Sunday. November 1, 2026. The Church celebrates holy men and women throughout the year on various saint days, but the Solemnity of All Saints is when the Church honors every saint; many unknown saints may have been forgotten or never been honored specifically. On All Saints’ Day, we celebrate these holy individuals and ask for their prayers and intercessions. The concept of All Saints’ Day is connected to the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. This is the Catholic teaching that all of God’s people, in heaven, on earth, and in Purgatory, are spiritually connected and united. Catholic and Orthodox Christians (and some Protestants) believe that the saints of God are just as alive as those on earth, and are constantly interceding on our behalf. Our connection with the saints in heaven is grounded in communion. The saints are not divine, nor omnipresent or omniscient like God is. However, because of our common communion with and through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians. There are thousands of canonized saints, that is, those individuals officially recognized by the Church as holy men and women worthy of our imitation. Because miracles have been associated with them, and their lives have been fully examined and found holy by the Church, we have assurance they are prime examples of holiness, and powerful intercessors before God on our behalf. We seek the intercession of the saints because these wonderful, pious, and faithful predecessors are now standing in the glorious presence of God; then surely, with more people praying for us, our prayers will be so much more powerful. Through our combined prayers, God will work wonders, and we are all not alone in this journey of faith. According to Pope Frances, All Saints’ Day is the feast of all of us, a holy occasion to increase our faith and hope. Moreover, this is the day when we celebrate humility as the main virtue of all saints. “The feast of All Saints, then, is not celebrated only in honor of those who have reached the goal and attained heaven. It is also for the many simple and hidden people whom we may know, and who, through everyday holiness, help God to carry the world forward.”
Almighty ever-living God, by whose gifts we venerate in one celebration the merits of all the Saints, bestow on us, we pray, through the prayers of so many intercessors, an abundance of the reconciliation with you for which we earnestly long. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Mention your request here: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’ (Ephesians 6:1–3)
“Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” (St. Augustine of Hippo) Kindness, donations, or charitable acts cannot erase or fix a failure to give someone what they have rightfully earned or deserve. As detailed in discussions on Catholic 365, true love requires fulfilling the obligations of justice before or alongside acts of generosity.
“Celebrating the feast days of the saints forcefully reminds us of the universal call to holiness. Helped by God’s grace, all men and women can correspond fully to the loving invitation to participate in divine Life, each in our specific circumstances. As Pope Francis said: “Often we are tempted to think that sainthood is reserved only to those who have the opportunity to break away from daily affairs to dedicate themselves exclusively to prayer. But it is not so! Some think that sanctity is to close your eyes and to look like a holy icon. No! This is not sanctity! Sanctity is something greater, deeper, which God gives us. Indeed, it is precisely in living with love and offering one’s own Christian witness in everyday affairs that we are called to become saints.”
WORD Today. Matthew 5:1-12a. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, . . .”
Reflection. The words of the Popes. The Beatitudes bring with them a new interpretation of reality. They are both the path and the message of Jesus the Teacher. At first glance, it seems impossible to declare as blessed those who are poor, or those who hunger and thirst for justice, the persecuted or the peacemakers. Yet, that which seems inconceivable in the world’s thinking is filled with meaning and light when brought into contact with the Kingdom of God. In the saints, we see this kingdom approaching and becoming present among us. Saint Matthew rightly presents the Beatitudes as a teaching, depicting Jesus as a Master who transmits a new perspective on things, which is reflected in his own journey. The Beatitudes, however, are not just another teaching; they are the teaching par excellence. In the same way, the Lord Jesus is not just one of many teachers; he is the Master par excellence. Moreover, he is the Educator par excellence. We are his disciples and are in his “school.” We learn how to discover the path he has travelled, a horizon of meaning capable of shining a light on all forms of knowledge. (Pope Leo XIV, Homily, 1 November 2025)
Dear Almighty Father, Thank You for reminding me of Your desire for me. Teach me to live poor in spirit, and merciful justice, to thirst for righteousness, pure of heart. Guide my thoughts, words, and actions. Grant me the strength to persevere, that life on earth is not the end but a path to heaven. Help me to trust in Your promise that those who remain faithful will be blessed and rewarded in Your Kingdom. I ask this through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. 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, let the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation’s Good Work speak, not our family 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 – “Ester and I pray for your blessings to grace our children, and their children’s children, 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 A.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 to thy protection was left unaided…”Bless the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation. Let Its Wake Speak.
Ester’s morning BP was 110/70. HR 76. O2 sat 97. Temp. 36.6
Last Night’s BP 110/70. HR 89. O2 sat 95%. Temp 36.4
Tony’s morning BP was 120/70. HR 65. O2sat 98. Temp. 36.4
Last Night’s BP BP 120 /80. HR 68. O2sat 99%. Temp. 36.5
Beata John Paul 1, watch over Amy Ylagan’s PT recovery, Cristina C and Justice Jun’s health, Ester’s stoma adhesion recovery, and our autistic son John Paul’s emotional stability at 57.
Mama Mary walks us through the entire Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious angles of the life of our Savior when we pray with her in the Rosary.
October is the month of Our Lady of the Rosary. For many sinners, she and her Rosary have been the lifeline that pulled them back to Jesus.
Rosary means “garland of roses.” The family that prays together stays together. Daily Rosary trains the whole family in humility and obedience, becoming a cohesive garland of lives linked by strong faith, hope, and love for God and each other. Let us pray the Rosary with Mama Mary.
I pray the Rosary with you for Ester – she is in sickbay with heavy coughs and worn-out, dead-tired after our 2-day celebrations in different restaurants in Bacolod for lunch and dinner with her different Bacolod and Silay relatives and office employees, and meriendas in her haciendas with her farm worker families, giving every member – babies, children, teenagers, young adults, and husbands cash gifts. The 3rd day celebration of her 90th Birthday and launching of the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation in Makati.
Whenever we encounter heavy problems, and wherever our children and I leave the house for short- or long-distance travels, Ester blesses us with holy water from Lourdes and Fayima with the sign of the cross, planting it in our forehead, saying. “Don’t worry and be not scared, Mama Mary is watching over us.”
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, 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, 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, Rufo Colayco, Dr. Rolando A. Florendo, and Vicente de Villa.. Pray 7 Our Father and The Credo.