Talk 3 - Soiled Lips and Distant Hearts WELCOME to our Matthew exploration. The message we are preaching to you today is very fitting and I say that because we know a lot of people are experiencing fatigue right now. How many of you are experiencing fatigue? You’re tired and I’m not talking about just physical tiredness. Some are experiencing emotional fatigue. Some are experiencing mental fatigue. For example, you might be experiencing what’s called compassion fatigue. It means that you are tired of being compassionate towards other people. And this is a real thing. For example, you might have been taking care of a loved one for so long and now you’re so worn out. Some of you might be experiencing what’s called donors fatigue—when you are so tired of giving left and right to different charities and you feel like your resources are getting depleted, your wallet is getting tired. I also heard that some of us are getting what’s called caution fatigue—you are tired of being cautious, you are tired of having to worry if the doorknob in your office or the elevator button in your condo might be infected with this COVID-19. You are tired of being paranoid whenever a person behind you sneezes. You are tired of your elbow becoming so hard because that’s what you use to press all the outdoor buttons. We are tired of living with so much caution. I mean people are tired. That’s why I said this message is fitting because something is inside of you that is causing you to worry non-stop. It’s causing you to be judgmental towards other people. That’s why I pray that this message will encourage you to regularly check yourself from within. Today, I want to preach the simple message, Check your heart. Imagine someone who is doing the right religious routines on the outside—he goes to church, reads his Bible, prays his prayers. So, everyone says, “That guy is close to God.” But in reality, deep inside, he’s far from God. His heart is blocked by evil. Because of the calcified deposits of pride, selfishness, lust, and greed in his spiritual arteries, God’s Love cannot flow in and out of his life. And when God’s Love cannot enter our heart, our life is in mortal danger. I pray today’s Feast won’t just be another talk you listen to. I pray you experience a powerful soul surgery. I pray God performs a heart bypass where He restores the flow of His Healing Love into your life. In Jesus’ name! Tip of the Iceberg Let’s begin: “Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus.” (v.1) This was big. In the previous chapters, Jesus had disputes with religious leaders, but they were all local guys. Now, Jerusalem sent their leaders. From Head Office! “They asked him, 2 ‘Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.’” (v.2)

Talk 2 - Sinking Feet and Desperate Cries WELCOME back to our happy excavation of Matthew. And I love today’s Bible story: Jesus walking on water. I cannot count the number of times we’ve preached from this story. But even if you heard this familiar story many times, let God speak a fresh Word to you. Today, I want to preach the overarching message, God will rescue you. No matter what happens, He will be there for you. But first, you’ll hear five powerful insights from this story. And here’s the first one... Let’s begin: “Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.” (v.22) Why “insisted”? Why the urgency? It’s not so clear in Matthew, but in John, when Jesus multiplied bread, it almost caused an armed revolution. The crowd—which in our estimate was 12,000 minimum—wanted to make Jesus their military King. My guess is that Jesus told His disciples to leave right away because He didn’t want them to be swayed by the clamor of the crowd. Which brings us to the first insight. Jesus sent the disciples away and sent the people home so He could pray and be alone. Lesson? At a certain point in your decision- making, you must stop listening to the crowd. After consulting with your friends, you must also stop listening to them-- go to the inner closet of your heart, and have a one-on-one meeting with God. In the same way that Jesus went up to the hills to be alone with God, we also must do this regularly. Especially when the people around us are very noisy. Here’s the second lesson... Jesus asked His disciples to “cross to the other side of the lake”. And that’s where they met a storm. I believe God deliberately sends us to enter into storms. Following Jesus isn’t about avoiding problems, it’s about transforming them. Don’t pray for an easy life. Pray for one with the best, deep meaning. Pray for a life of selflessness and surrender and sacrifice. Here’s the next insight... The story continues, “Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. (v.23-24) The original Greek literally says, “At the fourth watch of the night.” The ancients divided “nighttime” into four quadrants or four watches. The first watch was 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The second was 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight. The third was 12:00 midnight to 3:00 a.m. And the fourth was 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Jesus came not on the first, or second, or third watch-- He came at the fourth watch. Matthew was telling something profound. Sometimes,

