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Epsilon Complex Multimedia, San Vicente Poblacion, Macrohon (2026)

26/04/2026

‎📅 Apr. 26, 2026
‎🛐 Fourth Sunday of Easter (A)
‎🐑 Good Shepherd Sunday
‎🙏 World Day of Prayer for Vocations
‎⛪ Parish Fiesta: Mother of Good Counsel Parish, Chrysanthemum, San Pedro City
‎👐 Vestment: 🤍
‎📕 Lectionary: 49
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‎❤️‍🔥 The celebration of Good Shepherd Sunday reminds us that the exercise of authority should reflect the dedication and love of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came that we might have life and have it abundantly. May this Eucharist give us the strength to follow his example.
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‎Today also is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As we pray for more vocations, we also pray for those who are in the ministry that they may have holy perseverance in the mission entrusted to them.
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‎1️⃣ Reading I (Acts 2:14a, 36-41 NABRE)
‎Peter, the leader of the apostles, proclaims to the people that Jesus who was crucified is risen from the dead and is proclaimed by God as Lord and Messiah.
‎📖 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
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‎Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed (to them,) “Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
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‎Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” Peter [said] to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.” He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎🎼 Responsorial Psalm (Ps 23:1-2a, 3b-4, 5, 6)
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‎R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
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‎1. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want./ In verdant pastures he gives me repose;/ beside restful waters he leads me;/ he refreshes my soul. (R)
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‎2. He guides me in right paths/ for his name's sake./ Even though I walk in the dark valley/ I fear no evil; for you are at my side,/ with your rod and your staff/ that give me courage. (R)
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‎3. You spread the table before me/ in the sight of my foes;/ you anoint my head with oil;/ my cup overflows. (R)
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‎4. Only goodness and kindness follow me/ all the days of my life;/ and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. (R)
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‎2️⃣ Reading II (1 Pt 2:20b-25 NABRE)
‎Jesus bore our sins on the cross, suffering for us sinners. He is the Shepherd who gave his life for us. In turn, we should come back to him to receive healing.
‎📖 A reading from the First Letter of Saint Peter
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‎{Beloved:} if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
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‎When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎✝️ Gospel (Jn 10:1-10 NABRE)
‎📖 A reading from the Holy Gospel According to John
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‎{Jesus said:} “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
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‎So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
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‎- The Gospel of the Lord.
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‎💭 Today's Reflections
‎LET US FOLLOW WHERE THE GOOD SHEPHERD LEADS US
‎Fr. Samy John C. Torrefranca, SSP
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‎On this Good Shepherd Sunday and World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we are invited to listen to and follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd. His voice is compassionate, merciful and loving, and does not sound authoritarian. It is a voice that gathers us to be in his flock, The Good Shepherd does not shout from a distance. He walks among us, calls us by name, and leads us toward our own specific vocation in life.
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‎Every vocation is holy. Thus, we pray that everyone may be attentive to God's call, especially the young. The Church flourishes and grows when each person lives his or her vocation faithfully, We need shepherds, holy families, committed lay leaders, and generous missionaries to build the Kingdom of God here on earth.
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‎As vocation director of the Society of Saint Paul, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, I invite every home, every family, every young to look at religious vocation deeply, a call that nowadays is seldom responded to because of many competing voices.
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‎As vocation director, I often hear this question: How do I know that God is really calling me to become a priest or religious? This Sunday's Gospel gives us an answer. It is not about instantly choosing the path towards life of consecration. It is about listening with the heart and trusting the one who is calling, Before a decision, there must be trust. The sheep follow the shepherd not because they are forced, but because they know his voice.
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‎I have encountered a lot of stories and faced challenging experiences in promoting religious vocation. Many voices and interests distract the young—social media, technology, and world fads. Some issues on human trafficking, sexual assaults, and leftist recruitment also surface when we do vocation promotions.
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‎I have one particular experience in my work. I was suspected as a leftist recruiter by the family of one of our vocation prospects. I had to stay calm at that moment, took all the IDs (religious, celebret, DVP and government) from my wallet and presented these to them. I also provided my social media, vocation materials, and the addresses of the communities of the Society of Saint Paul in the Philippines. Still, they were not satisfied. I did not lose hope because I was convinced that I was not doing this for myself but for vocation. The Good Shepherd guided me: one of our priests called me, telling me that he had a cousin who is a teacher from that place, and if I needed an accommodation, I just have to call him back. I told the family that one of our priests has a cousin who is a teacher here. If they want to be sure, I told them, "Let us go there." After that, I think I gained their trust because after the visit, they asked for an apology and even told their son to accompany me to the port.
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‎From that experience, I learned that knowing the voice you follow is very important. The Shepherd's voice will always lead you to peace and meaning. Even faced with a challenge, Jesus will lead you. We celebrate this Sunday as World Day of Prayer for Vocations because the first invitation of Jesus to his disciples is to come to him, to learn from him, to pray. Vocation ministers really need to pray in order to know what the Good Shepherd wants us to do so that we will be able also to listen and discern the need of the flock and guide the young to discern what their vocation truly is.
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‎I pray that as a Church, we share responsibility for creating an environment where vocations can be heard, nurtured, and embraced. We must deeply understand the call of Jesus, "Rogate ergo." "Pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38). We pray for a very welcoming Church, a Church unafraid to listen and follow where the Good Shepherd leads.
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‎Source: Sambuhay Missalette by St Pauls Media Pastoral Ministry
‎Provided by: Drich N. Sumcio
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19/04/2026

