Reflection Date: February 07, 2026 Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: 1 Kings 3:4-13; Mark 6:30-34
Children of God: Today, I would like to talk about my good friend and confrere since seminary days, Fr. Flavie Villanueva, SVD. He was few years ahead of me in seminary formation, but I know him as a very dedicated person in his advocacies. He walks his talk.
In 2015, he founded the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center, with a vision of recreating and empowering the lives of the homeless. It reaches out to those who need a place to eat, bathe, sleep, and even learn. For the homeless, Kalinga offers showers and buffet-style meals, services usually reserved for the middle class.
Fr. Flavie’s remarkable impact and innovative methods eventually led him to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, one of Asia’s highest honors for public service.
As he puts it in his simplest words: “Love has a face. It is a verb. And that word is to care.”
In the gospel of Mark where the apostles returned from their mission, they reported everything they had done and taught (Mark 6:30).
Jesus recognized their need to rest, yet he also noticed the crowd gathering, “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).
What are our inspirations for today?
First, true ministry begins with noticing and understanding the needs of others.
Jesus “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). He did not see them as interruptions to his own rest but as people in need of guidance, teaching, and care.
Genuine service starts with paying attention and valuing the person in front of you.
This approach challenges us to step beyond our routines and agendas. Often, we see people as tasks to complete or obstacles to efficiency. Like Jesus, we are called to stop, look, and empathize with those around us.
Second, effective service balances action with rest and reflection.
Service without rest can lead to burnout. That is why, Jesus led the apostles away to a quiet place to rest after their apostolate to different villages (Mark 6:31), recognizing that rest is essential for sustainable ministry.
As a priest, this I personally believe. My mantra in my ministry is: “Work never ends, therefore, rest.”
Taking time to rest helps clarify purpose and renew energy. It also allows the heart to remain attentive to the Spirit’s promptings. In both small acts of kindness and large projects, this rhythm sustains long-term impact.
Work never ends, therefore, rest.
Children of God: Jesus modeled the balance of action and rest, teaching us to renew ourselves to serve others well.
Rest and reflection protect our hearts from being hardened by routine.
Work never ends, therefore, rest.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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