When Jesus was asked by his disciples, “Teach us how to pray” He started the prayer with the words, “Abba, Father.” The Jews were surprised because all the while they thought that God was an angry God. Hence, they had all these burnt offerings, animal offerings, and crop offerings simply to appease whom they thought…
Category: Church Traditions
Corpus Christi
After mass one day in a Church in Buenos Aires, Argentina, there was a woman who showed the parish priest a discarded Holy Communion. The priest got the host, placed it in water to melt, and stored it in the Tabernacle. After a few days, the priest checked the host and found blood in the…
Mary Mother of The Church
There is a saying, “without a mother, there is no life”. It is the mother’s womb that takes care of us for nine months and throughout our lives, the mother continues to care for us. Even if we reach 50, 60, or even 70 years old, in the eyes of a mother, we are still…
Feeling Good
As human beings, we want to feel good, we want to be happy. Often, our mistake is that we compare ourselves with others. We think that this will make us feel good, but on the contrary, the opposite happens. When we see that our neighbor has this new car, we become envious. When our friend…
Holier Than Thou
Matthew 13: 24-30 How often have we heard comments such as: “Why go to Mass when the people there are no different from the people who do not go to Mass?” “Look at her…she prays so fervently but look how she mistreats her household help.” “I heard that even within the different organizations and ministries,…
Ascension Day
Once I was mentored by an elderly priest and he would always say, “May misyon pa” (there still is a mission). A woman was able to recover from a chronic disease, he would say, “May misyon pa.” A man was able to recover from a motorcycle accident, “May misyon pa.” People in their 90s celebrating…
Wrong Turns in Life
For drivers like me, thanks to technology, we have been relying on an app that is very much appreciated: WAZE. Just key in your destination and it will tell you how to get there. Yes, if you get lost, it even helps you get back on the right track. We all know that life itself…
Being Prepared
One reality of life is being prepared. For students who have an examination tomorrow, the challenge to prepare is by reading, researching, studying, and even memorizing. For a lawyer with a court case, the challenge to prepare is by studying the facts, the evidence, and talking to the witnesses. For a priest going to celebrate…
The Last Request
Mark 16: 9-15 All of us have experienced someone passing away. How we wish to be by their bedside to say goodbye. Of course, there are also the last wishes or the “huling bilin.” For a person about to transition to the next life, the last wishes are the ones he or she feels are…
Love One Another
Local elections are most ideal when people work together for the common good of the country. Yet this seems to not be the case. Just go to social media and you will realize that there is so much negativity. Further, it is not only about politics and it is not only in this country. Just…