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CFC MM - East B, Tagaytay City (2026)

27/08/2026

Did you know why confession is auricular?

We confess our sins in the hearing of our priests because Jesus sent His apostles (Jn 20:21) and empowered them with the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22) to forgive and to retain sins (Jn 20:23). It is not the priest who forgives. The absolution is done in the name of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in the same manner as the apostles were commissioned to preach the gospel to all nations unto the end of the age (Mt 28:19-20). This is similar in principle to the power to bind and loose given to Peter (Mt 16:19) and to the apostles (Mt 18:18).

Confession is auricular which means relating to the ear or sense of hearing. That is the means for a priest to understand the nature of our sins and grant absolution in persona Christi capitis (in the person of Christ, the Head).

One common non-Catholic objection to sacramental confession is their different take on our foundational verses in Jn 20:21-23. Their view is Jesus sent the apostles to preach and those who believe will have their sins forgiven whereas those who reject the gospel will have their sins retained.

Reading John 20 in context would simply show that is not what the text says. Forcing this “preaching only” interpretation comes from reading John 20:21–23 in light of 1 Tim 2:5, in which Paul says that Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and us. They therefore conclude that priests are not necessary as Christians should confess their sins directly to God.

Catholics do confess their sins directly to God both within and outside the confessional. We do this communally at every Mass and in prayer groups just like in our CFC households, and individually during private prayer. However, as John 20:21-23 directly show, we also believe that Jesus entrusted His power to forgive and retain sins to His apostles. Jesus is at liberty to allow his mediation to be worked through the apostles and their successors in the Church. The absolution is given not by the priest himself but by the priest acting in persona Christi.

Jesus chose the apostles to be His instruments just as He conferred His authority to baptize (Mt 28:18-19). He also gave Peter and the apostles to teach and excommunicate within the Church such that it would be ratified in heaven (Mt 16:19, 18:18).

The objection to confession is rooted in the belief of justification by faith alone (sola fide) when one accepts Jesus as personal savior. These people believe that one is justified entirely by God’s grace accepted through faith and one’s past, present and future sins have no bearing on one’s standing before God. Justification is viewed as a one-time event contrary to our Catholic belief that it is a dynamic process of conversion that includes forgiveness of sins and interior renewal of the person (CCC 2018).

Like Paul, we believe that Jesus ushered in a new mode of justification which is apart from the Mosaic law (Rom 3:21-23, 10:4) but not apart from good deeds (Jas 2:24-26). Note that Jesus said we shall be judged on our acts of love for our neighbor (Mt 25:37–40) and it sounds like faith working through love (Gal 5:6).

Like Paul, sometimes we do evil instead of the good we want to do (Rom 7:19). It is very possible for weeds to grow in the midst of wheat (Mt 13:24-30). It is possible for Christians to fall into sin such that Paul warned the baptized believers in Galatia that if they commit serious sins they “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:21). He also used himself to illustrate the need for personal discipline in view of the possibility of being disqualified after he had preached the gospel (1 Cor 9:27).

The sacrament of confession incarnates Jesus’ “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18) so that we can walk together with God again after we have strayed away in sin. We affirm that Jesus’ love is entirely sufficient to redeem us. It is precisely by the power of his redemptive blood that our personal reconciliation with God is then possible.

We thank God for by virtue of the New Covenant in Jesus, God’s mercy has been made available to us when we sincerely ask for forgiveness. We thank God for His grace and mercy in giving us the Sacrament of Confession.

25/08/2026

Why do Catholics confess their sins out loud to a priest?
If God already knows our sins, why do we need to speak them?

The answer takes us straight to John 20:21–23 and Jesus' gift of the ministry of reconciliation to His apostles—and, through them, to the Church.

Confession isn't about putting a barrier between us and God. It's about coming home to His mercy. ❤️‍🩹

Want to understand why the Church calls it auricular confession?

📖 Read the full Did You Know? article this Thursday morning.

