Reflections

Sunday Reflection: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

By Fray Alexus Mansueto, OAR / June 26, 2021 / Comments Off on Sunday Reflection: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

When sickness strikes and death becomes more apparent, to whom do we turn to? This question is very real in our present situation where sickness and death are all that we could hear on the street sides, in the television, and in social media. Sickness and death are the worst enemies we battle with each…

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Sunday Reflection: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

By Fray Alexus Mansueto, OAR / June 19, 2021 / Comments Off on Sunday Reflection: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

1st Reading: Job 38:1, 8-112nd Reading: 2 Cor 5:14-17Gospel: Mk 4:35-41 We have so many fears in life and sometimes these fears make us paralyzed. We often overthink things when we don’t understand what is happening around us. Life may seem to be very hard for us and we resort to depressive thoughts or anxiety…

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Sunday Reflection: 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

By Fray Alexus Mansueto, OAR / June 12, 2021 / Comments Off on Sunday Reflection: 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

1st Reading: Ezekiel 17:22-24 2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Gospel: Mark 4:26-35 Reflection: We are now in 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we just finished the Easter Season and the different Solemnities of the Lord during the Ordinary Time namely, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi Sunday, and the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus last…

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Sunday Reflections: 5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

By Fray Hubert Dunstan Decena, OAR / April 29, 2021 / Comments Off on Sunday Reflections: 5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Acts 9:26-31; 1 Jn. 3:18-24Jn. 15:1-8.           In today’s short Gospel passage, the phrase “remain in me and I in him” is mentioned three times. This is the key word to the teaching on “INDWELLING”.           St. John begins by presenting Jesus as someone exterior of us, who cares for us and loves us; he…

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Reflection on the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

By Fray Hubert Dunstan Decena, OAR / January 28, 2021 / Comments Off on Reflection on the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Dt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 7:32-35; Mk. 1:21-28. Deuteronomy 18 gives us a very important prophecy concerning the Messiah who is to come. First of all he was to be a prophet sent by God and would speak the message from God. He was to be a kin of the Israelites, one of them who descended…

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Reflection: Feast of Sto. Niño

By Fray Hubert Dunstan Decena, OAR / January 11, 2021 / Comments Off on Reflection: Feast of Sto. Niño

Is. 9:1-6; Eph. 1:3-6, 15-18; Mk. 10:13-16. A Jewish child was not considered mature until he reaches twelve years of age when he was given permission to read and study the Law or Torah. Before that age the child did not possess knowledge of the Law which rabbinic teaching held indispensable for salvation. It was…

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Reflection: Baptism of the Lord, Cycle B

By Fray Hubert Dunstan Decena, OAR / January 7, 2021 / Comments Off on Reflection: Baptism of the Lord, Cycle B

Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17 The first thing that comes to mind when we consider this feast, is the question, “Why does Jesus have to be baptized?” Even John the Baptist asked that same question: “I ought to be baptized by you and yet you come to me?” The answer of Jesus was,…

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Reflection: The Epiphany of the Lord

By Fray Hubert Dunstan Decena, OAR / January 2, 2021 / Comments Off on Reflection: The Epiphany of the Lord

Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12. Epiphaneia means an act of appearing. Jesus appears to the non-Jews. At Christmas Jesus was revealed by angels to the shepherds who were Israelites. Angels were part of Jewish faith. Now Jesus appears to non-Jews, magi coming from the east guided by a star, because they were astrologers.…

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Reflection: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

By Fray Hubert Dunstan Decena, OAR / December 28, 2020 / Comments Off on Reflection: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Nm 6:22-27; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21. Let us take this occasion to reflect on the Biblical passages on the Blessed Mother. The earliest passage is found in Gen 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.”…

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Reflection: Feast of the Holy Family

By Fray Hubert Dunstan Decena, OAR / December 26, 2020 / Comments Off on Reflection: Feast of the Holy Family

Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Col 3:12-21; Mt 2:13-15; 19-23; Lk 2:22-40; & 41-52. Mother Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph on the Sunday between Dec 25 and Jan 1, or on Dec 30. Mother Church wants us to look at the Holy Family and imitate their love for God and care for…

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