Typically we look at life based only on two things: good luck and bad luck. That is why as we celebrate the Christmas season and prepare for the new year, we have all these superstitious practices. Even if we know they are offensive to the Lord, we do it just to bring good luck. However,…
Category: Church Traditions
Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Archdiocese of Manila is the oldest diocese in the Philippines, created in 1579 as a diocese and elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese in 1595. Also, Manila was established as a suffragan diocese of Mexico in 1579 by Pope Gregory XIII. Hence many of the Mexican devotions were brought here to the Philippines. According to…
Immaculate Conception
It is the desire of God that we human beings share his happiness. However, in paradise man and woman ate the forbidden tree, and original sin entered into our lives thus sending man and woman out of paradise. Yet, it is the desire of God that we human beings share his happiness and that is…
Crisis and God
Last March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic started in the Philippines. We did not know what Covid was. We did not know how to treat it. We tried everything to avoid it. It was very hard because we said goodbye to so many people. Many people experienced financial difficulties and up to now, many people are…
One and Only
We live in a throw-away generation. Just look at how we treat material things: If a new one comes along, discard the old one. If you lose something, just replace it with a new one. When something is of no value, then just throw it away. The sad reality is that this is also how…
Spiritual Warfare
Ed. Note: This was a mass that Fr. Mon celebrated during one of his trips to Israel, at the famed Monastery of Stella Maris on Mount Carmel in Haifa In the world that we live in there is the seen and there is the unseen. This is professed by our faith. In the unseen, there…
Denial and Rejection
As people, we need people. In fact, it is people that give real happiness in life. Hence, one of the most painful of all human experiences is being “denied” – “You can choose your friends, but not your family” is typically said when we are disowning someone in the family. Further, being rejected is also…
Call to Sainthood
Ed. Note: This is a homily from last night’s mass at San Carlos Seminary, celebrating Fr. Mon’s 60th Birthday. Happy Birthday Fr. Mon! Thank you always, for the gift of your words, which have touched so many of our lives. Just last week we attended a conference on seminary formation in Iloilo. The experience nationwide…
Sickness and Evil
One of the hardest of human experiences is being sick. When dealing with sickness, let us remember that we are body and soul. Both are interrelated… that is, when the body is sick, the soul is affected and when the soul is deep into sin, the body is affected. In the Gospel, we often hear…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 