1st Sunday of Advent, 27 November 2022 Matthew 24:37-44 Today as we embark on this new season of Advent, may the light of Christ come to you. The first Advent candle represents HOPE, which emanates from what God has been doing in our lives and, more importantly, what He will sooner or later do for…

20 November 2022 Luke 23:33-43 Today we join billions of Christians around the world in celebrating the Feast of Christ the King, which marks the end of the liturgical year.  We all have different questions about Christianity and our faith, but I hope that today at least we will have a glimpse of the end, which…

1 November 2022 Today we celebrate with Christians all around the world the Feast of All Saints.[i]  During the early centuries of the Church, Christians were being martyred, and after the number had exceeded 365, they combined their remembrance in a single feast.  As we’re reminded of them today, may we be inspired by their lives.  Run…

Proper 28, 13 November 2022 Luke 20:39-21:4 Next Sunday, the liturgical year ends with the Feast of Christ the King.   I love the liturgical calendar: We not only preach the Gospel but trace the life and footsteps of Christ through the whole year.  It teaches us to anticipate and hope for the promise, seek Christ in…

Proper 27, 6 November 2022 Luke 20:27-38 As a bishop, when I wake up every morning, I think about what our diocese will look like in twenty or thirty years.  Many of us want to know the future; that’s human nature.  We desire our future to be secured, and some resort to superstition or fortune-telling.  Henri Nouwen reminds…

Proper 26, 30 October 2022 Luke 19:1-10 Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.   In today’s Gospel, He was passing through Jericho, one of the oldest fortified cities in the Ancient Near East, six miles north of the Dead Sea.  It has a plentiful water supply and is sometimes referred to as an…

Proper 24, 16 October 2022 We rejoice because we have the opportunity to gather in the presence of God.  But God is even more joyful: He looks forward to you coming, and to being in our midst to bring us that which we cannot attain and the world cannot give.  We turn to Him, and we understand…

Proper 23, 9 October 2022 Luke 17:11-19 We gather together in the presence of almighty God to hear what He is speaking to each of us; we invite the Holy Spirit to move in our midst with His gifts; and we have a wonderful opportunity to touch and seek Christ in our hearts in the…

Proper 22, 2 October 2022 Luke 17:5-10 Many foreigners on YouTube say positive things about Filipinos.  Despite our imperfect English, we try our best to communicate with them.  We are very hospitable: when someone comes to our house uninvited, we prepare a meal for them.  Filipinos are great servants; we have exported workers (some cruise ships have thousands),…