‎📅 Apr. 19, 2026
‎🛐 Third Sunday of Easter (A)
‎👐 Vestment: 🤍
‎📕 Lectionary: 46
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‎❤️‍🔥 The road to Emmaus traveled by the two disciples is the path taken by those whose hopes in life have been crushed. Like the disciples, may we turn to the Lord and invite him: "Stay with us, Lord." May we recognize him in the Eucharist where he explains the Scriptures to us and breaks bread with us, setting our hearts on fire and making us witnesses that indeed he is truly risen and is alive in our midst.
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‎1️⃣ Reading I (Acts 2:14, 22-33 NABRE)
‎The greatest proof that he is indeed the Messiah of God is his resurrection from the dead. It is the core and the foundation of our faith.
‎📖 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
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‎Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For David says of him: ‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you [both] see and hear.”
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎🎼 Responsorial Psalm (Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11)
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‎R. (11a) Lord, you will show us the path of life.
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‎1. Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;/ I say to the LORD, "My LORD are you."/ O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,/ you it is who hold fast my lot. (R)
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‎2. I bless the LORD who counsels me;/even in the night my heart exhorts me./ I set the Lord ever before me/with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. (R)
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‎3. Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,/ my body, too, abides in confidence;/ because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,/ nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. (R)
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‎4. You will show me the path to life,/abounding joy in your presence,/the delights at your right hand forever. (R)
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‎2️⃣ Reading II (1 Pt 1:17-21)
‎Our Christian faith and hope rest on Jesus who died and rose from the dead. With such a solid foundation we have no reason to be discouraged.
‎📖 A reading from the First Letter of Saint Peter
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‎{Beloved:} Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎✝️ Gospel (Lk 24:13-35 NABRE)
‎📖 A reading from the Holy Gospel According to Luke
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‎(Now) that very day {of the first day of the week,} two of {Jesus’ disciples} were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
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‎- The Gospel of the Lord.
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‎💭 Today's Reflections
‎WHEN MEMORY MEETS MERCY
‎Fr. Albert Garong, SSP
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‎YOU KNOW THAT FEELING when a bad moment won't stop replaying in your head. Same scene, same words, same regret. Like a highlight reel, except it only plays your worst moments, showing you the part where you fell short, sounded foolish, hurt someone or lost someone, or where you failed yourself. A moment you wish you could undo, a chapter you wish you could skip—but keep rereading.
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‎In the Gospel, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus are caught in that exact mental loop, fresh from a story that ended the worst way possible. They are walking away from Jerusalem, caught up in a postmortem of a failed dream. They had hoped Jesus would be the one, but the Cross looked like a definitive dead end. So they do what we often do: put distance between ourselves and the site of our pain. It's time to leave.
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‎But Jesus won't let them—at least, not alone. He joins them, and as if to rub salt on wound, he asks them to recount their sorrow. Why force them to revisit what they are trying to outrun? Because recounting the pain to God is different from replaying it rent-free in our heads. When we ruminate alone, we are trapped in a monologue of despair. But when we speak our pain to Christ, it becomes a dialogue of grace. In this healing of memories, Jesus doesn't change the past; he changes the meaning of it. He shows them that the suffering they viewed as defeat was, in fact, the key to victory.
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‎We see St. Peter do the same in our First Reading. He stands before the very people who witnessed the Crucifixion, and he doesn't shy away from the painful memory. He recounts all of it, but with a difference: Peter is no longer speaking from a place of shame or fear. He can name the dark Friday of the Crucifixion because he is finally standing in the light of Sunday. He realizes that God uses that "dead end" to fulfill a plan that has always been in place.
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‎Perhaps this is what St. Peter means in the Second Reading when he says we were ransomed from our "futile conduct." Those futile loops we play in our heads—the ones that bring us down—are expensive lessons that Jesus has already paid for with his own blood. If Christ was willing to carry his wounds to reveal his love, he can certainly use your wounds to build his Kingdom.
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‎Easter is when God turns a dead end into a way forward, a shameful exit into a grace-filled return. The disciples go back to Jerusalem not because the past suddenly feels easy, but because it no longer holds them hostage. They return with hearts made brave by a presence that walked with them, and with a story healed enough to be shared.
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‎May Easter give us the courage to stop running from the places we associate with defeat. May we bring our memories to Jesus, not to punish ourselves, but to let him speak into them. And when he does, may our wounds become doors of mercy, so that we can recognize others who are still walking in the dark and quietly tell them: you are not alone, and this is not the end.
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‎Source: Sambuhay Missalette by St Pauls Media Pastoral Ministry
‎Provided by: Drich N. Sumcio
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12/04/2026

