Tita Angeling (A Reflection on Mothers)

Ed. note: This was the Ninth Day homily of Tita Angeling, a friend and parishioner who passed away last year. — When the family went through the things of Tita Angeling, they discovered the greatest heirloom ever. No, it was not jewelry, though we know that Tita Angeling was fond of them. It was her…

Separation of Church and State

We have always heard the line that there should be separation of Church and State. In other words, the Church should not meddle with the affairs of the State.  To begin with, the meaning of “the Separation of the Church and State” according to the constitution, is that the State cannot dictate to her citizens…

Sin and Sickness

Before my father passed away, a priest arrived at the Emergency Room at 2:00 p.m. and administered the Anointing of the Sick. I was very appreciative of the priest because he administered the sacrament with solemnity. The sacrament was not only for my father; it was also for us the family. It was such great…

Reading without Understanding

Luke 6:1-5 There is a saying that one may hear but not listen (naririnig pero hindi nakikinig), see but not look (nakakakita pero hindi tumitingin), and read but not understand (nagbabasa pero hindi binabasa).  All the many laws in the Jewish tradition were meant to show the love for God, but it does not stop…

Assumption

Why is Lucifer so mad at Mary? Satan was initially a very beautiful and powerful angel, but because of pride, he wanted to be “Like God.” Due to that, he was brought down. Mama Mary, on the other hand, was humble. In fact, she was fearful and confused when she was told that she would be…

Heaven

A friend was once asked, “Why do you pray to saints and Mama Mary?” To this, he explained by asking questions:  Have you ever asked a friend to pray for you?  Do you believe in heaven? If a soul is in heaven with God, isn’t that soul very much alive? Can I ask a soul…

One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church

Matthew 16:13-19 There was this article entitled, “Who Founded Your Church?” Roman Catholic Church: 33AD, by Jesus Christ Lutheran Church: 1517, Martin Luther  Anglican Church: 1534, King Henry VIII Mormonism: 1830, Joseph Smith Jehovah’s Witnesses: 1874, Charles Taze Russell In the Gospel, we hear of Jesus telling Peter, “And I tell you, you are Peter,…

The Key to Gratitude

Matthew 13:18-23 When we talk about St. John Vianney (St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney), the patron saint of priests, three things come to mind. First, because of his witnessing he was able to convert the whole village of Ars, France. Second, his mortification which turned off the devil. Third, his service through long, long hours of hearing…

Protect Us from the Evil One

In the website The Conversation, it is quoted that Sicilian priest and long-time exorcist Father Benigno Palilla recently told Vatican Radio that requests for exorcisms had tripled in the past few years. He said there were now 500,000 alleged cases of demonic possession recorded in Italy each year. With a population of around 60 million,…

Happy and Sad

John 20: 1-2, 11-18 As a priest, every day I deal with sadness: whenever I celebrate a funeral Mass whenever I anoint people who are sick when people ask me to join them for prayer for their special intention.  Sadness is always related to letting go. In death, we say goodbye to a loved one….