...All previous news ...FROM THE PRIEST’S CORNER: FR. JUSTUS ALAETO

• Dec 21, 2020
• Dec 7, 2020
• Nov 29, 2020
• Aug 2, 2020
• May 31,2020
• March 20, 2020
• Sept 15, 2019
• Aug 25, 2019
• July 28, 2019
• July 7, 2019
• May 19, 2019
• April 28, 2019
• April 21, 2019
• April 1, 2019
• March 31, 2019
• February 24, 2019
• November 26, 2018
• November 22, 2018
• October 21, 2018
• October 12, 2018
• August 31, 2018
• August 12, 2018
• July 29, 2018
• July 8, 2018
• July 1, 2018
• June 15, 2018
• May 20, 2018

From Pastor’s Corner: Rev. Justus Alaeto
Drawing Light and Faith from the Redemptive Power of Christ at Easter Season

First, may I once again, on behalf of our parish community, congratulate our brothers and
sisters who became Catholic this Easter. We are all proud of your bold step, perseverance, and
spiritual courage to respond to Jesus Christ, despites all distractions and temptations of life.
May Jesus the Savior and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, continue to be with you
and help you live up to the promises of your baptismal commitment, amen.

From the moment of the Liturgy of Good Friday passion, the world seems be in the dark with no hope. However, the Liturgy of Easter Virgil, has transformed everything by renewing and
restoring hope through the good news of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The action of the
renewal, of our baptismal promises, stands as spiritual breakthrough for us to embrace new life in Christ. After the renewal of our baptismal promises, our spirit is renewed and uplifted in
Christ, and we reclaim our life of “new creation in Christ” through Baptism.

The good news of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ assures the world today, that through the
redemptive power of Jesus Christ, we can now resurrect from anything that torments our lives
or prevents us from reaching our God. By the action of Easter, we can resurrect from any
darkness that surrounds our life. The big Paschal Candle symbolizes that we see and draw life
from the big Light of Jesus Christ, who is the source and summit of our life. Jesus’ Resurrection has shed great light to our faith as Christians. We are to reclaim that light as a way of subduing darkness.

To be in the dark is a terrible thing that can happen to anyone. At this unforeseen situation of
pandemic crisis, the world appears to be in dark about certainties. Same is applicable to other
areas of our spiritual life that seems to be in dark. Being in confusion of life is like being in the
dark. No one likes to be in the dark. With the good news of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ at
Easter, Light has come to us once again. We are to embrace the new light of Christ. We are to
draw spiritually from the Grace of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and be transformed. We are to go back to our prayers, good life, and transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. The
Apostles were spiritually transformed by their experience of the Passion and Resurrection of
Jesus Christ. We are to allow ourselves to be transformed by the experience of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as well.

Easter is the time to renew our faith in Jesus Christ or drawing faith from the Redemptive
Power of Christ. Drawing faith from the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ renders us
spiritually capable to face the challenges of life. With such faith, we shall certainly bear fruits,
for with God all things are possible!
Happy Easter and your families!

From Pastor’s Corner: Rev. Justus Alaeto
Reflecting on the ugliness of human sins, through the character of Judas!
From the Liturgy of Palm Sunday, we start the Holy Week. The Liturgy of Palm Sunday
marks the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The same people who praised Jesus
and recognized Him as King, even shouted hosanna for him, was the same crowd who
crucified him. When we gaze upon the cross of Christ, we can see the ugliness of human
attitudes. We can see bunch of human weaknesses and sinful manner of acting.

When we gaze upon the cross of Christ, we see lies against Jesus, we see lack of love,
Irreverence, mockery, gossip, persecution, human envy, misunderstanding, power
tussle, unforgiving spirit, pride, and selfishness, from human beings.
Judas’s attitude singled him out as one of Christ’s followers who celebrated Mass with
Jesus but could not open his heart to Jesus, for renewal of his soul. Judas came to prayer
and Mass, with different agenda and wrong disposition. The attitude we saw in Judas
calls us to sincerely examine our own lives and look at the intentions behind everything
we do in life, in our relationship with God and relationship with others. We are to
examine the kind of disposition and spirit we bring to prayer, to ministry, to Mass, and
other things we do in life.