‎📅 Apr. 12, 2026
‎🛐 Second Sunday of Easter (A) | Divine Mercy Sunday
‎👐 Vestment: 🤍
‎📕 Lectionary: 43
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‎❤️‍🔥 Today we hear the story of Thomas. Like Thomas, may the Lord open our eyes to the power of the resurrection and transform our doubts and fears into confident faith and boundless joy.
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‎Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Promoted by St. Faustina Kowalska, this devotion is a perennial invitation for us to face, with confidence in divine goodness, the difficulties and trials of the present and the future.
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‎1️⃣ Reading I (Acts 2:42-47 NABRE)
‎Luke narrates the transforming effect of Jesus' resurrection on the believers. In the power of the Holy Spirit, the first Christians build up a sharing and worshipping community.
‎📖 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
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‎They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎🎼 Responsorial Psalm (Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24)
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‎R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
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‎1. Let the house of Israel say,/"His mercy endures forever."/ Let the house of Aaron say,/"His mercy endures forever."/ Let those who fear the LORD say,/"His mercy endures forever." (R)
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‎2. I was hard pressed and was falling,/ but the LORD helped me./ My strength and my courage is the LORD,/ and he has been my savior./The joyful shout of victory/ in the tents of the just. (R)
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‎3. The stone which the builders rejected/ has become the cornerstone./ By the LORD has this been done;/ it is wonderful in our eyes./This is the day the LORD has made;/ let us be glad and rejoice in it. (R)
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‎2️⃣ Reading II (1 Pt 1:3-9 NABRE)
‎Peter encourages us that our faith in the Risen Christ fills us with joy and sustains us.
‎📖 A reading from the First Letter of Saint Peter
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‎Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls.
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎✝️ Gospel (Jn 20:19-31 NABRE)
‎📖 A reading from the Holy Gospel According to John
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‎On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
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‎Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
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‎Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
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‎Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
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‎- The Gospel of the Lord.
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‎💭 Today's Reflections
‎THE CASE OF THOMAS THE TWIN
‎Fr. Gil A. Alinsangan, SSP
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‎SOME CHARACTERS AMONG THE APOSTLES have become unforgettable because of their unique association with Jesus. One such figure is the apostle Thomas. In the Synoptic Gospels, he is a mere name in the list of the Twelve (apostles). But in John's Gospel, he is especially involved in the drama of Christ's resurrection appearance which has gained him a moniker. If Simon Peter is the Rock, Judas, the Betrayer, Matthew, the Tax Collector; James and John, the "Sons of Thunder"; Thomas (also called Didymus or Twin) is the "Doubting Thomas."
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‎The characters in John are not there simply because they are historical figures who have personal interactions with Jesus; they are also symbolic and representative figures that are portrayed in ways that seem to reflect the later Christian community and believers generally. If so, why is the story of Thomas "relevant" to later Christians? What aspects of Christian life are reflected in his story?
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‎Thomas was absent in the evening of the resurrection when Jesus appeared to the apostles and showed them his hands and his side. Thomas' absence is curious. Why was he not with the rest of the disciples in the room securely locked? Was he not afraid of the Jews, unlike his companions? Or was he too afraid to be associated with them? We can only guess, as the reason for his absence is never given. However, his absence provides an occasion for another encounter with the risen Lord which ends with a beatitude forever associated with him: "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
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‎The story of Thomas is one of movement from skepticism to faith. At first, he would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Although he had accompanied Jesus to Bethany and witnessed how Jesus raised to life the dead Lazarus, this has not created in him any readiness to believe in Jesus' resurrection. Only after Jesus had spoken to him directly and addressed his doubts in a very personal way does Thomas "surrender" and exclaim, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus then addresses Thomas and, through him, the Christians of later generations: "You have come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." The future disciples must accept a new type of relationship with Jesus: a post-glorification discipleship. It is a believing without seeing the historical signs of the earthly Jesus but relying on the testimony of the believing community, now incarnated in the very text of the Gospel of John. The Gospel was precisely written "that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and through this belief you may have life in his name" (Jn 20:31).
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‎Thomas represents other generations of Christians who are called to believe on the testimony of others. At the Last Supper, in his prayer to the Father, Jesus already had them in mind: "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and l in you" (Jn 17:20-21).
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‎Thomas is the patron of those who accept the truth of the resurrection on the words of others. As profound as Thomas' confession was after he came to believe, the faith of those who do not enjoy the kind of experience of Thomas and the other disciples cannot be compared with it. "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." And yet we know how difficult it is to believe without seeing, and to depend upon the witness of others. Still, it shows how powerfully the word of God works! Passed on, proclaimed by, and given witness to, by limited human beings, it continues to move hearts to believe that Jesus is alive in the midst of the world. Peter speaks so beautifully of this faith: "Although you have not seen him Christ you love him even though you do not see him now yet believe, you rejoice with an indescribable joy and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Pt 1:8-9).
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‎Source: Sambuhay Missalette by St Pauls Media Pastoral Ministry
‎Provided by: Drich N. Sumcio

