Following Christ

During the time of Jesus, many people wanted to follow Christ. Perhaps they say it was his power and influence, the miracles he performed, the teachings with authority, and the many material blessings that he received.  However, what they only saw was the outside. What they did not know were the sacrifices and challenges inside,…

It All Starts from the Heart

What makes the Philippines different from the rest of Asia? For one, our favorite sport is basketball and the rest of Asia loves football. When it comes to basketball, we know that height is might. However, if there is one thing that the Filipino fans appreciate when it comes to our players is that what…

Facts and Hope

Sometime ago on TV, amidst all the chaos and insanity happening, a lady being interviewed commented about leadership in the world. When asked what separates a good leader from a bad one, she replied, “The good leader gives facts and hope!” In the time of Jesus, Israel was undergoing uncertainty and unrest. They were waiting…

Eternal Life

How often have we been asked if we have been “saved”? Then the question that follows is “How?” “If you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.” While this is nice to hear, the problem is there is nothing written in the bible about accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. On the…

Each Life is Important

If there is so much trouble in the world today, it is because we do not value life as it already is. We do not value people as they already are. Other things are given importance more than people.  Once upon a time, the safest place for a human being was the womb of the…

Pride and Humility

Luke 10:17-24 Once upon a time in the history of humanity, there was one being that was beautiful, strong, intelligent, and powerful. Eventually she “wanted to be like God.” On one hand, she was a creation who was simple and humble. Yet when she was asked whether she wanted to be the Mother of God,…

Angels

One of the first things we were taught when we were small was that we all had angels. We were told that these angels were watching over us. In fact, one of the first prayers many of us learned is a prayer to our angels: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom his love…

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

St. Thomas Aquinas once said: “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” That is why it is so hard to argue about religion because of this reality. In the Gospel people often ask for signs. After all the miracles, after all the healings and teachings…

Fear

With the many people I have spoken to during these days, in person as well as in social media, the prevailing sentiment is FEAR. Fear of sickness: What if I or someone in the family gets the virus? Fear for money: How can I pay all these expenses without work? Fear of the future: When…

Becoming a Better Person

Luke 10:8-15 One of the typical complaints of people who refuse to become active in the Church is that they see the sins, they see the shortcomings, they see that going to Church is no different than not going. Yes, it seems the gossip, the fighting for position, the backbiting, the infighting, and the wrong…