Sunday. October 18, 2026. Saint Luke was one of the Evangelists; like Saint Mark, he was not one of the apostles who walked with Jesus. He was a disciple of Saint Paul, identified as “the beloved physician.” He was born a Greek and a Gentile, born at Antioch in Syria. He wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles—over a quarter of the New Testament, which are foundational works for knowing Jesus Christ and the early Church. Luke’s gospel shows special sensitivity to evangelizing Gentiles. It is only in his gospel that we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan, that we hear Jesus praising the faith of Gentiles such as the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian, and that we hear the story of the one grateful leper who is a Samaritan. He tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man. He uses “Blessed are the poor” instead of “Blessed are the poor in spirit” in the beatitudes. To Luke alone do we owe our knowledge of the Incarnation when the Archangel Gabriel announces that she will be the Mother of God. We heard the story of the Annunciation, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, the Presentation, and the story of Jesus’ disappearance in Jerusalem. Only Luke writes down the Virgin’s Magnificat and gives us the scriptural basis for the “Hail Mary.” Luke’s Acts of the Apostles is a diary of the very early Church. Acts is often told from a first-person perspective with the use of the word “we.” It is to Luke, especially, that we have the knowledge of Pentecost and the workings of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. When Saint Paul is imprisoned in Rome, with his beheading just over the horizon, he is abandoned by all his coworkers; Paul writes, “Only Luke is with me” (2 Tm 4:11). After the martyrdom of St. Paul in the year 67, St. Luke is said to have preached elsewhere throughout the Mediterranean, and possibly died as a martyr. Every one of the four Gospels has a unique perspective, is written for a specific audience, and relates certain details and stories the other Gospels do not. Saint Luke likely wrote for a non-Jewish crowd. He translates into the Greek language words that the other Gospels leave in their original language – Luke’s readers were non-Jews who could not read Hebrew and Aramaic. Luke’s gospel emphasized love, compassion, and forgiveness – the record of Christ’s countless works of mercy.” (Marisol: My Morning Prayer)
Most wonderful St. Luke, you are animated by the Heavenly Spirit of Love. In faithfully detailing the humanity of Jesus, you also showed His Divinity and His genuine compassion for all human beings. May the Holy Spirit, instructor of the faithful, help me to understand Christ’s words and faithfully apply them in my life. Amen.
WORD Today. Matthew 22:15-21. The Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” Knowing their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax.” Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.“
Reflection. The words of the Popes Jesus replies with a surprising political realism, linked to the theocentrism of the prophetic tradition. The tribute to Caesar must be paid because his image is on the coin; but the human being, every person, carries in him- or herself another image, that of God, and therefore it is to him and to him alone that each one owes his or her existence. The Fathers of the Church, drawing inspiration from the fact that Jesus was referring to the image of the Emperor impressed on the coin of the tribute, interpreted this passage in the light of the fundamental concept of the human being as an image of God, contained in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis. (…) This word of Jesus is rich in anthropological content, and it cannot be reduced only to the political context. The Church, therefore, is not limited to reminding human beings of the right distinction between the sphere of Caesar’s authority and that of God, between the political and religious contexts. The mission of the Church, like that of Christ, is essentially to speak of God, to remember his sovereignty, to remind all, especially Christians who have lost their own identity, of the right of God to what belongs to him, that is, our life. (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 16 October 2
Almighty Father, thank you for the many gifts I enjoy so freely from the earth You have given me. May I have a wise mind to recognize Your generosity, and a humble heart to realize that I am but Your servant and all that I own are merely gifts from You. Everything I am is Yours, and may I devote myself totally to You and You alone, and I shall live out each day as an offering for Your greater glory. I ask this in the name of Your Son, 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, to wholeheartedly support The MCC FOUNDATION – 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 Ester and my founding the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation. Let Its Wake Speak.
Ester and My State of Health
(Vital Stats of Ester and Tony C are recorded every day by 24 hr. PDNs.)
Ester’s morning BP was 120 /80. Hr. 63 O2sat 98%. Temp 36. 3
Last Night’s BP 10/80. HR 71. O2sat 97%. Temp 36.2
Tony’s morning BP was 110 /70. HR 60. O2sat 98%. Temp. 36.5
Last Night’s BP 110/70. HR 65. O2sat 99%. Temp 36.7
Beata John Paul 1, watch over Cristina C, Justice Jun’s state of health, Ester’s 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, 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
After 9 AM Mass, Presider Fr. Chito Rañoa OFM. Brunch Manila Golf
