Beginning from the third Sunday of Lent the themes of the liturgy have been related to conversion and repentance. “Unless you repent, you shall perish” was the message of the third Sunday. In the fourth Sunday of Lent, the theme of joy at a sinner”s return was highlighted. There, the prodigal son returned home after realizing that it is better to be with the Father than away from Him. This fifth Sunday, we are given the image of a woman caught in adultery and the people who use her to entrap the Lord. To both the women and the men, the Lord stood as the Truth that reveals the malice in the hearts of the men on the one hand, and the Truth who frees the woman from her life of sin.
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- (1 Thess. 3:12-4:3) Living in Expectation of the Lord’s Coming
- (Ephesians 4:1-6) To Be Church: Living in Unity
- (Ephesians 4:17-24) Live As You Were Taught In Christ
- (Ephesians 4:25-5:2) Do Not Sadden the Holy Spirit
- (Ephesians 5:15-20) Watch Carefully How You Behave
- (Ephesians 5:21-33) The Sacrament of Christ’s Love For His Church
- (Hebrews 10:11-14.18) The Sacrifice that Ends All Sacrifices
- (Hebrews 2:9-11) For The Sake Of All
- (Hebrews 4:12-13) Sharper Than Any Two-Edged Sword
- (Hebrews 4:14-16) Jesus, the Great High Priest
- (Hebrews 5:1-6) High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek
- (Hebrews 9:24-28) Our High Priest in the Presence of God
- (Isaiah 50:4-9) My Vindicator Is At Hand
- (James 1:16-27) Living the Faith in Difficult Times
- (James 2:1-13) Do Not Play Favorites
- (James 2:14-18) A Faith Alive In Works
- (James 3:16-4:3) The Wisdom That Comes From Above
- (James 5:1-6) A Call to the Filthy Rich
- (Jeremiah 23:1-6) I Will Put A Shepherd Among Them
- (John 6:1-15) The Sign of the Well-fed Multitude
- (John 6:24-35 ) The Bread that Remains unto Eternal Life
- (John 6:45-51) Unless the Father Draw Him
- (John 6:60-69 ) Lord, You Have The Words of Eternal Life
- (John 6:60-71) Lord To Whom Shall We Go?
- (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21) The Year of the Lord’s Favor
- (Luke 3:15-22) The One Stronger than John
- (Mark 10:1-12) Jesus On Divorce
- (Mark 3:31-8:26 ) Faith, Jesus and the Kingdom
- (Mark 6:30-34) And They Were Like Sheep Without A Shepherd
- (Mark 7:1-23) A Question of the Heart
- (Mark 7:31-37) To Hear and to Proclaim
- (Mark 8:27-33) You Are The Christ
- (Mark 8:27-35) “The Way of the Suffering Messiah”
- (Philippians 1:3-11) Empowered for the Day of Christ Jesus
- (Philippians 4:4-7) Rejoice for the Lord is Near!
- (Revelation 1:5-8) The Prince of the Rulers of the Earth
- 2 Corinthians 8-9 God Loves A Cheerful Giver
- Acts 10:34-43 “Forgiveness In Jesus’ Name”
- And He Sent Them Out Two by Two (Mark 6:7-13)
- Faith, Life and Communion (Mark 5:21-43)
- He Has Graced Us in the Beloved (Eph. 1:3-14)
- John 18:33b-37 “Those Who Are In The Truth Listen To My Voice”
- John 6:51-58 My Flesh Is Real Food
- John 8:1-11 “The Woman Caught In Adultery”
- Luke 13:1-9 “Unless You Repent…”
- Luke 15:1-32 Lost and Found
- Luke 15:1-32 The Parables of the Lost and Found in the Lectionary
- Luke 15:1-32 “To Seek What Was Lost”
- Luke 21:25-28.34-36 Stand Erect, Your Heads Held High
- Luke 2:41-52 “My Father’s Business”
- Luke 3:1-6 “The Word of God Came… In The Desert”
- Luke 3:10-18 “What Should We Do?”
- Luke 4:1-13 “The Path of Obedience and Trust”
- Luke 4:21-30 A Preview of Things To Come
- Luke 5:1-11 The Call of Simon the Fisherman
- Luke 9:28-36 “The New Exodus”
- Mark 10:13-16 Let the Little Children Come To Me
- Mark 10:17-31 Wealth and the Kingdom
- Mark 10:35-45 A Politics of Service and Self-Giving
- Mark 10:46-52 That I May Have Eyes To See
- Mark 12:28-34 More Than Sacrifice and Holocausts
- Mark 12:38-44 The Temple, Two Coins and Pious Hypocrisy
- Mark 13:24-37 Be Watchful and Alert
- Mark 9:30-37 “To Be The Last and the Servant of All”
- Mark 9:38-48 Let Jesus’ Name Be Honored
- My Grace Is Enough For You (2 Cor. 12:7-10)
- The Birth of the Precursor (Luke 1:57-66)
- The Passion According To Luke
- The Word of God Came … In the Desert (Luke 3:1-6)
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- Mark 10:46-52 — Story of Bartimaeus on Mark 10:46-52 That I May Have Eyes To See
- Let No Man Put Asunder — Mark 10:1-12 on (Mark 10:1-12) Jesus On Divorce
- Sin, Gehenna and Salt — Mark 9:38-49 on Mark 9:38-48 Let Jesus’ Name Be Honored
- True Greatness — Mark 9:30-37 on Mark 9:30-37 “To Be The Last and the Servant of All”
- The Sequela Christi — Mark 8:27-35 on (Mark 8:27-33) You Are The Christ
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The first Sunday of Lent reminds us of a victory in the Desert. That victory is a defining moment in Christ’s life and ours. The Lucan narrative of the Temptation in the Desert underscores Jesus” identity as Son of God. In this narrative, the “Shema Yisrael” is used by Jesus as the New Israel who has entered the Devil’s realm in order to win a battle that the Old Israel lost many centuries before. 
The third Sunday of Ordinary Time C coincides this year with the conclusion of the National Bible Week celebration the aim of which is to help Christian families read the Scriptures as what it is, the Book of the Church. Quite appropriately, the gospel theme for the third Sunday is Jesus” proclamation of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah about the Year of the Lord”s Favor. It is Christ who gives meaning to the words of Scriptures, the Word Incarnate that is echoed in many words of men.
The feast of the Sto. Niño is not and should not become a devotion to “cuteness.” The image of the Sto. Niño is patterned after Isaiah 9, about the babe upon whose shoulders the hope of a darkened world depends. The birth of the Christ-child represented in the image of the Sto. Niño when contemplated under the aspect of Augustine”s idea of the “Totus Christus” should remind us Filipinos that though we are still relatively young as a Church, we are already invited to participate in the work of our Head. The reading for today”s feast about Jesus who tells his parents that he is supposed to be about “the Father”s business” is a reminder that being a child of God means sharing in His concerns.
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord introduces to us Ordinary Time. It is a reminder of our own baptism, and of our need to be confirmed in our own vocation to holiness. In a way, we also need to hear the Voice, that says “You are my Son; you are my Daughter.” Jesus heard the Voice after his baptism and while he was at prayer. It is in the moments of prayer, in that intimate communion with the Father, when he would confirm his acceptance of the mission He has received. On this feast, the liturgy invites us to reflect on the baptism we have received and our participation in the three-fold office of Christ: priest, prophet and king. Read the following articles and use the rest of this page as your guide for reflection: