Wednesday. November 4, 2026. Saints Zachary and Elizabeth were the parents of St. John the Baptist. Zachary was a priest of the Old Covenant, and his wife was of the family of Aaron: both were “well approved in God’s sight, following all the commandments and observances of the law without reproach”. They were without children, and perhaps beyond the normal age of generation, when Zachary, while officiating in the Temple, had a vision of an angel, who told him that in response to their prayers they should have a son, ” to whom thou shalt give the name John”, who should be filled with the Holy Ghost even in his mother’s womb, and who should bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
The coming to pass of these things and their circumstances; the visit of our Lady to her kinswoman Elizabeth, when she too was filled with the Holy Ghost and greeted Mary as blessed among women; Mary’s hymn of praise, “My soul doth magnify the Lord”; after John’s birth the return of speech, of which he had been deprived, to Zachary’s lips, so that he spoke in prophecy, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who hath visited and redeemed his people”: these things are all set out in the first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel. After that nothing more is heard of Zachary and his wife. But it is common opinion among the fathers, that St. Zachary died a martyr, and according to an apocryphal writing he was killed in the Temple, “between the porch and the altar”, by command of Herod because he refused to disclose the whereabouts of his son.
The lives of Saints Elizabeth and Zachary were lives of dedication to the Lord, faith in His ways, and hope in His love. Despite their advanced age, their disappointment in not conceiving a child, and the mockery they endured from their neighbors, both Zachary and Elizabeth continued to place their faith and trust in the Lord… and were rewarded by bringing forth the Precursor to Jesus, Saint John the Baptist. (Marisol: My Morning Prayer)
Lord, you raised Saint Edward, king and confessor, to excel in good government and faithful service. May these ideals survive and flourish among us through his prayers. Most glorious St. Edward, you showed your devotion to God with patience, gentleness, and generosity. Like you, may I serve to strengthen the Kingdom of God through patient prayer and justice before charity.
Mention your request: “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.
WORD Today. Luke. 14:25-33. Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
Reflection.The words of the Popes. Jesus, too, in the Gospel, speaks to us of a plan to which we must commit wholeheartedly. He says: “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:27); and again: “none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions” (v. 33). He calls us to abandon ourselves without hesitation to the adventure that he offers us, with the intelligence and strength that comes from his Spirit, that we can receive to the extent that we empty ourselves of the things and ideas to which we are attached, to listen to his word. Many young people, over the centuries, have had to face this crossroad in their lives. Think of Saint Francis of Assisi (…) How many similar saints we could recall! Sometimes we portray them as great figures, forgetting that for them it all began when, while still young, they said “yes” to God and gave themselves to him completely, keeping nothing for themselves. Saint Augustine recounts that, in the “tortuous and tangled knot” of his life, a voice deep within him said: “I want you” (Confessions, II, 10,18). God gave him a new direction, a new path, a new reason, in which nothing of his life was lost.
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 110/80 . Hr. 80 O2sat 96%. Temp 36.4
Last Night’s 120/80. HR 68. O2sat 98%. Temp 36.2
Tony’s morning BP was BP 120 /80 . HR.69. O2sat 95% Temp. 37
Last Night’s 110 /70. HR71. O2sat 99%. Temp. 36.8
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.
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
Monthly Visits of selected residents in Garcia Villa St., San Lorenzo Village, Makati
