Father Emmanuel’s Weekly Homily
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4 / 28 / 24
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FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER There are many Sauls out there who want to enter the Church, but so many Christians are too holy and have become obstacles. The Church needs another Barnabas to be the bridge. The Church needs another son of encouragement; the Church needs another daughter of encouragement. Will you be today’s Barnabas? |
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4 / 21 / 24
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FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER According to Blessed Carlo Acutis, “All are born as originals, but many die as photocopies.” My dearly beloved in Christ, you are irreplaceable. You are useful. It does not matter how many times you have been rejected; discover and remain your authentic self, for you are irreplaceable. When the right time comes, the same builders who rejected you will come back for you. |
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4 / 14 / 24
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THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER My dearly beloved in Christ, after his resurrection, Jesus Christ was recognizable and recognized in the breaking of bread. In the same way, the world will recognize us based on how we break our bread to share with others. And more importantly, at the end of our sojourn here on earth, Jesus Christ will say to us, “Come over here and enjoy the Kingdom of my Father in heaven because, when I was hungry, you broke your bread for me. For whatsoever you do to the least of my people, you do unto me.” |
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4 / 7 / 24
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SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER My dearly beloved in Christ, here are two things to consider on this Second Sunday of Easter: 1) Who is your Lord? / What is your Lord? 2) If Jesus is to grade you right now based on how you treated the last person you encountered before you began to listen to me, what will be your grade? |
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3 / 31 / 24
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EASTER SUNDAY We all have our peculiar calendar prepared by God; the one that will work for you is the one that God has prepared for you. My dearly beloved in Christ, that is why we have gathered here. I do not know what you are waiting for, but I have assurance: God answers our questions. Keep waiting. Remember what they say: “Good things come to those who patiently wait; however, better things come to those who pray while they wait.” May our waiting not be in vain until we come to our heavenly inheritance through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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3 / 24 / 24
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PASSION OF THE LORD We are actually modern day Pontius Pilates when we know the truth but still ask, “What is the truth?” Remember, posterity is real. It may be convenient to lie now, but the truth never dies. My dearly beloved in Christ, now that you have the power of Pontius Pilate, what will you do with it? Will you vote for Jesus or will you vote for Barabbas? The choice is yours. |
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3 / 17 / 24
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FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT Letting go is never an easy thing. After Jesus confidently told the Greeks that it was his hour to let go, the hour for him as a seed to die and be buried, he confessed, “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” It was not an easy decision for Jesus. Letting go is never easy. If you find it easy, then you are not doing it in the right way. Instead of asking God to save him from this hour, he instead prayed that God’s name might be glorified, and God did just that, and even more, he glorified Jesus. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us to know which seed we must let go of to the glory of God, the shame of the Kingdom of darkness, and for our salvation through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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3 / 10 / 24
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FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT My dearly beloved in Christ, I invite you to reflect on this Holy Cross. It is the place where things are turned around for good. Come to the cross as you are. At the cross, your shame will be turned to fame, your pain will be turned to gain, your mess will receive divine mercy, and your disgrace will receive divine grace. Bring your grief to the Cross and Jesus will give you relief. The cross tells you how much God loves you. It tells you how much you are worth. |
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3 / 3 / 24
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THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT Those who spent time on earth loving God and neighbor will naturally feel attracted to that place of eternal love, in contrast, those who spent time on earth in hatred will not have any attraction to that place of everlasting love. My dearly beloved in Christ, “The law of the Lord is perfect … it gives wisdom to the simple.” May God grant us the grace to obey his commandments so that we may share in his everlasting love through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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2 / 25 / 24
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SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT My dearly beloved in Christ, life is a complete package; life is in phases. I do not know what phase you are experiencing at this time. Maybe everybody is turning against you for some unexplainable reason. Be sure that you do not lose God. Perhaps you have lost or are about to lose your source of income, position, or a relationship that means the world to you. Ensure that God is still part of your story, and he will provide for you. On this Second Sunday of Lent, I unite all our crosses with the sufferings of Christ so that we may share in his victory and glory in this life, and in the life to come through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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2 / 18 / 24
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FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT My dearly beloved in Christ, as we join Jesus in the desert in this season of Lent, I do not pray for you to be free from hardships and temptations. Instead, I pray that the temptations and difficulties that come your way as stumbling blocks may become stepping stones, leading you from one form of victory to another until we come to our heavenly inheritance through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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2 / 11 / 24
