Fr. Ronnie is a friend and fellow priest. This entry is from the mass of his 14th Anniversary of Ordination.

A Priest is always wrong because . . .

• If he begins his mass on time, his watch is advanced; if he begins a minute later, he keeps people waiting.
• If he preaches too long, he makes people get bored; if his homily is too short, he is viewed as unprepared.
• If he owns a car, he is too luxurious.; if he does not own one, he does not go with the times.
• If he goes out to visit families, he is always out; if he does not, he has no time for them.
• If he asks for donations, he is a moneymaker; if he does not do it, he is too proud and lazy.
• If he takes time in the confessional, he is too slow; if he makes it too fast, he has no time for his penitents.
• If he renovates the church, he throws away money; if he does not do it, he allows everything to rot away.
• If he is seen with women, he is a playboy; if he goes with men, he is not normal.
• If he is young, he has no experience; if he is old, he should retire.

As long as he lives, there are always people who are better than him, BUT IF THE PRIEST DIES….THERE IS NOBODY TO TAKE HIS PLACE!

Fr. Ronnie, the Gospel reminds us of being Authentic and Real. There are already so many fakes in the world: fake watch, fake clothes, fake religion, fake friends and yes, even fake priests.

Hence three bilins on your Anniversary:

1. First, Prayer. I remember Msgr. Chito Bernardo. Whenever a priest would come to him with a problem, the very first question he would ask is, How is your prayer life? Yes, wrong decisions come in when we lose our prayer life. 
2. Second, Promise. Always renew your promises you made to Bishop Nes when he made a risk in ordaining you. Obedience – one cannot go wrong and will never go wrong being obedient to your bishop. Chastity – even if you are not good looking, you are still attractive with the priestly vestments. Remember the boundaries. Simplicity – a priest will always be blessed, not for our own sake, but for others’ sake. Remember the words of Christ, “Freely we have received, freely we are to give.”
3. Third, Priest forever. For sure in the last fourteen years; you have made mistakes; you have hurt people; you have said words that you could not take back; you have done things that only God knows. However, the faithfulness of God is forever. May you continue to be a good and happy priest. When the priest is happy serving, the people are happy. 

In closing let me share with you the words of St. Augustine:

Take care of your body as if you will live forever; take care of your soul as if you will die tomorrow.

In between be a happy priest, as a happy priest has a happy congregation.