John 8: 31-42 One program that is very successful in treating alcoholism is the program Alcoholics Anonymous. It is said that for a person who wants to be healed, the most basic requirement for the alcoholic is to admit that he or she needs help. No denial, no justification, no blaming. Just plain and simple,…
Month: August 2022
The Power of Prayer
Matthew 7: 9-11 Whenever we see a friend who has lost a lot of weight, created a booming business, or has had a health-related recovery, we often say, “teach me how you did it.” “Teach us how to pray,” were the words of the Apostles to Jesus. They must have seen how powerful and significant…
Turning Bad Into Good
Matthew 26: 14-27: 66 As human beings, we look at things in our lives based only on two realities: favorable and unfavorable; this event is good, this event is bad; this experience brought joy and this experience brought pain, etc. In St. Matthew’s Gospel, the Pharisees and the Scribes wanted to kill Jesus. Why? He…
Who is Not with Us is Against Us
Every once in a while, I am approached by parents lamenting that their son or daughter is not Catholic anymore. No more Mama Mary or rosary, no more images, and intercession of saints, no more Masses and the litany continues. I often ask the parent if the son or daughter has become a better person….
Don’t Lose Hope
John 11: 1-45 Once in a group conversation, we were talking about the great menace of drugs. How so much of the population is into it. Then someone in the group added, “Remember, we are only talking about illegal drugs. How many people are into prescribed drugs? How many people take prescribed drugs due to…
Good Luck or Blessed
We Filipinos, when it comes to blessings, are very faithful. When we get a new house, a new car, or a new office, we have it blessed. Typically, when one is asked why do the blessing, the response is for “Good Luck” and that “Money Flows In.” If it is truly about good luck and…
Children
While God loves each and every one of us equally, there are those who are, should we say, “closest to his heart: Mama Mary – We know Mothers have a very special place in the hearts of their children and Jesus was no different. The first miracle at Cana was through the intercession of Mama…
Follow Jesus
There is a saying that when times are good, there are many people around you. Why? You have something that they want – it could be money, it could be fame, it could be power. Then when you hit rock bottom in life, they are nowhere to be found. In the Gospel, there were people…
Meaningful Death
Once I attended a wake. While the relatives were very sad that their mother passed away, their greatest consolation was that she was prepared. She picked the dress that she would wear in the coffin. She had a list of priests who would celebrate Mass for her for the three days of viewing. She picked…