AS immense crowds gathered around Jesus, He first turned to His disciples with a serious warning: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." (Lk 12,1) He then explained that nothing concealed will remain hidden, that whatever is whispered in secret will one...
THE concluding part of Luke 11 (47-54) presents one of the sharpest confrontations between Christ and the religious leaders of his time. He denounces those who build monuments to the prophets while sharing the same attitude that led their ancestors to reject and persecute them. He...
THE Gospel (Lk 11:42-46) presents one of Christ's most penetrating critiques of religious life. His words are directed not against religion itself but against a distorted way of living it. The Pharisees and the lawyers were diligent in observing external prescriptions, yet they failed to cultivate...
THE dinner invitation in Luke 11:37-41 quickly turns into a spiritual checkup. A Pharisee is shocked because Jesus skips the ritual washing before eating. The issue, however, is not hygiene. It is hypocrisy. Jesus immediately exposes a perennial temptation: "You clean the outside of the...
THE complaint of Christ in Luke 11:29-32 is one of the saddest moments in the Gospel. "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given it except the sign of Jonah." Notice what grieves him. It is not ignorance....
Can you imagine a world without smartphones, social media, and the internet? This question may seem impossible to answer for someone who belongs to this Generation Alpha (2013-2025), born into today's world deeply immersed in the realities of Digital Communication and saturated with Social Media....
(Homily of Abp. Valles during the Parochial Fiesta of San Miguel Parish Panacan last September 29, 2026.) Ang Misyon Ni San Miguel Makita Sa Kadaugan Ug Himaya Sa Ginoo. Una, mga anghel, mga arkanghel, angels, archangels, karong fiesta sa tinuod nga lista which you know, tulo sila,...
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declares every second Sunday of October as Extreme Poverty Sunday. The observance stems from the global movement to end poverty, rooted in a 1987 gathering in Paris and adapted in the Philippines through church and government declarations....
TRUE Christian love has a remarkable breadth. It refuses to build little fences around the heart. It reaches family, friends, strangers, the grateful, the difficult, even those who disagree with us. Why? Because Christian charity is not merely natural affection. It flows from God, who loves...
THE parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1–14) presents one of the most searching images of God's plan of salvation. A king prepares a wedding feast for his son and extends repeated invitations to those who were first called. Yet the invitation is met with...