​The readings on this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time speak about the interior life of the committed follower of Jesus Christ. Every baptized Christian is called to be holy. This understanding is known as the universal call to holiness. What does it mean to be holy? How can one live a holy life? If you have a knife, you can dichotomize the definition of holiness in two principal components: Holiness is the fullness of Christian life and perfection of charity. On the one hand, we must follow in the footsteps of Christ and conform ourselves to his image that seeks the will of the Father in all things. On the other extreme, we must devote ourselves to the service of our neighbor (Lumen Gentium, §40). The cross is first of all the symbol of our salvation. It is both vertical and horizontal. The vertical beam represents our relationship with God while the horizontal bar represents our relationship with our fellow humans. We are constantly reminded by the cross that the love of God and love of our neighbors are two aspects of the same calling. If it's not vertical and horizontal, it's not the cross that will lead you to holiness.

This Sunday we move further into the series of readings for the liturgical time called in our tradition “Ordinary Time”. Our readings for this Third Sunday in Ordinary Time recounts how the God's people of old experienced the joy of God's light and no longer dwell in the gloom. This light of Christ unites us and bids us to come after him and build the Kingdom of Heaven. ​

Isaiah 9:1-6 | Psalm 98: 1-5 | Ephesians 1:3-6.15-18 | Matthew 18:1-5.10 ​

Being a nation where children comprise 31% of the population (about 34 million of the total 109 million), Filipinos are known for their love of children. When we see children, we are happy. A child is welcoming, comforting and non-threatening. Its power is in its weakness. Its force is its love. It comes as no surprise that we have a long-standing and widespread devotion to Holy Child Jesus after the first image of El Santo Niño Jesus was brought to Cebu and given as a baptismal gift to Rajah Humabon’s wife by Fernando Magallanes 502 years ago. For Filipino Catholics the Holy Child represents a God who is a source of great joy; a God who is accessible to all and can be approached without fear. One can easily notice an image or icon of the Sto. Niño displayed in family altars of homes, schools, offices, community stores and even inside jeepneys. ​

Isaiah 60:1-6 | Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-11,12-13 | Ephesians 3:2-3a,5-6 | Matthew 2:1-12 ​

Originally, there were seven kings from the Orient but only three made it to Bethlehem to pay homage to the King of kings as reported in Matthew 2:1-12. One was led by another star to New York and became Burger King. Another reached Beijing and became Chowking and the last two found their way to Manila to become Tapa King and Goto King! 
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