November 17, 2022. Gospel Passage: Luke 18:9-14 (also the Gospel of the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 23, 2022). Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Photo Credit: "Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee" in "Pravmir~Orthodox Christianity in the World."

Prayer Positions

November 24, 2022. Gospel Passages: Luke 21:12-19; Luke 1:37-38. Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Photo Credit: "Encounter" by Amor Santo on Cathopic.

Contemplative Prayer and Freedom

December 1, 2022. Gospel Passage: Matthew 7:21,24-27; Matthew 4:18-22. Also quoting, "Adore Te Devote" in English in https://rosary.ipray.eu/adoro_te_devote__english_version_.htm Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "The Last Supper" by Sebastiano Ricci in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Wikimedia Commons)

Eucharistic Foundations

December 6, 2022. Gospel Passages: Matthew 18:12-14, Luke 1:38. Also quoting Isaiah 35:1-2, Genesis 3:9-11, and "Man is a beggar before God." by St. Augustine, Sermo 56,6,9:PL 38,381 and quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Point 2559. Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "Lost No More" by Greg Olsen. Used with Permission.

Beggars of Grace (Rebroadcast)

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2022. Gospel Passage: Luke 1:26-38. Quoting St. Anselm's sermon from the Second Reading in the December 8 Divine Office in https://divineoffice.org/1208-or/?date=20221208 Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "La Inmaculada Concepción de los Venerables" (The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables) by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in the Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Wikimedia Commons)

Becoming Tabernacles Like Mary ~ On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

December 10, 2022. Gospel Passage: Matthew 17:9a, 10-13; Luke 1:13-17, 5-10. Also quoting from Malachi 4:5-6; 2 Corinthians 3:5; Galatians 4:4-7; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Meditation with Fr. Eric Nicolai, guest priest, recorded at Lyncroft Centre, Toronto on "In Your Presence" on Spotify. Image: "The Preaching of St John the Baptist" by Giovanni Battista Gaulli in the Louvre Museum, Paris. (Wikimedia Commons)Music: Amores de Estudiante by Carlos Gardel, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink, 2018.
Priest's Note: "John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Lord. It meant to create a favourable environment, a place that made easy to operate your life."

How To Prepare The Way For The Lord

December 17, 2022. Gospel Passage: Luke 2:4-6. Quoting from "Apostolic Letter to All Consecrated People on the Occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life" the By Pope Francis dated November 21, 2014 in https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_lettera-ap_20141121_lettera-consacrati.html Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "Saint Joseph Seeks a Lodging in Bethlehem" by James Tissot in the Brooklyn Museum (Wikimedia Commons)

"O" Antiphon, December 17: O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High (Sirach 24:3), reaching from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things (Wisdom 8:1). Come, and teach us the way of prudence (Isaiah 40:14).

December 17: Gratitude. Mary, Mother of Divine Grace, pray for us. (Rebroadcast)

December 20, 2022. Gospel Passage: Luke 2:4-5. Quoting Romans 4:18 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 in the "Apostolic Letter on the 150th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Patris Corde (With a Father's Heart)" by Pope Francis dated December 8, 2020 in https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco-lettera-ap_20201208_patris-corde.html Meditation with Fr. Francis Ongkingco, Woodrose School Chaplain. Image: "Joseph and Mary arrive at Bethlehem" by William Brassey Hole in "The Life of Jesus of Nazareth." (Wikimedia Commons)

 "O" Antiphon, December 20: O Key of David (Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7) and Sceptre of the House of Israel (Numbers 24:17); you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open (Isaiah 22:22): Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death (Psalm 107:10).

December 20: Christian Optimism. Jesus, I Trust in You! (Rebroadcast)

December 27, 2022. Gospel Passages: John 20:1a and 2-8; Luke 5:1-11; Luke 9:49-56; John 1:14; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 2:25-35; John 19:25; Luke 2:14; John 3:16. Also quoting from "A Spiritual Canticle of St John of the Cross, priest" in the Office of Readings, December 14 in https://www.liturgies.net/saints/johnofthecross/readings.htm Meditation with Fr. Eric Nicolai, guest priest, recorded at Ernescliff College, Toronto in 2021 on "In Your Presence" on Spotify. Image: "The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Tomb on the Morning of the Resurrection" by Eugène Burnand. (Wikimedia Commons) Music: Recordações do passado (Souvenirs from the Past) a Valsa for piano (1885) by Ernesto Nazareth arranged by Bert Alink.

Priest's Note: John was a native of Bethsaida, a town of Galilee on the northern shore of the Sea of Tiberias. His parents were Zebedee and Salome, and his brother James the Greater. The words of John the Evangelist, whose feast we celebrate today, resound in our hearts: "Et Verbum caro factum est - the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1: 14).

Why Did God Become Man? The Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist (December 27)

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 16, 2023. Gospel Passages: John 20:23; Luke 15:11–32; Matthew 18: 10–14; Luke 15:8-10; Mark 2:1-12. Also quoting from St. Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation entitled "Reconciliation and Penance" dated December 2, 1984. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_02121984_reconciliatio-et-paenitentia.html Meditation with Msgr. Fred Dolan, guest priest from the St. Josemaría Institute. This podcast originally appeared in https://stjosemaria.org/podcasts/podcast-restoring-back-to-life © St. Josemaría Institute. Image: "The Healing of the Paralytic" by anonymous Netherlandish artist in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

Restoring Back to Life

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

Why Did God Become Man? The Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist (December 27)

Blessed Meditations

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