy Week: Mary’s Beautiful Act Few Days Before Jesus Died
In the gospel (John 21: 1 – 11) of today’s Monday of the Holy Week, Jesus, after his grand arrival in Jerusalem, withdrew from the crowd and spent Sunday night quietly in the house of h…
6 min readPalm Sunday Reflection
Posting a musical reflection from my amazing musician friend Gen Bryant from Melbourne, Australia. This can be a very helpful resource for our own reflection as we enter Holy Week. Here are GenR…
1 min readPalm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion: Welcoming Jesus, our King, in the Time of Pandemic
As the whole world continue to be gripped by the corona virus pandemic, we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week–the holiest of all week whi…
5 min read5th Sunday of Lent: Arising from Death
We remain in lockdown for the past two weeks or so. Churches are closed but this does not prevent us to remain in communion and spread the Word of God especially every Sunday. In the gospel of toda…
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