Thursday. August 20, 2026. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was born in a castle to a highborn family in France and was sent to receive a classical education. After the death of his mother left him in depression, he pondered what God wanted of him. At the age of 22, still mourning his mother, Bernard decided to dedicate his life to God. He left his home to join the monastic community of Citeaux. His 5 brothers, 2 uncles, and some 30 young friends followed him into the monastery. Within 4 years, a dying community had recovered enough vitality with Bernard as abbot. For a contemplative monk, he spent much of his life on the road. His gifts were such that he was consulted by princes, kings, and popes on every imaginable issue. He participated in Church councils, mediated civil conflicts, inaugurated Crusades, and wrote commentaries on prayer, theology, and Scripture. He was like a minister of state, who recorded the prodigious correspondence that flowed constantly from his mouth. He became famous as a miraculous healer. Crowds of people lined his route to receive his blessing or to feel his hands press against their skulls. Bernard’s authentic and tender devotion to the Virgin Mary was expressed sublimely in his writings. The pope commissioned Bernard to preach the Second Crusade. The last years of Bernard’s life were saddened by the failure of the crusaders, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him. Bernard died at the age of 63, after 40 years as a monk. Still, years after his death, he was esteemed enough to be canonized. Saint Bernard was like a medieval rock star, “man of the twelfth century,”. He traveled with an entourage, drew enormous crowds, and was a wildly popular adviser of popes, preacher of the Second Crusade, defender of the faith, healer of a schism, reformer of a monastic Order, Scripture scholar, theologian, and eloquent preacher. He still retained a burning desire to return to the hidden monastic life. Saint Bernard’s true calling in life was to invite others to love God more deeply and more fully. (Maridol: My Morning Prayer)
EWTN Online Mass Presider Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ
Heavenly Father, Saint Bernard was filled with zeal for Your house and was a radiant light in Your Church. By his prayers may we be filled with his spirit of zeal and walk always as children of light.Help us to parent our children with a gentle heart as you did. Show us how to raise our children in faith and bring our families into the Light of Jesus. We place our petitions in your hands and ask that you lay them before your daughter, Blessed Mother Mary, and her child Jesus. Seek this, our favor. “Ester, and I thank you for your blessings and grace for our children to support the MONTINOLA-CUMAGUN CARE FOUNDATION’S FOUR LEGS of PURPOSE: (1.) Special Children SPED; a child’s mind is the most precious thing to waste. (The motto of the American Negro College), and the Handicapped Senior Citizens – Physical Therapy. (2.) Financial Support for Diocesan priests and Grade School Teachers for the rural areas. (3.) Computer Start-up Education Tools for selected public schools. “… expose and acclimate the youth to Information Technology—the age of computers. The children of Negros Occidental must be computer literate to better their lives for the future and help our country progress to a global economy. Estonia and Finland, two countries smaller than ours, have put into their laws that Access to the Internet is a right of all citizens, similar to access to water and electricity.” [Negros Economic Development Foundation 40th Charter Foundation Day, Antonio G. Cumagun, Guest Speaker, Bacolod City, July 24, 2010] and (4.) Selected Start-up Management and Financial Support for Small Businesses as multipliers. ” … From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48. The sin of the rich man was not that he did wrong things, but that he did nothing. (A.G.C. Autobiography Song of Myself Memoirs, Looking Back at Serendipity, 2002). Be for the greater glory of God and the good of my soul. Our Father, Hail Mary, & Glory be. Saint Bernard, pray for Us.
