Morning Voice

January 28, 2024. Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - B. Readings: Dt 18:15-20; Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9; 1 Cor 7:32-35; Mk1:21-28. “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.” Deuteronomy 18:18 A Native American proverb says: “The words of God are not like the oak leaf which dies and falls to the earth, but like the pine tree which stays green forever.” A Moroccan proverb adds: “One who is not moved by words is not moved by the stick.” The word of God has the power to convict us of sin, to teach us truth, and to lead us in righteousness (Psalm 119:9-11). It is living and active. It is before all things, and through it, everything came into being. The world and all it contains are fruits of the Word of God. The Evangelist John, in his prologue to his Gospel, says it right: "In the beginning was the Word... Through him, all things came into being, not one thing came into bein...

January 21, 2024. Feast of the Santo Niño, Holy Childhood Day (Sancta Infantia). Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Readings: Is 9:1-6; Ps 97: 1. 2-3ab. 3cd-4. 5-6; Eph 1: 3-6.15-18; Mk 10: 13-16. “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mk 10:14 A Swedish proverb says: “From children old people arise.” A Burmese proverb adds: “Parents are the first teachers of the children.” We are celebrating today a feast that for every Filipino has a great meaning and conveys a great message. The Santo Niño, or Holy Infant, while plunging us back to the joy of Christmas, bears a message of love and hope. It speaks of the love of God for our humanity and brings us hope that, despite all trials, sufferings, humiliating situations, poverty, and rejection, God will always be by our side. The feast of the Holy Infant or Santo Niño is about our faith in God who gives us His Only Begotten Son, the little boy of Bethlehem, the Son of ...

January 14, 2024. Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10; 1 Cor6:13c-15a, 17-20; Jn 1:35-42. "Behold, the Lamb of God." Jn 1:36 A Kenyan proverb says: “It is not the lamb that should go and ask the lion if it has had dinner.” A Bantu proverb adds: “It is when one holds the sacrificial lamb that he begins to seek the gods.” Baptism not only confers unto us an identity, but it is an identity that comes with a mission. So, Baptism gives us a mission. Last Monday, with sobriety, but with joy as well, we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord. That marked the end of the Christmas season and the time of the infancy of Jesus. It was also the beginning of his ordinary and public life. We are today, the 2nd Sunday in the Ordinary Time B, and through the Prophet John, Jesus is introduced to us as the Lamb of God. It is an image that bears a very singular and significant meaning. He is the "Lamb," the sacrificial victim, the ...

January 7, 2024. The Epiphany of the Lord – B. Readings: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Eph3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12. “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Mt 2:2) An Afghan proverb says: “Glory is fitting to God alone.” An Ivorian proverb adds: “God conceals himself from the mind of man, but reveals himself to his heart.” Today is the feast of glory. It is the feast of light. Jesus' Glory is revealed to all nations. The Lord shines as the light of the star that guides all people. He is the light that breaks into the darkness of this world and leads all people to God. Today, two weeks after the solemn celebration of his Nativity, the Lord is revealed to all the Nations, and the three wise men stand as our representatives. From North, West, and South, they all come running to the East to contemplate God's glory and pay tribute to the newborn king. The word Epiphany itself is meaningful, a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being...

January 1, 2024. Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Readings: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk2:16-21. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…” (Gal 4:4) A Nigerian proverb says: “A child who has no mother will not have scars to show on his back.” A Namibian proverb adds: “A mother is always a mother.” Mother of God. There is no Marian title greater and beautiful than this. All we celebrate and recall about Mary, all our Marian devotions find their meaning here, because she bore the Son of God. Mary is the Mediatrix of all grace because she is the Mother of God. Mary is the Lady of Perpetual Help because she is Mother of God. Mary is the Mother of Divine Providence simply because she is the Mother of God. And more especially, we obtain everything we ask of the Lord through Mary because she is his Mother. At the wedding of Cana, when there was no more wine, Mary seized the need of the master of the feast an...

December 31, 2023. Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Readings: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or Gn 15:1-6; 21:1-3; Ps 128:1-2,3, 4-5 or Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; Col 3:12-21 or Heb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19; Lk2:22-40. “The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him…” Luke 2:33 A Kiganda proverb says: “A united family eats from the same plate.” A Russian proverb adds: “If the family is together, the soul is in the right place.” There is a quote from Patrick Peyton, also known as "the rosary priest", which has become very popular and famous: “A family that prays together stays together.” It is so because family prayer is the sacred time to express our gratitude for all the blessings we have received and continue to receive from God. Through family prayer, each member united with the others, and invite God's love and protection into our home. And, in praying together, we teach our children and the young generation the importance of faith and ...

December 25, 2023. The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas - Day) – B. Readings: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn1:1-18. “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory…” (Jn 1:14) A Filipino proverb says: “It is easy to be born human, it is difficult to be a human being.” An Ecuadorian proverb adds: “No matter if the child's born with a flat nose, as long as it breathes.” At Christmas, we realize that God's love is before all a divine concern for mankind. Without that concern, how would an Almighty and Omniscient God choose to lower himself and become one with mankind? May we seize the great meaning of the Incarnation. It adds nothing to the being of God in Jesus. It rather reduces him to a weak human being. As St. Paul said in his address to the Philippians: "Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of ...