22/08/2026

Did you know that Mary’s queenship is totally relative to Christ’s kingship?

The Hebrew word “gebirah” which could be translated as “Queen Mother” or “Great Lady” is found 15 times in the Old Testament. It is an official position held by the mother of the Davidic kings in the Kingdom of Judah. She was the most important and influential woman in the royal court and the king’s chief counselor. The king’s mother is almost always listed along with her son in 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles when he assumes the throne. It could be said that she is the living testimony to a legitimate succession to the throne.

Scripture has it that the Gebirah assumed a throne alongside her son as in the case of Solomon and Bathsheba (1 Kgs 2:19). It also indicates that the Gebirah exercised her role as counselor (2 Chr 22:3) and intercessor (1 Kgs 2:13-21). In times of conquest, both the king and his mother represented royal power. Thus, Jehoiachin along with his mother surrendered to the king of Babylon (2 Kgs 24:12).

The Gebirah is the most important woman in the Kingdom of Judah. A king had many wives but only one mother who is the queen. The Gebirah of the eternal Davidic Kingdom of Jesus Christ is Mary of Nazareth. Seen as the Ark of the New Covenant in God’s temple in heaven (Rv 11:19), she is portrayed as a queen in the next verse (Rv 12:1). Thus, we believe that Mary was assumed body and soul and given the honor Queen of Heaven.

Opposition to calling Mary Queen of Heaven would usually refer to Jer 44:14-30 claiming that it is a condemned pagan worship. This is absurd as it refers to a sin committed specifically at the time of Jeremiah. Revelation 12 undercuts this erroneous interpretation where we see biblical realities revealed by our Lord to John – the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, with a crown of 12 stars on her head (Rv 12:1) whose son is destined to rule all nations with an iron rod (Rv 12:5).

The only objection that could be made is to say the woman is not Mary but is merely symbolic of Israel or the Church. There is nothing wrong with symbolism. However, apocalyptic imageries can and do have multiple meanings. The woman in Revelation 12 has been interpreted since the time of the Early Church Fathers as referring to the ancient people of Israel, or the Church, or the Blessed Virgin. That it could also refer to the Virgin Mary is because she truly and historically gave birth to Jesus Christ (Rv 12:5). At the same time the woman can be interpreted as standing for the people of God, the Church, whom the figure of Mary represents.

In Genesis the story of salvation begins with a real man (Adam), a real snake (the Devil), and a real woman (Eve). In Revelation, the end of the salvation story is revealed—and again we see a real man (Jesus, the Last Adam), a real snake (the Devil, Rev 12:9) and a real woman (Mary the New Eve). No one would deny that the Man-child is real, nor that the Serpent is real—so why do they deny that the Woman is real? Why segregate the woman and reduce her to mere symbolism?

The description of the woman indicates her heavenly glory, and the 12 stars of her crown symbolize the people of God – the 12 patriarchs (Gn 37:9) and the 12 apostles. And so, independently of the chronological aspects of the text, the Church sees in this heavenly woman the Blessed Virgin, ‘taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords (Rv 19:16) and conqueror of sin and death’ (Lumen Gentium, 59).

Have a blessed Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

20/08/2026

Did you know that Hezekiah asked for a sign and it was not counted against him as lack of faith? Hezekiah was one of the few good kings of Judah (the southern kingdom in Israel).

2 Kings 20:1-11, 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 and Isaiah 38:1-8 tells the story of the king’s fatal illness and its miraculous cure. When Isaiah brought God’s message to the king to put his house in order as he shall die from his illness, Hezekiah faced the wall and prayed fervently. Before the prophet could even leave the middle court, God’s message came and he went back to tell the king the prayer had been heard.

The healing by means of preparing a poultice of figs and applying it on the boil or festering sore surely look like natural means but it does not contradict divine miracle. God also works through secondary causes. That reversal of certainty of death was genuinely miraculous that was mediated through creation. We see in it a pattern that anticipates the sacramental logic by which invisible grace comes through visible, material means.