DAY 4: Talk 2 - We’re In This Together DAY 4 Talk 2 |We’re In This Together Let me begin with a story. The year was 2001. I was a young father. Bene, my eldest, was still a one-year-old baby. I arrived home one night, frustrated and exhausted. I just came from working on my little business. But it didn’t seem to be working. I was frustrated because after telling people what a great product I had, no one bought. Not a single one. I looked at my baby, wondering how I was going to feed him. Yes, I was receiving an allowance from the Ministry, and I was very grateful for that, but I also knew, long-term, it won’t be enough. I had to create a second- and thirdincome stream, but it was so hard. Early in marriage, I wasn’t very adept at sharing my feelings with my wife Marowe. Today, 22 years later, I’m so much better and tell her right away. I now love to do it. It breaks in half the weight on my shoulders But back then, I kept all my worries in my heart. But my wife, being a woman, sensed my fear. She sat beside me as we both looked at our sleeping son. She asked, “How was your business meeting?” I said, “It was okaaaaay, I guess…” Which meant it was a disaster. She put her arms around me and said, “We’re in this together. We’ll face the future together. If your business fails, we’ll budget. We won’t eat out. We simplify more. We’ll find a way. And I trust you. I know you’ll succeed.” Gosh, I married an amazing woman. Today, I want to preach the message: “We’re in this together.” Are you afraid? God is telling you today, “We’re in this together.” Christmas Story By the way, I’m doing something crazy today: On Easter, I’ll be preaching the Christmas story. But I think you’re used to The Feast now. Later on, you’ll realize why. Here we go: This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18 NLT) Engagement was very different in first-century Israel. Today, it’s a bit easier to break engagements. Still bloody, but it’s possible. I know of engaged couples who sent wedding invitations to 600 guests, but at the last minute, called the wedding off. It happens. Engagements Were Set on Stone But back then, in ancient Israel, you can break an engagement in only two ways—divorce or death. That was the Law. That’s why Matthew says, in the NIV version: Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. (v.19, NIV) Notice how Joseph was already called “husband”? And how the word

DAY 4: Talk 1 - The Resurrection DAY 4 Talk 1 | The Resurrection Fr. Reginald Malicdem, Rector of the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Metropolitan Cathedral): Easter greetings from the Manila Cathedral! This is the second Easter Sunday that we celebrate during the time of the COVID Pandemic. But we know in the midst of this Pandemic, even if the end of this crisis seems to be still far from sight, we still have to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord… The story of Jesus did not end when He was buried in the tomb. On the third day, He rose. There is always a third day. There is always a Resurrection. This was also the experience of the Israelites as we read in the Old Testament. When they left Egypt, they thought that because they were already free, life would already be comfortable. Life would be easy, and soon they would enter and occupy the land promised to them by God. But what they thought would be an easy and short trip, we all know now, lasted for 40 difficult years… Many did not even make it to the Promised Land. If you are experiencing a Good Friday now, if you are betrayed by friends, if you have been abandoned by the people you trust, if you are sick, if problems come one after the other, if you feel sorrow over the death of a loved one… If you feel that you are buried in a bad habit, if you feel you are buried in guilt, in sin, if you feel you are buried in a dark past, if you feel you are buried in the judgment and biases of people against you, if you feel hopeless in the midst of this Pandemic, if you feel the future is bleak… Believe that there is a Promised Land. Believe that there is a Third Day. Believe that there is a new Life awaiting you. Believe that there is a Resurrection. Reflection Samantha Pangkey: Let your dreams, once dead, be given light by the Almighty God. Your fears, disappointments, have been nailed on the Cross. The impossible can happen when you truly keep the faith in God.

Grand Easter Feast DAY 4 April 4, 2021 | Grand Easter Feast Holy Mass Manila Cathedral First Reading: Acts 10:34, 37-43 Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Gospel: John 20:1-9 Fr. Kali Llamado: Jesus is alive! The Easter message is Jesus is real. Ipinahayag ni San Pedro ang kanyang karanasan kay Hesus.‘Yan ang pinakasentro, pinakamahalagang mensahe ng Easter. Si Hesus ay totoo, si Jesus ay buhay. Mapapahayag lang natin ito kung tayo mismo naranasan natin katulad nina Pedro, nila Maria Magdalena na naranasang buhay si Hesus. If we want to gain back that ability to preach to others that Jesus is real, then like Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene, as we read in the Gospel passage, let us go back to that very basic experience of witnessing and encountering Jesus. Remember they didn’t just hear, read about Jesus. They personally encountered Jesus. For the past days we have been celebrating at the Manila Cathedral the Paschal Triduum (the three day-period that begins on the evening of Holy Thursday, then the Easter Vigil, and closes with the evening prayer on Easter). And for me as a priest assigned here for nearly six years, I can already say I have memorized all the movements, preparations here. But these past days, I think it was the grace of God for me and I’m sure for all of us to go back to that basic experience to really encounter Jesus. This Good Friday was different for me. I felt the suffering again. The suffering of people who have lost their jobs because of the Pandemic. The suffering of those who are working in the hospitals. The suffering of a COVID patient. I know because I was a survivor of this disease. They came back to me-- all of the sufferings, the fear of being alone, the fear of losing my breath… and I was able to say, Jesus is indeed real. Let us bring back Jesus into the equation… It is important to focus on Jesus so that we are able to profess that He is indeed real. Ibalik natin si Hesus. Let us bring back the word “Jesus” on the equation, on everything that we say. Kasi minsan nawawala ang pagiging totoo ni Jesus sa atin. For example, you are studying in a Catholic school, instead of just saying, “I am studying in a Catholic school.” Maybe it’s time to say, “I am learning from Jesus.” “Jesus is teaching me.” Another example: If you’re studying in UST, don’t just say, “The Dominicans have trained me.” O, kaya kapag nag-aaral ka sa Ateneo, “The Jesuits have trained me well.” Do not just say, “We are celebrating Easter.” Say, “We are celebrating Jesus!”

