John 8: 31-42 One program that is very successful in treating alcoholism is the program Alcoholics Anonymous. It is said that for a person who wants to be healed, the most basic requirement for the alcoholic is to admit that he or she needs help. No denial, no justification, no blaming. Just plain and simple,…
Category: Church Traditions
The Power of Prayer
Matthew 7: 9-11 Whenever we see a friend who has lost a lot of weight, created a booming business, or has had a health-related recovery, we often say, “teach me how you did it.” “Teach us how to pray,” were the words of the Apostles to Jesus. They must have seen how powerful and significant…
Who is Not with Us is Against Us
Every once in a while, I am approached by parents lamenting that their son or daughter is not Catholic anymore. No more Mama Mary or rosary, no more images, and intercession of saints, no more Masses and the litany continues. I often ask the parent if the son or daughter has become a better person….
Like Father, Like Son
John 5: 17-30 How many of us think that God is a God who is angry? I go to Mass because otherwise, bad luck might be experienced in my personal life, in my family life or in my professional life. Or if I experience misfortune, it is only because of my sins in the past….
The Lord is my Shepherd
John 10: 1-10 In the Middle East, one of the most visible people in the countryside is the Shepherd (Pastol). Being a shepherd is considered one of the oldest professions, about 5000 years old. Most shepherds were usually men and not married because they had to go to one place to the other. When Jesus…
Truly Alive
Luke 24: 35-48 When someone passes away, for some, they wish that they would be able to talk or see their loved one. “Magparamdam man lang,” would be the desire. But others, would say, “Huwag kang magparamdan, ipagdadasal kita.” Why is this so? Many of us have fear of ghosts. Certainly, for the Apostles, they…
God Revealing Himself to Us
Mark 12: 35-37 In this reading, Jesus continues to introduce Himself to the people. In the Gospel, he is both Son and Lord based on Scriptures – Son of man by birth, and Lord and Savior by nature. While most of the people were happy and indeed rejoiced, the many opponents of Jesus were not…
The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
Matthew 16: 13-19 When we studied Church History as seminarians, our professor told us that when you look at the history of the Church, twenty-one centuries of it, you will realize that it is a very human organization. It is composed of 99 percent lay people and less than one percent ordained ministers. It has…
Where Your Heart Is
John 3: 1-8 Jesus once said that “Where your heart is, there will be your treasure.” In other words, what is most important to a person is most likely what is to pursue. What could it be? Money? As long as you have all the basics in life, money in the bank is more than…
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 would make us feel good. On the contrary, the opposite happens. When we see that our neighbor has this new car, we become envious. When our friend gets…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 