Photo: SMAP-Macrohon Divine Mercy displayed before the altar.
Image by Dan Richard N. Sumcio for ECM
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10/04/2026

SEMANA SANTA MMXXVII | Easter Sunday (5 April 2026)

Photos by Drich N. Sumcio through Almari Junio for ECM

10/04/2026

SEMANA SANTA MMXXVII | Maundy Thursday (2 April) and Good Friday (3 April)

Photos by Drich N. Sumcio for ECM

10/04/2026

SEMANA SANTA MMXXVI | Palm Sunday (29 March) and Spy Wednesday (1 April)

Photos by Drich N. Sumcio for ECM

05/04/2026

‎📅 Apr. 5, 2026
‎🛐 Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection (A)
‎👐 Vestment: 🤍
‎📕 Lectionary: 42
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‎❤️‍🔥 Jesus our Lord is risen, alleluia! Today, we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. This is the central mystery of our faith as Christians. As the apostle Paul tells us, if Christ has not been raised from the dead, our faith in him is useless. We, too, are invited to rise with Jesus. But first we have to die to our old self, our selfish desires, hopelessness, and misery. Only then shall we rise again as new men and women, repentant, full of hope and happiness. Our confidence lies in Jesus who conquered the power of sin and death. United with him, we too can become new persons.
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‎1️⃣ Reading I (Acts 11:34a, 37-43)
‎The resurrection of Jesus is the heart of the earliest Christian "kerygma", that is, the public announcement of God's salvation through Jesus' victory over death.
‎📖 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles [NABRE]
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‎(Then) Peter proceeded to speak and said, “{You know} what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and [in] Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised [on] the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎🎼 Responsorial Psalm (Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23)
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‎R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
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‎1. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,/ for his mercy endures forever./ Let the house of Israel say,/ "His mercy endures forever." (R)
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‎2. The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;/ the right hand of the LORD is exalted./ I shall not die, but live,/ and declare the works of the LORD. (R)
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‎3. The stone which the builders rejected/ has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done;/ it is wonderful in our eyes. (R)
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‎2️⃣ Reading II (1 Cor 5:6b-8)
‎Christ's resurrection challenges Christians to die to his corrupt and wicked ways and to rise as new persons, sincere and faithful,
‎📖 A reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [NABRE]
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‎{Brothers and sisters:} Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
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‎- The word of the Lord.
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‎🐑 Sequence — Victimæ Paschali Laudes
‎All–Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer your thankful praises!
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‎A Lamb the sheep redeems: Christ, who only is sinless, reconciles sinners to the Father.
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‎Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of Life, who died, reigns immortal.
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‎Speak, Mary, declaring what you saw, wayfaring. "The tomb of Christ, who is living, the glory of jesus resurrection;
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‎Bright angels attesting, the shroud and napkin resting. Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you."
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‎Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
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‎Amen. Alleluia!
