December 25, 2022. Gospel Passages: Luke 2:1-14; Matthew 26: 27-29; John 19:17-18, 20; John 20:22-23. Quoting St. Athanasius in the Catechism of the Catholic Church Point 460: "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." and Luke 2:1-14; Matthew 26: 27-29; John 19:17-18, 20; John 20:22-23. Quoting St. Athanasius in the Catechism of the Catholic Church Point 460: "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." and 1 John 3:2. Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Giorgione at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. (Wikimedia Commons)

December 25:  Christmas Day ~ Last in Everything, First in Love

December 28, 2022. Gospel Passages: Matthew 2:13-18: Matthew 5:45; 1 John 1:5-7. Quoting St. Quodvultdeus on the Holy Innocents. Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: “The Massacre of the Innocents” by François-Joseph Navez. Private collection. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Holy Innocents (December 28) (Rebroadcast)

January 4, 2023. Gospel Passages: Matthew 22:35-40; Mark 10:46-52. Also quoting from Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 13:4–8; 1 John 4:7-21; ﻿ Genesis 1:26-27. Meditation with Fr. Timothy Uhen, guest priest from "Meditations in Manhattan" on Spotify. Sculpture: "Jesus Healing Blind Bartimaeus" by Johann Heinrich Stöver in St John's Church, Hesse. (Wikimedia Commons)

Seeing with the Eyes of Christ

January 21, 2023. Gospel Passages: Mark 3:20-21; Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 11:2-25; John 4:1-36, 4:34-37. Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Photo Credit: "A Misa Despues de la Procesión de Corpus Christi" (Mass after the Corpus Christi Procession) in Bolsena, Italy by Luis Ángel Espinosa. (Cathopic)

Unity with the Church (Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity, Day 4, Rebroadcast)

January 27, 2023. Gospel Passages: Luke 13:18-21; Mark 4:26-34; Mark 6:21-23; John 18:36; Matthew 5:3. Also Genesis 1:1–3:24. Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "Like a Grain of Mustard" by Jorge Cocco in www.jorgecocco.com. Used with permission.

Trust and the Kingdom of God (Rebroadcast)

February 6, 2023. Gospel Passage: Revelation 2:3-5; Matthew 3:1-3. Quoting St. Josemaria Escriva in "The Way" Point 443 within https://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-chapter-19.htm and :Furrow" Point 145 in  https://www.escrivaworks.org/book/furrow-point-145.htm Also referring to the conversion of Archbishop Metropolitan Anthony Bloom as told in http://www.mitras.ru/eng/eng_04.htm Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "Virgen despertando al Niño" (The Virgin Awakening Child Christ) by Juan Sánchez Cotán in the Museo de Bellas Artes, Granada. (Wikimedia Commons)

Returning to Our First Love

February 26, 2023. Sunday Readings: Matthew 4:1-11; Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17. Quoting C.S. Lewis in "The Problem of Pain" and St. Teresa of Avila in "The Way of Perfection" Ch. 40 in https://carmelitequotes.blog/2021/03/22/teresa-way40-bad-inn Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "The Temptation of Christ" by Ary Scheffer in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. (Wikimedia Commons)

Led Into God's Love (First Sunday of Lent)

March 13, 2023. Gospel Passage: Matthew 6:5-14. Quoting Isaiah 55:10-11 (Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, February 28, 2023). Meditation with Fr. Eric Nicolai, guest priest from Toronto on "In Your Presence" on Spotify.  Image: "Studies of a Woman Praying" by Ludwig Emil Grimm at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Wikimedia Commons)

How To Pray During Lent

March 29, 2023. Gospel Passages: Matthew 16:13-22, 24-25; John 19:28; Luke 2:35. Also quoting St. Josemaría Escrivá in "The Way of the Cross" Fifth Station in https://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way_of_the_cross-point-5.htm Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "Fifth Station of the Cross" by Holly Whiting. Used with Permission from https://www.hollywhitingart.com

Denying Ourselves, Taking Up Our Crosses

May 5, 2023. Gospel Passage: Matthew 5:48. Also 2 Samuel 23:13-17. Quoting from "The Imitation of Christ" Book I Chapter XI by Thomas à Kempis in https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1653,"Introduction to the Devout Life" by St. Francis de Sales in https://www.catholicspiritualdirection.org/devoutlife.pdf, and "The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux" edited by Mother Agnes of Jesus. Meditation with Fr. Eric Nicolai, guest priest, recorded at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on "In Your Presence" on Spotify. Image: "Light of Hope" by Simon Dewey.  Used with Permission. Courtesy of altusfineart.com © 2023.

Priest's Notes: "You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48). The message “Be perfect...” might cause us to wilt. How can I be perfect even as a human being, much less “as the Father is perfect” – the Infinite, Omnipotent God whom I cannot see, whom (it seems) I know only from a distance? This is an impossible vocation! Indeed it is... if I am relying only on my own efforts. This is why a Gospel reduced to mere human moralism is always either oppressive or watered down to a purely human proposal."

Jesus Calls Us to be Perfect. How?

May 12, 2023. Gospel Passage: John 16:12-15. Quoting from "Saxum: The Life of Alvaro del Portillo" by John F. Coverdale. Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Photo Credit: Blessed Álvaro del Portillo from the Opus Dei website. (Wikimedia Commons)

Blessed Alvaro, Our Guide to Living in God’s Presence (Rebroadcast)

Uploaded by friends of Father Francis Ongkingco, with his guided meditations from the Philippines. We also have guest priests.

December 25: Christmas Day ~ Last in Everything, First in Love

Blessed Meditations

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