Posts by Fr. Archie Tacay
God’s Visitation: Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Whenever I meditate on this Gospel, I always remember a beautiful picture in my wallpaper of my smartphone. It is the image of the Virgin wearing a pink veil, looking intently at me. There is a sense of serious concern on her face, yet her face is brightened by joy and wonder. She is going…
Read MoreThe Mystery of the Innocents’ Suffering
Both readings present innocent men of God in deep trouble. Jesus is about to be stoned and Jeremiah is surrounded by enemies who want to kill him. The suffering of good and innocent people puzzles many of us. For some people, it is a stumbling block against belief in a loving God. But throughout the…
Read MoreYou Raised Me Up
Today in the Gospel, Jesus raises a dead girl and heals a sick woman. The dead girl was the daughter of a synagogue official named Jairus while the woman has been hemorrhaging for 12 years. Children and women during the time of Jesus were non-entities. They were second-class citizens with no legal personalities and rights…
Read MoreLet’s Start at the Very Beginning
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human…
Read MoreComfort Zone
I remember when I went for my home furlough, I visited my high school alma mater and helped with the confession of the high school kids. While the kids were in adoration, a student came up to me and asked for some advice regarding a friend. We chatted for some minutes and after that, I…
Read MoreMission Beyond
In today’s Gospel, we experience the healing power of Jesus. After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon. When he arrived, Simon’s mother-in-law was very ill with a high fever. When Simon brought Jesus to his home, his mother-in-law was instantly healed and fully restored. She got up from the bed and…
Read MoreWealth
A story is told about a rich woman who unexpectedly died without leaving behind a last will and testament. Her children were bickering since each one of them wanted to have the biggest share of the wealth. Therefore, the once strong and loving sibling relationship became divided and distant and the reason behind it was…
Read MoreFeast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Oh María, Madre mía (Oh Mary, my mother) oh consuelo del mortal: (oh consoler of mortals) amparadme y guiadme (Protect me and guide me) a la patria celestial. (To the heavenly homeland.) Song of Mary This is always the song that we sing after the daily mass when I was serving at St Patrick in…
Read MoreWitnesses
George Orwell’s 1984 dictum “Big Brother is watching you” has now become a reality. I remember when my younger brother, twin brother, and myself went to visit Singapore. It is one of the cleanest and modern cities I have visited. One person in the subway train commented, “Here no one steals, someone sees you here!”…
Read MoreHealers
The Gospel today tells of the healing of a man from Gerasene territory. Naturally, the man once possessed by Legion joyfully proclaimed what great things Jesus had done for him. All were amazed but sadly only a few followed Him. And then the unimaginable happened. Near the end of the Gospel passage, we read that…
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