Bernardine became a priest in 1404 but did not begin his renowned preaching tours through Italy until 1417. Appalled by the breakdown in morals, the lawlessness, and the civil strife that resulted from the Great Western Schism, he strove to restore morals by inculcating a deep personal love of Jesus Christ.
He took part in the Council of Florence in 1439, furthering the short-lived union of the Greek church with Rome. The centre of his movement was Il Gesù, a small chapel in Rome, which was later given to St. Ignatius of Loyola. Numerous miracles are said to have occurred at his tomb.
Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 7:00 am
8,761 total reads
Mga Kapanalig, nakikiramay tayo sa mga taga-Nepal Matapos ang isang nakapanlulumong trahedyang nangyari doon.
Noong nakaraang linggo, magkasunod na flash floods at mudslides ang rumagasa sa border ng Nepal at Tibet. Nagdulot ito ng malawakang pagkawasak sa mga komunidad sa paligid ng mga magkarugtong na ilog. Habang sinusulat natin ang editoryal na ito, umabot na sa halos 600 ang nasawi, higit sa 2,400 ang nawawala, at nasa 10,000 na pamilya ang nawalan ng tirahan. Kasama sa mga nawawala ay isang kababayan natin.
Batay sa pagsusuri ng United States Geological Survey, isang glacial collapse sa Himalayas mountain range ang nagdulot ng avalanche o pagguho ng niyebe at bato na tumamâ sa ilog, na siya namang nagdulot ng malakas na pagyanig at mabilis na pagbaha ng tubig at putik. Sa madaling salita, ang pagguho ng isang napakalaking tipak ng yelo sa bulubundukin ang naging mitsa ng trahedya.
Pero ano ang nagdulot ng glacier collapse?
Pinag-aaralan pa ang direktang sanhi ng pagguho, pero maraming eksperto na ang iniuugnay ito sa climate change. Dahil sa mga aktibidad ng tao na nagbubuga ng greenhouse gases gaya ng pagsusunog ng petrolyo, nagkakaroon ng global warming o pag-init ng mundo na nagreresulta sa pagbabago ng klima. Nakikita natin ang epekto nito sa tumitinding bagyo sa Pilipinas, heatwaves sa Europe, forest fires sa North America, at pagkalusaw ng mga glaciers sa buong mundo.
Ayon sa World Bank, wala pang 1% ang kontribusyon ng Nepal sa kabuuang greenhouse gasemissions sa mundo, pero isa ito sa mga bansang pinakalantad sa mga panganib ng climate change. Patunay ang trahedyang nangyari sa Nepal ng kawalan ng katarungan sa usapin ng klima. Ang pinakamahihirap na bansa ang may pinakamaliit na ambag sa krisis sa klima, pero sila ang pinakanganganganib sa mga epekto nito. Samantala, yumayaman ang mga bansang ilang siglo nang nagsusunog ng likas na yaman na siyang sanhi ng pag-init ng mundo. Nasaan ang hustisya?
Sa Pilipinas, damang-dama rin natin ang inhustisyang ito. Sa katunayan, ang bansa natin ang pinakananganganib sa mga kalamidad na pinalalalâ ng climate change. Pero kung ang krisis sa klima ay dulot ng mga aktibidad ng tao, mahirap sabihing “natural” ang mga nangyayaring trahedya sa bansa gaya ng baha at landslide. Hindi natural ang mga ito, lalo na’t malawakan ang katiwalian sa ating pamahalaan, gaya ng nakikita natin sa mga maanomalyang flood control projects. Napupunta lang sa bulsa ng mga ganid na pulitiko, opisyal ng gobyerno, at negosyante ang pondong ginagamit dapat sa pagtugon sa mga nakaambang panganib at pagprotekta sa mga mamamayan. Patuloy na yumayaman ang mga gahaman samantalang pinapasan ng ordinaryong Pilipino ang pinsala ng mga kalamidad.
