Two years ago, a visitor to the country was Jack Ma. He is the richest man in China and the founder of Alibaba. He is such a success that when he talks, people listen. Wherever he goes, news about him comes out. In fact, so many people follow his life. For those who are into…
Category: Church Traditions
Faithfulness
When I was a newly ordained priest, my parish priest told me to give priority to couples celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversaries. Further, he explained why. We live in a world that is so consumeristic – when a new item comes along, we dump the old one. Sadly, it influences our relationships. Hence, with…
Everlasting Life
Due to Covid, many people have been thinking about the meaning of life. Some of the realizations: In the Gospel, Jesus was asked if many will be saved. The response was of Christ, “It is how we live our life”. Hence, three things we can do to prepare ourselves: The three teachings of Christ when…
Talents
In the parish, when the pandemic hit us hard in 2020, so many people lost their jobs, so many people were displaced, and many people experienced fear, anxiety, worry, and depression due to the changes that we happening. The top priority then was helping out people with gift checks, thanks to Caritas Manila, and food….
Priests in Crisis
One of the sad realities in the Church is that there are priests who are not faithful to their promises when they were ordained: celibacy, simplicity, and obedience. These three are meant to counteract the three realities of today’s world. The actual reality is, these three are interrelated. When one is compromised, the other two…
Thank God for Mothers
John 2: 1-11 Once in a seminary theology class, our professor asked the class, “Who is the Mother of Perpetual Help?” Instantly, the class responded, “Mama Mary.” Then our professor asked, “Who is the Perpetual Help?” For a while there was silence. Then someone reluctantly answered, “Jesus?” Our professor immediately affirmed the correct response. It…
God’s Calling
Matthew 9:9 We have a saying, “Do not judge a book by its cover.” We see a person with fine clothes, a nice car, and materially rich, we think he is okay and happy. Hence it is the desire to become rich. How many of us tell ourselves that “If I win the lotto, it…
Things We Thirst For
John 4: 5-42 According to science, an infant is 75- 78 percent water. By one year old, the infant is 65 percent water. When the infant reaches adulthood, the person is about 50 to 65 percent water. Hence, when we lack water, we get thirsty. Many ailments come from dehydration, including: In fact, a person…
Love of God and Love of Neighbor
Mark 12: 28-31 Once I had the opportunity to join a procession. We went around town praying the rosary and singing religious songs. It was solemn and beautiful. Upon reaching the Church, to signify the end of the procession, the priest blessed the Carozas. Suddenly, there was a commotion – people started receiving the flowers….
Boldness in Doing Good
Nowadays it seems that those who are doing sinful things are very bold. What are the headlines? The lies, the scandals, pornography, killings, and decadent lifestyle. Have we really changed our values system? I remember the older generation saying, “Nevermind if we live a simple lifestyle, nevermind if the food that we eat is simple,…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 