When Death Does Not Make Sense

Every now and then we go to a wake, we send our condolences to the family and yes, we hear of the circumstances of how a loved one passed away. Yes, there are stories wherein death does not make sense. It is mixed emotions in the case of saying goodbye to an old parent who…

Waiting

Our faith tells us that Jesus came into this world so that he may save us. In The Gospel it says that Jesus said, “‘I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” In other…

Passion

There is a saying in Tagalog that life is “weather weather lang.” In other words, like the weather, sometimes life is sunny, sometimes life is cloudy and overcast. Sometimes life is bright, sometimes life is stormy. Sometimes life gives you lemons or throws you a curve ball, sometimes life gives us a pleasant surprise. This…

Entitlement

Whenever people ask about the priesthood, I always say, “It is the world’s best-kept secret.” Why? Because fewer men are making it an option. On the other hand, no other vocation will allow you to journey with people from birth to death, in joy and in pain, and in every milestone of their lives. Hence,…

Greatest Commandment

Once when I was a seminarian, I had the opportunity to join Holy Week services in a town in the province. There was a procession that went around town. People were singing and praying the rosary. When the procession returned to the Church, the priest ended the activity with a prayer. Right after the prayer,…

Annunciation

When Adam and Eve sinned, the very first promise of God would be the Messiah. However the coming of the Messiah was not easy. In the Book of Genesis, it was said, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and…

Terror of Demons

One of the greatest tragedies in a man’s life is to find out that your fiancée or your wife to be, is not faithful. It causes heartbreak and devastation, loneliness, betrayal and it hits the core of our humanity. “Am I worth being loved?” Hence, you can just imagine what St. Joseph felt when he…

Desiring Eternal Life

Jesus was an excellent storyteller. He made use of imagery and contrast to make his point and to impart his teachings. In one Gospel passage, Jesus makes use of the imagery of a rich man, whose name is unknown, and a poor man whose name is Lazarus. Jesus shocks his audience because the rich man…

Signs

I entered the seminary at the age of 36. This meant, I had many years of discernment whether to enter or not. Of course, I asked for signs. Looking back, there were some signs that were given, there were some signs that were not given and there were some signs that I did not notice….

Ash Wednesday

There is a saying that each person has two lives. The second life, one discovers when he or she finds out that there is only one life. In a little while, ashes will be imposed on our foreheads. It is a reminder that we came from ash and to ash we shall return. In other…