May we make a fresh start with God this Holy Week, and turn towards Jesus with open
hearts, renewing our lives, and taking spiritual courage and humility, to embrace sincere
repentance from any attitude that does not show attitude of good Christ in us, no
matter how often we kneel to pray or go to Mass. Repentance, is the key for authentic
relationship with God and sound worship to Him. Let us seek Christ’s help St. Peter, with
sincere repentance, so that Christ will renew us through the mystery of Easter.
Blessings of the Holy Week and Joy of Easter in Advance!

From Pastor’s Corner: Fr. Justus Alaeto
Make it easy for Jesus to bless you and use you for salvation
For the past three weeks, we have been preparing to welcome the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus the Savior!  These preparations came through the words of prophets, especially the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, “A Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and will name Him Emmanuel which means God is with us.”

Isaiah prophecy was to bring to our human awareness, that God Himself is coming to be with us and we are to recognize Him. The conception of this Messiah in Mary’s womb will not be by any human influence or action, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. An indication that Christ, even though conceived in Mary’s Womb, was not just Human, but God and Human, at the same time. The Almighty God is coming to be with us in human form, Emmanuel!

St. John the Baptist who was described as the voice crying in the wilderness, and who was seriously preparing and clearing the way for the Lord, was indirectly catechizing people not to have a double life, make your life straight for Jesus the Savior. In other words, change your ways, change your attitudes so as to make it easy for Jesus to truly identify with you. Go to confession, forgive your enemies, Not have grudges against anyone, love your neighbor as yourself, be a good Christian, and welcome the spirit of Jesus the Savior in your hearts. That was the primary focus of John the Baptist mission for advent.

In addition to messages from the prophets, about the coming of Messiah, God the Father today, unfold the news of the birth of Messiah to Mary and to the whole world, through His Special Messenger, Angel Gabriel. Our world will now become Holy because God has chosen to be with us. Our lives will experience change and transformation if we allow Christ to be incarnated in our individual lives. By the virtue of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, God has given each of us the gifts of His Very Self!
The challenge about this wonderful mystery is: How are to respond to Christ the Emmanuel, the God with us?

The Gospel today presented Mary’s attitude as a model for fruitful response. The encounter between Angel Gabriel and Mary was not something so easy for Mary to digest and accept the message. However, Mary expresses in Her response today, the attitude of humility, obedience, prayerfulness, love, and trust in the providence of God.

Sometimes, life imposes a lot of duties to us. All duties are to be connected to our spiritual life, that is what Mary did. Even though we have duties for ourselves, we also have duties for others and to God, and we are not to separate our daily life from our spiritual life. Life is not all about me or all about you, it is all about God.

Sometimes, we may need to ask: where would the world be if everyone just thought of themselves, and insisted on doing their own thing, their own happiness, independent of others and independent of God, how would such a world look like? Have we ever thought about that?

Mary today, accepted all duties, God’s request imposes on Her life by somehow saying; let it be done unto me according how God wants, if I claimed truly that I am the handmaid of the Lord. That’s what Mary did indirectly today.

How many times have we denied our own way and our own will, and joyfully say, Lord let your will be done, especially those ugly moments I cannot understand? Those things we cannot comprehend. Have we ever let go of our own way and allow God to carry us along in His Divine providence? or do I always say, I do not think this is God’s will for me? How would you know since you have refused to follow God on that difficult road and trust Him till the end? That was the same manner those who refused to accept Jesus as Messiah did, they are still expecting Messiah till today. for them, the manner Jesus came is not the kind of Messiah they were expecting. They were expecting a Messiah that would come with battalions of armies with gold and long robes and security and trumpets everywhere. For them, how can a Messiah be born where animals live?

Such an attitude lacks serious trust about Divine providence. It lacks humility, it lacks serious love to God, and it lacks obedience. In our own world today and life, God can challenge our faith through different means and ways. We are to try to be humble, to give! all our will and desire to Jesus without any reservation.
May ask the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary today, for us to develop from our hearts, true love for the life of Jesus Christ, the God with us, to be humble, and to be obedient in our call to follow Jesus the Savior!
Merry Christmas!