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‎✝️ Gospel (Jn 20:1-9)
‎📖 A reading from the Holy Gospel According to John [NABRE]
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‎On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
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‎- The Gospel of the Lord.
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‎💭 Today's Reflections
‎Because He Lives, We too can Live Anew
‎Most Rev. Oscar Jaime Florencio, D.D.
‎Military Ordinariate of the Philippines
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‎Happy Easter!
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‎Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. Her heart heavy with grief, her words revealed pain: "They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." She was searching for a dead body, not new life. Like many of us, Mary was overwhelmed by loss and could not yet see what God was doing. Mary loved the Lord, yet that moment she forgot something essential: Jesus did not come only to suffer and die. He came to rise, The cross was not. the end of his story, and the tomb is not his final dwelling place. God's plan was greater than fear, stronger than death, and richer than sorrow.
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‎This is Easter Sunday. It began with the darkness of Good Friday—the death and the silence of the grave. But it did not end there. God raised Jesus from the dead, faithful to his promise. Easter begins in confusion and tears, but it opens into hope and joy. This is the heart of our faith: the tomb is empty, and life has won.
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‎The Resurrection of Jesus is not just a memory from long ago, It is God's living message to us today. It tells us that no failure has the last word, no suffering is meaningless, and no sin is beyond God's mercy. Good Friday was real—there was suffering and death. But Easter proclaims that God's love is stronger than all of it.
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‎There is a simple story of a man who spent years sitting before a closed door, convinced his life was over. One day, someone asked him, "Have you ever tried opening it?" The door was never locked. He had simply lost the courage to try.
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‎Many people live that way—held back by fear, guilt, regret, or disappointment. Easter tells us that the stone has already been rolled away. What we think is closed, God has already opened.
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‎Even the disciples struggled to believe. They hid behind locked doors, afraid and trembling. When the Risen Lord appeared to them, he did not scold or condemn them. His words were consoling, "Peace be with you." The Resurrection does not expose our weakness—it heals it. Jesus rises not to accuse, but to restore.
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‎Someone once said, "Every night makes us think the sun is gone forever. Every morning proves us wrong." Easter is God's sunrise. Quietly, without noise or display, light breaks through the darkness. Hope returns—not because life becomes easy, but because Christ is alive.
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‎To believe in the Resurrection is more than celebrating one joyful day. It means choosing to live as Easter people:
‎* Forgiving when it is difficult
‎* Hoping when life feels heavy
‎* Loving even when it costs us.
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‎The tomb is empty—but our hearts must not remain closed. Let us rise with Christ: from fear to faith, from sin to grace, from despair to hope.
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‎Surrexit, sicut dixit. And because he lives, we too can live anew.
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‎Source: Sambuhay Missalette by St Pauls Media Pastoral Ministry
‎Provided by: Drich N. Sumcio

📸 The image of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ during the Tagbo at the Municipal Gymnasium. Shot with an Infinix Zero 30 4G. Thanks to Almari Rosperl Junio for the assist 😇🤍
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