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Madonna and Child with the Lamb of God , Cesare de Sesto, c.1615  [ Web Gallery of Art ] In the Philippines the liturgy is that of the Feast of the Santo    Niño (Holy Child). You'll find  Sunday Reflections  for that  here . Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  John 1:29-34  ( New Revised StandardVersion, Catholic Edition , Canada)  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!   This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was be...

 Tropical storm 'Washi', Philippine name 'Sendong', devastated two major cities in northern Mindanao in the early hours of yesterday morning, Saturday, 17 December, killing hundreds of people. The two cities, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, are very familiar to me and to many Columbans. We still have a house in Cagayan de Oro and a parish in the city, and at one time worked in all of the parishes in the Diocese of Iligan, including those in the city. Mindanao isn't a small island. It is larger than Ireland. The storm was initially forecast to strike the island of Negros, expected to affect Bacolod City where I live. But it changed course and hit an area of Mindanao that rarely if ever experiences a typhoon or tropical storm. Some friends were directly affected but nobody that I know, as far as I am aware, was killed. The home of one of our household staff in the Columban house in Cagayan de Oro was very badly damaged. He and hiw family are now staying in the Colum...