Upon learning he shall recover and have 15 more years added to his life, the king asked what shall be the sign for it. One might ask why was Zechariah struck dumb when he asked an almost similar question. It is because it was asked with doubt as regards the old age of Mr. & Mrs. Zechariah. Context matters critically. Hezekiah’s question could be likened to Mary’s query for clarification – not doubting God's power but a petition for confirmation of a specific, conditional promise already given.

To the king’s confirmatory inquiry, Isaiah offered a choice to either have the shadow advance or retreat 10 steps which are equally impossible by natural means. It implicitly teaches us God’s absolute sovereignty over time and the created order. Hezekiah chose the more difficult option and after Isaiah’s pleading prayer, God caused the shadow to retreat 10 steps by which the sun had declined on the dial of Ahaz. The sundial which was an instrument of secular time-keeping (belonging to Hezekiah’s father – the evil king Ahaz) became the instrument of God's extraordinary intervention.

Scripture does not describe the sun literally moving backward, but focuses on the experiential, observable effect — the shadow retreating on the dial. Whether this involved a localized atmospheric refraction, a miraculous reversal of the earth's rotation, or some other mode of divine action has generated centuries of discussion. Catholic tradition consistently affirms the reality of the miracle while remaining silent about its precise physical mechanism as there’s no natural explanation for it.

Allegorically, the reversal of the shadow prefigures the reversal of death itself – of the "shadow of death" (Ps 23:4) retreating before the life-giving intervention of God. The "third day" of Hezekiah's restoration prefigures the third day of Christ's Resurrection, when the shadow of death retreated permanently. In the anagogical sense, the sundial points to the eschatological promise that in the New Creation, time as we experience it (marked by entropy, decline, and death) will be transfigured.

God does not negotiate with time. He reversed the sun's shadow to confirm that death itself could be reversed, foreshadowing the Resurrection.

Our life is filled with anxiety about time with its scarcity, its irreversibility, and its slipping away. Let’s be reminded that God is not subject to our clock. Faced with difficult or even life-threatening situations, let us pray with Hezekiah’s audacity – not demanding miracles, but genuinely opening ourselves to the possibility that God can reverse what appears irreversible.

18/08/2026

Did you know... a king in the Bible asked God for a sign—and God granted it?

Why wasn't Hezekiah's request considered a lack of faith? And what does the miraculous retreat of the sun's shadow reveal about God's power over time, death, and His promises?

🎥 Watch this week's DYK reel.

📖 Join us this Thursday morning as we discover how Hezekiah's story points beyond a miraculous healing to the Resurrection of Christ—and why it gives us hope when life seems irreversible.

15/08/2026

On November 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. It is not a dogma that was newly minted in 1950. Rather, it is based on long held Apostolic Tradition that is implicitly present in Scripture primarily in the Book of Revelation.

The woman of Revelation who is clothed with the sun and have twelve stars on her crown (Rv 12:1) is Mary who gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod (Rv 12:5). She carried the Word of God (Jn 1:1) in her womb as the angel Gabriel explained that “the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35). Typologically, Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant (Rv 11:19) whom God overshadowed just as God overshadowed the Ark of the Old Covenant (Ex 40:34).

The Ark of the Old Covenant had been lost for centuries then but in Rv 11:19, the last verse of the chapter, it says “God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.” In the next verse (Rv 12:1), which is the opening of the next chapter, John says “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”

Note that there were no chapter and verse divisions when John wrote Revelation. Chapters were only set in early 13th century by Cardinal Stephen Langton whereas verse divisions we use today were based on the work of Robert Estienne who produced a 1555 Vulgate with numbered verses.