Not Defeated DAY 3 April 3, 2021 | Black Saturday Welcome and Prayer Bo Sanchez: This is your special gift to yourself. This is how you love yourself by growing your relationship with God. Anything that is still dead, anything that is still lifeless, come Jesus, let Your power flow to every room, dimension, and floor of my life. Bless me powerfully that anything that’s dead within me will rise. Talk 1 | Not Defeated Velden Lim: If you want your Easter Sunday to come, you have to endure your “I have to do it” Black Saturday. Black Saturday reminds us that death could not defeat Christ, because Jesus refused to quit. In your life, you may be complaining and ranting, but you did not quit. God sees that. God sees your struggle. But He sees your faithfulness more. And for Him, that is more than enough. Your resurrection begins in your “I have to do it” moments. Reflection Mike Ybiernas: Even though we have weaknesses, in Your eyes, we are special. Today we acknowledge You Jesus, the God who saves, the God who heals… Listen to our voices, our hearts, our prayers. Testimony Vivien Hernandez: Remind yourself that you are already free because of Jesus. Even though the enemy wanted me crippled, I learned that Jesus died for my dignity, for my wholeness. I cannot allow the enemy to diminish the glory that is for the Lord.

Not Alone DAY 2 April 2, 2021 | Good Friday Welcome and Prayer Bo Sanchez: Come upon the presence of the Lord and reflect upon His gift to us… His life and His death. I want you to imagine that you are in a place where God is there… It can be a chapel, a retreat house of one of our events. Forget that you are at home wearing your pajamas. I want you to transport yourself there, imagine that you are there in that place where God speaks. Talk 1 | Scourging at the Pillar Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, DD: It is not the suffering of Jesus that saved us, but the Love that went with suffering-- before, during, and after. God tells us we are priceless before His Presence. You are worth more than anything. We are redeemed by His Precious Blood. Talk 2 | Not Alone Alvin Barcelona: Reach out to people who are alone, ignored, judged, and condemned. You can be God’s Presence to them. God is with you, most of the time through others. This is the best time to encourage people and lift them. Do it regularly especially to your loved ones. Reflection Niko Capucion: You are not suffering alone. Jesus is there suffering with you. Remember His grace for you. Every time you feel rejected, God is there. Every time you feel unloved, God is there. Every time you feel betrayed, God is there, loving you. Every time you feel like a failure, He is there, carrying you. Every time you feel worthless, He is there, embracing you. Remember His grace for you. Remember His love for you.

Not Holding Back DAY 1 April 1, 2021 | Holy Thursday Welcome and Prayer Bo Sanchez: Welcome to our Not Afraid Holy Week Retreat! This is your appointment with God for the next four days. And I want you to believe that you’ll encounter Him. He will be speaking to you... He will minister to your heart... You are thirsty, you are hungry and God will be with you in the next four days. Father, I don’t want this to be just an online event. I want this to be a real face-to-face encounter with You. I believe nothing is impossible with You. I declare that now. I open up my heart and my soul to what You need to do in the depths of my being... I am open to receive every blessing, every miracle… I claim miracles will happen, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Talk 1 | Garden of Gethsemane Fr. Michael F. La Guardia, SDB: The Garden of Gethsemane is a silent witness to the: 1.Intimacy of the Father and the Son; 2. Humanness of the Son; 3. Docility of the Son. Prayer is not just an activity or a ritual. Prayer is our loving conversation with God. Prayer is our communication line with God. It is our lifeline. God is in love with me in spite of me…”Do not be afraid”… this is the favorite line of God in the Bible. He said it 365 times. We have 365 days in a year… Every day He tells us, “Do not be afraid.” God is saying, “I am always with you until the end of time.” Believe in the love of God for you. Passion signifies intense suffering, but it also means immense love. Matinding pagpapakasakit, malalim na pagmamahal. DAY 1 Talk 2 | Not Holding Back Arun Gogna: Once you overcome the fear, once you let go, you will have the adventure of a lifetime. Let fear lead you to Jesus. Reflection: Issa Rodriguez: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup of suffering from my hands, yet not my will but Yours be done.” Here we see Jesus fully God, but at that moment fully human. He prayed thrice that if there is a chance that God would take away that suffering, that God would allow Him to not do it anymore. But we also see Jesus at the end of the day surrendering to His Father’s will. Questions: 1. What fills your cup? 2. Do you have suffering, trials, or struggles that you want to surrender to God? Testimony Aben Garlan: All those health problems I encountered in 14 months, not counting the other ones I experienced in 2012… All the problems that I encountered, although extremely painful, I surrendered everything to God. I know He still has plans for me. I still have ambitions to fulfill. As I reflected on those painful moments, as I looked back --my fears, my worries, my trials, my agony... I realized that you’ve got to let

