August 30, 2026

Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp,

The Second Reading of this Twenty Second Sunday from Saint Paul brings to our attention an issue regarding respect for the human body. In this short scriptural passage to the Romans, Paul elaborates on this issue by saying:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect (Rm 12: 1-2).

This issue is brought forth in this Pastoral Letter because we are facing certain philosophies or ideologies in our modern time that oppose the Catholic view of the human body. Some treat their bodies as an object for pleasure. Others mistreat their bodies through excessive consumption of alcohol and illegal substances. Still some others hold the view that their human bodies are not sacred and lack dignity, and resent their bodies. Some even go to the extreme to do harm to their bodies.

From the Story of Creation in the Book of Genesis, God pronounced that everything He created is “good.” The human person, who God creates last in the order of creation, is good and sacred because it reflects His image (imago Dei). As for Jesus, after His resurrection, He appeared to His disciples, and He showed them His hand and feet. A week later, at another appearance, He asked Thomas to touch His pierced side. All of these, Jesus teaches us that the human body is sacred. At Sunday Mass and other Masses of Solemnity, we profess that we “believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting” (Nicaean Creed).

To strengthen the Catholic belief of the human body, Pope Saint John Paul II in Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, a series of 129 talks given by him between 1979 and 1984, explicates that the human body possesses profound spiritual meaning: it is a sacred gift from God. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the presence of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, facing a conflicting view regarding the dignity of the human body, we need to be reminded once again the message of Saint Paul, who urges us, as he did to the people in his time, to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God as a gift, as a response to His grace and mercy, and to resist worldly conformity and embrace the transformation that comes in Jesus Christ.

We offer ourselves to God because we belong to the Sacred Body of Christ, the Church. Each time when we profess our faith, we are reminded that we are members and children of the Mystical Body of Christ. There is nothing worse than seeing members of the Church being disfigured.

As we conclude the month of August and embark on a new month of September, I wish to thank all of those who helped make the Talent Show 2026 a beautiful event for our family of Saint Polycarp: a particular thanks to Kara, Dione, Alex, the Youth Ministry, and the Parish Pastoral Council (the English, Filipino, Hispanic, and Vietnamese communities), the volunteers, and Mayor Dave. In addition, I thank in advance those who contribute and support to the upcoming Parish Fiesta, especially the core team, the parish office, the Parish Pastoral Council, and all the volunteers.

Lastly, talking about the upcoming Fiesta, I will not be able to share the Fiesta joy with you this year because, since January, my father has been informed of the spreading of his cancer, and is given months to live. So far, it has been eight months since such notice. Thus, with deep prayer and reflection, I have decided to travel to Vietnam to see his face and hear his voice before things take a worse turn. In the meantime, I entrust you to the pastoral care of Fr. Francis and Fr. Jaime. May God, through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and the Patron Saint Polycarp, bless you always.

Fr. Viet Peter Ho
Pastor

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