Santuario de San Antonio Online Mass Presider Fr. Mark Adamme Bakari, OFM
WORD Today. Matthew 22:34-40. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Reflection. The words of the Popes. Jesus’ filial union with the Father is expressed in the perfect love which He also made the primary commandment of the Gospel: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first of the commandments’ (Mt 22:37ff). As is well known, Jesus adds a second commandment to this one, ‘like the first’, that of love for one’s neighbour (cf. Mt 22:39). And He offers himself as an example of this love: “I give you a new commandment: that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). He teaches and entrusts to His followers a love modelled on His own. To this love the virtues of charity listed by Saint Paul can truly be applied: “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant … Love does not insist on its own way … It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things … endures all things” (1 Cor 13:4–7). When, in his letter, the Apostle presented this image of evangelical charity to his readers in Corinth, his mind and heart were undoubtedly filled with the thought of Christ’s love, towards which he wished to direct the lives of the Christian communities; thus, his hymn to charity may be regarded as a commentary on the commandment to love one another following the example of Christ, who is love (as Saint Catherine of Siena would say many centuries later): “(As) I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). (Saint John Paul II, General Audience, 31 August 1988)
Radyo Katipunan Online Mass Presider Fr. Robbie Sian, SJ
Gracious Loving Father, Thank You for inviting us to Your Kingdom. Help us to recognize Your invitation each day and never take Your grace for granted. Clothe our hearts with love, humility, and kindness, so that we may be worthy of the garment You ask of us. Teach us not to be distracted by the things of this world. Let us live each day ready to meet You, with hearts open to Your grace and filled with love for You and for others. When You call us, “may we be among the chosen.”Jesus our Savior, we ask. Amen
“The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.“ (Shakespeare). Business Enterprises are not Legacy: the wake you leave, WHO you leave it to, WHAT you leave, and WHY? Let the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation’s Good Work speak, not our name.
Our Lady of the Impossible, grace those late in life but had more in life who tried to be their brothers’ keepers for those who have less in life – Grace for our children, and their children’s children to wholeheartedly support the MONTINOLA-CUMAGUN CARE FOUNDATION OBJECTIVES: (1.) Special Children SPED, a child’s mind is the most precious thing to waste. (The motto of the American Negro College), and the Handicapped Senior Citizens – Physical Therapy. (2.) Financial Support for Diocesan priests and Grade School Teachers for the rural areas. (3.) Computer Start-up Education Tools for selected public schools and (4.) Selected Start-up Management and Financial Support for Small Businesses. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48. “The sin of the rich man was not that he did wrong things, but that he did nothing. (William Barclay, in Antonio G. Cumagun Autobiography Song of Myself Memoirs, Looking Back at Serendipity, 2002) Our Lady of the Impossible – “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled was left unaided. . .”
Ester and my state of health – vital stats are recorded by Ester’s everyday, 2 PDNs/24 hrs.
This morning, Ester’s BP was 120 /80. Hr. 73 O2sat 97%. Temp 36. 5
Last Night’s BP 110/80. HR 78. O2sat 96%. Temp 36.3.
Tony’s morning BP was 110 /70. HR.70. O2sat 99%. Temp. 36.6
Last Night’s BP 110/70. HR 62. O2sat 98%. Temp 36.4
Beata John Paul 1, watch over Cristina C, Justice Jun’s state of health, and Ester’s health recovery of more than 5 years of stomah adhesion recovery, our autistic son John Paul’s (was baptized John Paul a decade before Cardinal Luciano of Milan took the regnal name of John Paul) emotional and physical disability, 57 years old, and my weakening 89-year-old body.
FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED AND SOULS IN PURGATORY
In Memory of all those who left us. We remember you in the morning and at night. You are always with us. We pray for the souls in Purgatory.
Blessed Mother Mary, I bring to you for your intercession the souls of Amb. Manuel R. and Dolores G. Cumagun, Juana Cumagun, Annette Cumagun, Lina Beltran, Judge and Mrs. Dolores Cumagun, Gov. Primo & Magdalena H. Gaffud, Dr. Trino, Sr. & Angeles Montinola, Betty, Luie, Trino, Jr. Montinola, Bernardino, and Isabel Jalandoni. Dr. Terry Lirio-Montinola, Dr. & Mrs. Tomacruz, Akira Tsusaka, Boy Eugenio, Jesus Ibañez, Sen. Nene Pimentel, Santiago Ranada 111, Boysie Villavicensio, Patria Manuel, Dr. Mariano Laurel, Rene Datu, (Ateneo ’54 – Jimmy Ongpin, Atty. Ato Gonzales, Buddy Joaquin, Fr. Unson, Msgr. Tantoco, Atty. Art Alafriz, Robert Arevalo Ylagan, Maximo Abesamis, Jr., Jesse Paredes), Atty. C. Platon, Araceli Rivera, Rey Castañeda, Col. Tanseco, Dr. E Fores, Dr. J. Caedo, Christine Syjuco, Leni Panganiban, Raul Boncan, Atty. Spanky and Dolly Perez, Amb. Albert del Rosario, Nellie Valdez, Toti Herbosa, Tec Syjuco, AL, Umberto (Beck) Gonzales, and Rufo Colayco. Pray 7 Our Father and The Credo.