Side A/ Side B Severed Head and Hungry Crowd WELCOME to The Feast! Before we move on, let’s check our map. Where are we in our amazing “Matthew Expedition” which we started last December 2019. One of Matthew’s messages is that Jesus is the New Moses. That has zero emotional impact on us, but this was a radical claim for the Jews. To press on this point, Matthew did something ingenious: He divided the teachings of Jesus into five chunks to parallel the five teachings of Moses: Today, we’ll start a brand-new series which we’ll playfully call Side A/ Side B— because most of the talks are about twos— two stories, two kingdoms, two kings, two parties... Obviously, people a little older than me will have a softer spot in their heart for the phrase, Side A/Side B. Let me show you a photo and tell me what is the connection between these two objects. Warning: Your answer will reveal how old you are… If you’re young, you can only guess. If you’re my generation, a flood of memories is rushing to you now, because you have, many times, frantically used Mongol #2 to save your favorite love song from being “knotted” into the trash bin. ‘Come and Eat!’ Today, I want to preach the simple message, “Come and eat.” Are you hungry? Not for pancit or chicken or pizza. Are you hungry for meaning and passion and purpose and real happiness and true love? Jesus is inviting you, “Come and eat”. He’s prepared a Feast for you. Today, we’ll read two Bible stories: The beheading of John the Baptist and the multiplication of the loaves. The two stories are very different from each other, but they’re more connected than you think. Warning: The first story is gory. Think of the movie, 300. For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot because all the people believed John was a prophet. 6But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” 9Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened. (Matthew 14:3-12 NLT) This was a depraved Royal Party, with booze overflowing and young girls dancing. They

You Are Good! WELCOME to The Feast! I am so happy that you are here! Welcome not only to The Feast. Welcome to The Feast Family! I’d like to say a big Thank You to all those who own our mission. You know, The Feast is on a crusade. We want to share God’s Love to the entire world. We want to build Feasts. There are hundreds of Feasts in 26 countries right now and you’re part of that. You really are. So, if you donate, contribute, give tithes to the particular Feast mission— you are not only building The Feast, but all our Mercy Ministries, our work for the poorest of the poor. I pray that God provide for you so that you can provide for the mission, for the Ministry. I pray you help us out. Thank You, Thank You so much. God reward you! You Are Good! SO, here we go. Let us pray our favorite prayer in The Feast... We are going to read Genesis Chapter 1, verses 1-3. And I want you to know that that this is very, very, very special and I mean, we’re reading the first three chapters of the entire Bible: When we read the word heaven, automatically, we think of what? You know, fluffy clouds, angels with wings, saints with halo... But if you look at the original Hebrew word, it just means sky. So, when God created Heaven and the Earth, Scripture is just saying God created the sky and the earth. And earth doesn’t mean the whole globe that we think about. It means just the land, the ground that we are standing on. The earth was formless and empty. This is what the ancients thought about pre-Creation. This is their version of nothingness. No purpose. No order. So, when God created, He put order. He put purpose-- which brings me to the question: What is your purpose? Do you know your purpose in life? Do you know why you exist? May I tell you? I’m sure you know this: Love God. Love others. Your purpose in life: God designed you to be in a relationship with Him and to be His representative in this world. That’s the purpose and so, when you feel there is no order, there is lack of peace, there is lack of direction... I meet a lot of persons who say this: “I’m lost. I don’t know my direction in life.” So, my dear friends, when there is no order, when there is lack of peace in your life, move towards to your original purpose. You fulfill who you are. When you move away from your purpose, what happens is that there is a de-creation. There is more chaos in your life. Next line: This is a picture of what chaos is: dark, deep, waters and this picture you will see again and again and again all throughout the Bible. Guess what: God is in the chaos. Isn’t that Good News?