Reading Rv 11:19 to Rv 12:6 in continuity tells us the Ark resurfaced in Heaven not made of acacia wood but it is the Woman (of the Proto-evangelium Gn 3:15) Mary who bore Christ. Some would contend that the woman represents Israel or the Church. Sure, there’s no question as to multiple meanings of Bible prophecies and apocalyptic writings. The 12 stars are not only an obvious symbol of the 12 tribes of Israel but also the 12 apostles who are representatives of the new Israel, the Church (Rv 21:12-14). It is true that Revelation is rich in symbolism but it is obvious from the Bible itself that the woman is Mary. Cardinal Newman wrote about these passages of Revelation “No one doubts that the ‘man-child’ spoken of is an allusion to our Lord; why then is not ‘the Woman’ an allusion to his mother?” (On the Blessed Virgin Mary).

There are also those who would oppose by referring to Jn 3:13 which says “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.” Please note that Mary was still alive when these words were spoken. It must also be noted that Assumption and Ascension are totally different. Jesus ascended into heaven by his own power but Mary was assumed into heaven by God because she was not capable on her own.

Additionally, there are precedents for Mary’s Assumption in the Old Testament. First is Enoch whom the Bible says did not die but was taken up (Heb 11:5 with reference to Gn 5:24). Second is Elijah who was taken up to heaven by a chariot and horses of fire (2 Kgs 2:11-12). These two were taken up bodily because they pleased God. Why not Mary who is full of grace?

Have a blessed Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

13/08/2026

Did you know that Israel had many messiahs in its history? The first among their anointed kings was Saul whom God replaced with David - the man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14).

Messiah comes from the Hebrew “mashiach” (christos in Greek) meaning “anointed”.

Anointed as they are, most of them were not good kings. After Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was divided into the Northen Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Aside from David, there were only a few good kings. Most prominent among them were Asa, Hezekiah and Josiah. Even the wise king Solomon would fall into accommodating the idolatry of his foreign wives.

The downturn of the kingdom started during its early stages. They violated God’s limitations of royal authority against multiplying (war) horses, taking multiple wives, and accumulating gold and silver. Although David did not build up military horses, Solomon violated all 3 prohibitions (Dt 17:16-17).

With the kingdom falling into idolatry and persisting in its evil ways, God permitted Israel to be conquered and sent to exile.

In His mercy, however, God prepared a savior for His people Israel in the person of Cyrus the Great of Persia whom God called “my shepherd” to fulfil His purpose of rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple (Isa 44:28). He is God’s “anointed” (messiah) whose right hand He grasped “to subdue nations” (Isa 45:1). God called Cyrus by name for the sake of His servant Jacob and Israel although he did not know God (Is 45:4).

Cyrus is the man whom God called for His purpose as He speaks to the prophet Isaiah on the liberation of Israel from her Babylonian captivity saying in Isa 46:10-11:
“My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country.”

Note that the “bird of prey” is a symbolic title that portrays the swiftness and power of the sudden attack with which Persia conquered Babylon.

This is a contextual reading covering chapters 44 to 46 of Isaiah with reference to Cyrus pertaining to setting Israel free from Babylonian captivity. As a word of caution, we have to be warned against usurpation and twisting of passages from Scripture lest we be deceived.

The bird of prey (ibong mandaragit) is a biblical appellation of Cyrus the Great and not a prophetic reference for a certain cult’s founder. Scripture described Cyrus as “from the east, … from a far country”. It did not say “from the Far East” (mula sa Malayong Silangan) which is a deceptive twist to make it look like referring to the Philippines.

God’s purpose in anointing Cyrus for the sake of Israel was fulfilled. The Jewish exiles in Babylon were liberated in 538 BC and were permitted to return to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Thus, he is called God’s “anointed” in Isaiah 45:1. Its affirmation from the man himself can be found in the Book of Ezra 1:1-4. Interestingly, the same words can also be found in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23.

It is not God who rejected His people (Rom 11:1). It was Israel that turned their collective backs from God. Yet His mercy remains and His ways are inscrutable (Rom 11:33). His will is sovereign. He answers prayers in His time.

11/08/2026

Did you know... the Bible calls someone other than Jesus "God's anointed"?

