Rev. Fr. Jerico Habunal
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 8:49 am
1,519 total views
Gospel Reading for August 05, 2026 – Matthew 15: 21-28
QUALITY OF THE PRAYER
At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
————
The exchange between Jesus and the Canaanite woman is almost like a hearing in a court of law. The woman presents her petition before the Judge—in this case, Jesus—but she has no legal counsel and must plead her own case. Jesus raises objections, yet she responds with reasoned arguments. Her final plea is so compelling that Jesus grants her request.
When we reflect on Jesus’ words, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs,” we may wonder: Why, then, did Jesus enter Gentile territory—a region inhabited by non-Israelites? Why was Jesus in what he himself referred to as the “dogs” territory? Could it be that he wanted to hear a Gentile herself express her faith in him and her desperate need for his mercy? Was he testing her response to the way the Israelites referred to Gentiles as “dogs”? Even the disciples were urging Jesus to send her away. Whatever his purpose, the woman succeeds in persuading him because her plea springs from profound faith and deep humility. Above all, what surely touched the heart of Jesus was her immense love for her daughter.
It is common to hear people say, “Please pray for me. Malakas ka kay Lord.” Yet, since we are all children of God, there is no such thing as “palakasan” with him. God does not play favorites. What matters is not that someone is supposedly malakas kay Lord, but the QUALITY OF THE PRAYER—a prayer offered with sincere faith, genuine humility, and complete trust in God’s love and mercy.
Lord Jesus, teach us to pray with profound faith and humility. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Nicanor Lalog II
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 7:20 am
1,846 total views
Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 05 August 2026
Jeremiah 31:1-7 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 15:21-28
Photo by a friend in Washington, 28 July 2026.
Glory and praise
to you O God our loving Father
with your boundless love
and mercy; your words today
are a beautiful reminder
of how wide is your love and
mercy: in the first reading,
Jeremiah continues to rally our
hopes of your coming redemption
and restoration of Israel
after its fall and conquest by
Assyrians due to their own sinfulness;
in the gospel, a Canaanite woman
who was both a foreigner
and pagan considered like a "house-dog"
among Jews persisted
in asking Jesus for the healing
of her daughter;
two stories about central
characters widely different
and divergent yet converged
in the mercy and love of God.
What a beautiful reminder
how our smallest cry in faith
is always heard by God
while our biggest sin
against him can still be forgiven
for as long as we are willing
to change our ways
and most of all,
be contented with scraps
in life.
Amen.
Photo by author, Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, January 2026.
Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 7:00 am
25,412 total views
Mga Kapanalig, karapatan ng bawat tao ang magkaroon ng disenteng tahanan. Para masabing disente, dapat itong sapat, ligtas, may seguridad, at nagbibigay-daan sa pag-unlad. Pero madalas, itinuturing ang bahay bilang produkto o instrumento ng pagpapayaman, kaya para sa libu-libong pamilya, ito ay nananatiling pangarap na mahirap abutin.
Noong ilunsad ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos Jr ang 4PH o ang Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program noong 2022, nilayon nitong solusyunan ang 6.5 milyong housing backlog ng bansa at magkaroon ng “zero informal settler families” sa pamamagitan ng pagtatayô ng anim na milyong housing units. Noong 2024, ibinabâ sa 1.3 milyong units ang target ng 4PH. Sa ngayon, nasa 580,000 na units pa lang ang naitayo o napondohan ng gobyerno. Dalawang taon na lang ang natitira sa termino ng administrasyon ni PBBM, pero hindi pa ito nangangalahati sa panibagong housing target nito. Alang-alang sa ating mga kababayan, sana nga ay matupad ng administrasyon ang pangako nito.
Sa usapin naman ng homelessness o kawalan ng tirahan, inilunsad ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (o DSWD) ang Pag-Abot Program para tulungan ang mga pamilyang namumuhay sa mga lansangan. Layunin nitong tugunan ang mga batayang pangangailangan nila gaya ng pagkain, kalusugan, kabuhayan, edukasyon, at pansamantalang matutuluyan. Ayon sa Office of the President, nasa 20,000 na indibidwal ang naabot ng programa.
Ang usapin ng homelessness o kawalan ng tirahan ay isa sa pinakalantad na problema sa ating mga siyudad. Nakikita natin ito sa mga nakatira sa lansangan o pampublikong espasyo. Nakikita natin sila na may mga kariton at nakalatag na karton, sa mga bangketa at sa ilalim ng tulay. Pero sa kakulangan ng mga pag-uulat, pag-aaral, at pambansang plano upang tugunan ang isyu, hindi ito binibigyan ng sapat na atensyon. Hindi nga ito nabanggit sa SONA.
Ayon sa ating Simbahan, ang pagpapatuloy ng homelessless ay dapat bumabagabag sa konsensya ng pandaigdigang komunidad. Kailangang tugunan ang kawalan ng tirahan para makapagtaguyod ng tinatawag na sustainable cities kung saan nabibigyan ng pagkakataon ang bawat tao na umunlad at mag-ambag sa kabutihang panlahat o common good. Deserve ng bawat tao na magkaroon ng lugar na matatawag niyang tahanan kung saan maaari siyang magtaguyod ng pamilya, magkaroon ng mga kaibigan, at maging bahagi ng kanyang komunidad. Ang pabahay ay hindi lang dapat tinitingnan bilang commodity o financial asset na pwedeng pagkakitaan; pundasyon ito ng lipunang naglilingkod para sa common good.
Ang disenteng pabahay ay isang karapatang pantao, at tungkulin ng pamahalaan na pangalagaan ang karapatang ito. Hindi sapat ang pagtatayo ng pisikal na istruktura at pagbibigay ng panandaliang tulong sa mga nangangailangan. Kailangang putulin ng pamahalaan ang ugat ng kawalan ng tirahan at ng kasiguruhan sa paninirahan. Dapat na ring matapos ang malalim at malawakang katiwalian sa pamahalaan kung saan bilyun-bilyong piso ang ninanakaw ng magkakasabwat na mga pulitiko, opisyal ng gobyerno, at negosyante. Ang kawalan ng disenteng pabahay ng libu-libong pamilya ay nakaugat din sa sistema ng ekonomiya at pag-unlad kung saan nasa kamay at bulsa ng iilan ang yamang dapat pinagsasaluhan ng lahat. Ito ang nangyayari kapag mga patakarang inuuna ang interes ng mga makapangyarihan at mayayaman ang umiiral.
Mga Kapanalig, ang pangangalaga sa karapatan sa disenteng tahanan ay responsabilidad ng pamahalaan. Pero bilang mga Katoliko, tungkulin din natin ang magbigay ng malasakit at pagkalinga sa ating kapwa, gaya ng paalala sa Isaias 58:7: “Ang mga nagugutom ay inyong pakainin, ang mga walang tirahan ay inyong patuluyin. Ang mga walang maisuot ay inyong bigyan ng mga damit.” Kaya naman, huwag tayong tumigil sa paniningil sa mga iniluklok natin sa pamahalaan para itaguyod ang napakahalagang karapatan sa disenteng tahanan.
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