Gaya ng wika sa Catholic social teaching na Laudato Si’, dapat pakinggan natin ang sigaw ng mundo at ng mahihirap sa pagtugon sa mga krisis na kinahaharap natin. Nananawagan tayo sa international community na magtulungan para pigilan ang pagtindi ng climate change. Kailangan ang kooperasyon ng buong mundo sa pagpapababa ng greenhouse gasemissions at pagpapalakas ng disaster resilience, lalo na sa mga pinakabulnerableng bansa at sektor. Kailangang ding mag-step up, ‘ika nga, ng mayayamang bansa sa pagtugon sa climate crisis dahil sila naman ang may pinakamalaking ambag sa paglalâ nito. Dito nakaugat ang panawagan para sa tinatawag na climate justice.
Mga Kapanalig, nag-iisa lang ang ating mundo—ang ating “common home”—kaya dapat natin itong pangalagaan. Ipagdasal natin ang mga biktima ng trahedya sa Nepal. Higit pa rito, pairalin natin ang climate justice, gaya ng paalala sa Amos 5:24: “padaluyin [natin] ang katarungan, gaya ng isang ilog; gayundin ang katuwiran tulad ng isang di natutuyong batis.”
Rev. Fr. Jerico Habunal
Monday, August 31, 2026 8:00 am
5,068 total reads
Gospel Reading for August 31, 2026 – Luke 4: 16-30
THEIR LOSS IS OUR GAIN
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
————
Jesus’ homecoming to Nazareth, the town where he grew up, should have been a hero’s welcome—much like the celebration recently given to Alex Eala upon her return to the Philippines. By this time, news of Jesus had already spread throughout Galilee. The people had heard about his mighty works and extraordinary miracles in Capernaum. One would have expected his own town to be the first to rejoice and be proud of their “kababayan.”
Sadly, the opposite happened.
Instead of celebrating him, they questioned his credentials and looked down on his humble family background. “Is this not the son of Joseph?” they asked. Rather than seeing God at work in him, they allowed familiarity and prejudice to blind them to the truth.
What should have been a blessing became a tragedy. The very people who had the privilege of knowing Jesus from his childhood rejected him. As the Word of God is like a double-edged sword, it revealed the hardness of their hearts. In their anger, they drove Jesus out of town and even tried to hurl him headlong off a cliff.
Here we see the wisdom of God’s plan. God chose his Son to be born into a poor and ordinary family, not into the household of the elders, chief priests, scribes, or Pharisees. Because Jesus lived among ordinary people, he could speak to them in a language they understood, reveal the true meaning of God’s Word, correct distorted interpretations of the Law, and reach out with compassion to the poor, the sick, the sinners, and all those in need.
Their rejection did not stop God’s saving plan. In fact, THEIR LOSS BECAME OUR GAIN. Because Nazareth rejected Jesus, the Good News continued its journey beyond one town, beyond Israel, and eventually reached the ends of the earth—including us.
Lord Jesus, their loss is truly our gain. We praise and thank you for entrusting your disciples with the mission of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth, so that we, too, may come to know, love, and follow you. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Nicanor Lalog II
Monday, August 31, 2026 7:28 am
4,586 total reads
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 31 August 2026
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 4:16-30
Photo by author, St. Paul Spiritual & Renewal Center, Bgy. Tanyawak, Alfonso, Cavite, 19 August 2026.
Teach me Lord
to "know nothing except
Jesus Christ crucified" like St. Paul,
not just "looked intently at you"
like your folks in Nazareth
when you preached in your synagogue;
it is not enough to just look
intently at you,
imitating you and your manners
and style but not your life,
your self-sacrifice on the Cross;
what a shame in this age of social media
we speak and preach about you
merely to chase clout for ourselves
using sublimity of words
or persuasive words of wisdom
used by demagogues and
influencers for followers
and shameful profits.
Help us realize,
Jesus, that our faith
rests on the power of God
best shown in your Crucifixion,
not in our personality
nor eloquence in speech
nor being savvy with new
technologies that blind us from
the realities of life
like love and sacrifice,
kindness and patience,
justice and truth.
Amen.
Photo by author, St. Michael Retreat House, Antipolo City, 16 June 2026.
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