The heart matters
Someone said that when a woman cancels a date, it is because she has to; and when a man cancels a date, it is because he has two!
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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:17-37), the Lord reminds us that true loving goes beyond rules and legalism, beyond words and promises. Love has to start from the heart, continues with the heart, and is completed with the heart.
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Belated Happy Valentine’s Day, Heart’s Day! We have a heart that tries to love; other people have a heart that needs love; and a God who has the biggest and most loving heart. As we journey on, may we all grow up not only in age, but more so in love.
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May the Lord bless and prosper the work of our hands but more so, increase the love in our hearts … more love for Him and for others, and more holy love of ourselves. Yes, let’s journey on to God’s heart.
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Justice and law are the minimum of love. That is why Jesus tells us to fulfill the law, and beyond. In other words, the law can bring out the good in us, but not quite the best in us. There are many things in us that need not be or cannot be legislated. Like love for instance!
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Some years ago, a friend lost his sense of smell, and consequently his sense of taste. Food tasted flat, and eating was just a chore. Yes, there are things we take so much for granted in this life, until we lose, or are about to lose them! Come to think of it, if we lose our sense of love, life would be flat, and living would just be a chore.
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Think about this: “There is no remedy for love but to love more” (Henry David Thoreau). Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Keep on loving!
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Some days ago, Gilbert, an ex-seminarian classmate of mine dropped by with his family for a visit. After our prayers, I saw them off, and I met their driver Larry, whom I blessed. I also gave him a scapular which he gratefully received. A few hours later, Gilbert texted me that Larry had a heart attack, and did not survive … Yes, we do not know when, where, or how we will go. Let us not postpone our conversion to God, and let us not postpone our love and kindness to others.
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A GEM (God Encounter Moment) happened one day when I had to get an approval from an orthopedic doctor for me to have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) procedure because of a metal implant in my arm. After the kind doctor issued the approval, he sincerely asked me to hear his confession, which I did. It was such a touching moment. I believe that the Lord led me to his consultation room, which, by God’s grace, became a confession room that morning. Indeed, God’s ways are mysterious and tremendous!
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Matters of the heart matter. Let us not belittle matters of the heart. As the song says: “What matters most is that we loved at all.” (“What Matters Most” by Kenny Rankin)
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The longest journey we will ever make is not from one place to another, but from the head down to the heart. It happens when we stop counting our accomplishments and start measuring our capacity to love. It happens when we loosen our grip on our achievements and open our hands in service.
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In this world, many dream of being “loaded”—loaded with wealth, titles, and success. But what truly matters is that we are “Lorded”—that we belong to the Lord, that He is at the center of our lives. There is Someone greater than all our plans, greater than all our dreams, greater than you and me.
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In the end, it is not about how successful we were, but how meaningful our life has been. May we live not just with full schedules and full pockets, but with full hearts—hearts filled with God, with generosity, and with loving service to our brothers and sisters.
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On Valentine’s Day 2026, we joyfully offered to the Lord and to the world, the SVD ICHTUS class. Ordained to the Sacred Order of Presbyters by Most. Rev. Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, DD at the Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay yesterday were: Rev. Wang Tongsheng, SVD, Missionary to Argentina South; Rev. Ahrjay Y. Dafun, SVD, Missionary to East Timor; Rev. Jinbao Hu, SVD, Missionary to Chile; and Rev. Rodel S. Mellarpis, SVD, Missionary to Netherlands, Belgium.
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, remind us that the heart matters very much in our journey through life. Amen.
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momentswithfrjerry@gmail.com
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