Life of the Priest

When my mother was still alive, every time I went home, she would ask me, “Have you eaten?” I kept on telling her that in the priesthood they always feed the priests, from birth to death, and in joy and pain. In fact, people seem to enjoy the company of priests. The truth is, the…

Finding Love

Ed. Note: This is a homily from one of Fr. Mon’s wedding masses last year. As today is Valentine’s Day, it is a fitting entry on marriage and relationships, with lessons we can all relate to. If a person’s vocation is married life, therefore the greatest adventure would be to find that one, true and only…

Anger

One of the most confessed sins is anger: “I got angry with my mom or dad”, “I got angry with my best friend”, “I got angry with my sibling”, “I got angry with my staff”, or “I get angry whenever I drive on EDSA”. The list can go on and on and on. Anger, per…

Good News

Last week we celebrated Chinese New Year. A common theme for celebrations are the rituals that will bring you good luck and the objects that you have to buy to bring good luck. The question is, if good luck indeed comes your way, “What type of spirit answered your prayer?” Obviously, it did not come…

Conversion

Last year’s Simbang Gabi was memorable because I did it in Singapore. For nine nights at 8 pm, the Church was full. Maybe 90 percent Filipinos and 10 percent Singaporeans. The Dynamics of the Singaporeans is they are mostly converts to Catholicism, thus making them more serious and zealous in the faith. On January 25th…

Children

There was an article recently in the newspaper about the birthrate in the Philippines. In 2017, there were 2.7 children per woman. In 2022, the fertility rate was down to 1.9. The figure is 2.2 in rural areas and 1.7 in urban centers. This is already below the replacement level for two parents. Further, while…

Evil

Since time immemorial, people have asked these questions: The Gospel often reminds us of the reality of evil, the presence of evil and yes, its co-existence with the good in the world today. Hence, as Catholics, three things we can always do to deal with evil: In the world of seen and unseen, there is…

Mission

Not too long ago, I said goodbye to two people who were very dear to me. In what was supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, became one of the most difficult times of the year. The passing away of a loved one reminds us that life is short, swift and uncertain….

New Year

Just like that in a few hours we are finishing the year 2024 and welcoming the year 2025. Many articles have come out about good fortune and what superstitious practices can be done. Some of the more popular ones are: The list goes on and on. When asked why do we do all these, the…

God is Faithful

A Christmas carol says that this is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, but for those who have attended the Simbang Gabi Masses, the many Gospels tell us that the lives of people who were related to Jesus were affected and disturbed. Their lives have been altered to the point of a crisis. There…