Who was Cyrus the Great? And what does Isaiah's mysterious "bird of prey from the east" really mean?

🎥 Watch this week's Did You Know? reel.

📖 Join us this Thursday morning as we explore the biblical context behind these passages and discover why reading Scripture in context is essential to understanding God's Word.

06/08/2026

Did you know that there are still many people who think a certain prophecy of our Lord went unfulfilled?

After Peter’s faith confession in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus foretold His own death and resurrection. In closing, He said something enigmatic – “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God” (Mk 8:27-9:1, Mt 16:13-28, Lk 9:18-27).

This has commonly been misinterpreted as a prophecy that the Second Coming will occur before the first Christians died out. That prophecy in the last verse of the aforementioned narrative is not about the “end of the world” but was fulfilled “about 8 days after” (Lk 9:28) at the Transfiguration. Peter, James and John were alive and able to have a glimpse or a foretaste of the coming of the kingdom of God embodied in Christ Himself. They saw His glory – His face was altered (Lk 9:29) and shone like the sun (Mt 17:2).

Such is their witnessing that Peter would write that they are not following “cleverly devised myths” as they were eyewitnesses on the holy mountain (2 Pt 1:16-18). Many exegetes also interpret the culmination of the Prologue in John’s gospel as referring to the Transfiguration – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” (Jn 1:14)

The representative appearance of Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets) affirms the continuity of the OT to the NT. Old Testament Judaism is the origin of New Testament Catholicism and Jesus is the fulfillment of the Laws and the Prophets. That they spoke to Jesus about His coming “exodus” (Lk 9:31 [NABRE]) reminds us of their own exodus and their own mountaintop experiences of God’s glory which ultimately points to Jesus’ exodus and glory.

We are seeing typological prefigurement. Moses fled from Pharaoh to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and saw the glory of God’s back on Mt. Horeb (Ex 33:21-23). Elijah’s experience mirrored Moses’ exodus. He fled from Queen Jezebel after the contest with Baal’s prophets on Mt. Carmel and heard God’s voice in a gentle whisper after the manifestation of God’s power in the wind, earthquake and fire on Mt. Horeb (1 Kgs 19:1-18).

In the Old Covenant, Moses had 70 elders from the 12 tribes of Israel. Each tribe had a chief. Finally, Moses had 3 close men who went up with him on the mountain at Sinai – Aaron, Nadab and Abihu (Ex 24:1).

Jesus had 70 disciples aside from the 12 apostles as He re-establish the new Israel, which is the Church, in the New Covenant (Lk 10:1-24). He had 3 men who form His inner circle – Peter, James and John. They are the ones who witnessed the 3 major events in His ministry – the restoring of Jairus’ daughter to life (Lk 8:51), the Transfiguration (Mk 9:2), and Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane as they stand watch (Mk 14:33-34).

These 3 privileged apostles embody the 3 theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Peter epitomized the virtue of faith in his pure profession of Christ’s divinity (Mt 16:16). James the Greater was the first Apostle to be martyred (Acts 12:2). He, in a sense, represented the apostles who were not present for the Transfiguration. In the face of unspeakable suffering, martyrs place all their hope in God Who is the reward of the just. John alone of all the apostles stayed with Christ through His Passion and death, motivated by his extraordinary love for Him.

The Transfiguration is an assurance of God’s promise. In the highs and lows of our lives, let us hold on to it and pray that, difficult as they are, we be enabled by grace to live out the virtues of faith, hope and love.

Have a blessed Feast Day of the Transfiguration of our Lord!

04/08/2026

Have you ever heard someone say that one of Jesus' prophecies failed?

Did Christ really predict that the Second Coming would happen before His disciples died—or was He pointing to something else entirely?

🎥 Watch this week's Did You Know? Reel.

📖 Join us this Thursday morning as we discover how the Transfiguration fulfilled Jesus' mysterious words—and why it remains a source of hope for us today.

Happy Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord! ✨

CFC MM - East B

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