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SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME So, my dearly beloved in Christ, as we reflect on the cleansing of the leper today, let us pray for so many people who can no longer be in ordinary human society for various reasons, whether out of their faults or no fault of theirs, that the work of reconciliation and salvation for which Jesus came may bear fruits in their lives, to bring human beings together again, to the glory of God, and the shame of the kingdom of darkness through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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2 / 4 / 24
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FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME My dearly beloved in Christ, as we take pride in the so many things we do, we must remember that our help ultimately comes from God. As we continue through the changes and chances of this life, may God continue to bless the works of our hands until we come to our heavenly inheritance through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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1 / 28 / 24
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FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME As we reflect on Jesus, the Man of Action in the Gospel according to Mark, may God grant us the discernment to see all that we need to do, and the grace to do them until we come to our heavenly inheritance through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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1 / 21 / 24
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THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME My dearly beloved in Christ, as we are still finding our way through the beginning of this New Year, may God grant us the grace to turn a new leaf, to turn away from things contrary to the kingdom of God, and to believe in the gospel. May our belief in the gospel bring us abundant joy in this life and the life to come through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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1 / 14 / 24
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SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME My dear friends in Christ, as we begin the year 2024, before we rush into doing what everybody is doing or what everybody wants us to do, let us pause and listen to the question, “Who are you?” May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace of discernment to discover our true identity as beloved children of God and live based on that identity until we come to our heavenly inheritance through Christ, our Lord. Amen. |
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1 / 7 / 24
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THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD Today, Jesus needs another star to lead people to him. Many people may never pick up a copy of the Bible to read; they rely on our lives as Christians as their Bible. Yes, as a Christian, you are the star that Jesus relies on to lead people to him today. How bright is your light? |
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1 / 1 / 24
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NEW YEAR’S DAY SOLEMNITY OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD As we begin this New Year, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of God, may God change all stumbling blocks in our way into stepping stones, leading us from one victory unto another until we come to our heavenly inheritance, through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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12 / 31 / 23
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HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH Amid the rat race, let us find time as a family to put down our cell phones, switch off the television, and listen to one another. Parents, tell your children how you met. Tell them about your upbringing, and listen to your children. Please get to know their struggles, worries, expectations, and joys. Let us compete in kindness, in forgiveness, and love. Above all, let us make Jesus a permanent and central member of our families through family prayers, family bible studies, and active participation in our parishes as families. May our families be like that of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph until we come to our heavenly inheritance through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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12 / 25 / 23
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CHRISTMAS DAY (THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD) Today is his birthday. The best birthday gift we can give to him is to ensure that all he invested for peace to reign on earth does not go to waste. What are you willing to offer for this peace to reign? If he humbled himself for the sake of this peace, how much of your pride are you willing to give up for the same project? Remember, he will come again. He is taking note of all our contributions to this peace project. He does not impose it on us, but he will reward each of us accordingly. May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see all that we need to contribute to this project of Peace, and the grace to do our part so that the second coming of Christ may find us worthy of heaven, through Christ our Lord. Amen |
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12 / 17 / 23
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THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT My Dearly Beloved in Christ, today is the Third Sunday of Advent. It is also called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete comes from Latin, and it means “Rejoice.” Rejoice is the first word of the opening antiphon of today’s Mass, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5). On this day, the Church reminds us not to postpone our joy. Joy is a gift that God has already given to us. We need to claim it and live it. |
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12 / 10 / 23
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SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT We all need some repentance. This is the season. Remember, Christianity is not a destination, it is a journey. Let us join John the Baptist in the desert so we can look at our lives to fix all that need fixing. May the Holy Spirit help us in this journey so that at Christmas, we may all become better Christians, through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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12 / 3 / 23
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FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT My dearly beloved in Christ, Jesus came as our savior. Jesus will come again, no longer as our savior but as our judge. Remember, he gave us a homework before he left: to keep is commandment and his love alive, and to share same with others until he comes again. May his return find us watchful and thriving in this responsibility that we may receive the reward of eternal life, through Christ our Lord. Amen. |