We Filipinos can be very superstitious. If someone is getting married in the family, there are superstitious beliefs; if someone has passed away, there are superstitious beliefs. Yes, when we welcome the new year, there are also many superstitious beliefs: from round fruits to wearing polka dots, to feng shui lucky charms, to opening the…
Category: Family Values
A Mother’s Prayer
Matthew 15:21-28 Once in a wake, our group was talking about death and the difficulty that the family deals with. One commented which everyone agreed – the most difficult thing is when it is the parents who bury their children. That is why even the Irish has a saying, “May you never bury your children.”…
Turning Back the Clock
There was a survey done in the U.S. some time ago, for people 90 years old and above. The question that was asked of them: “If you had your youth to live by again, would there be anything in your life that you would change?” The top three answers were as follows: They should have…
Power and Character
Luke 7: 1-10 There is a saying that if you wish to find out the true character of a person, give that person three things: First, give him/her money Second, let him/her hit rock bottom Third, give him/her power Throughout history we know of people who started very simple, then rose up to the very…
Invitation
Just after All Saints and All Souls’ Day, Christmas is truly just around the corner. Yes, there will be parties, homecomings, weddings, and baptismal invitations. However for many reasons, we are not able to attend all simply because that traffic is bad, there are so many invitations, time is limited, and yes, health due to…
Wise and Foolish
If you wish to know what people are most interested in nowadays, just go online. Not too long ago, the top three most viewed on YouTube were: No. 3 was a music video of Wiz Khalifa – See You Again No. 2 was a music video of Ed Sheeran – Shape of You No. 1…
It All Starts Small
How often do we hear people say, “If I get this project or If I get this deal or If I win this case, I will give ten percent to the Church…” While this may be noble, the most important question is, has this person been giving to the Church? Why this question? If the…
Recognizing Jesus
Once I was asked to pick up a guest at the airport. Since I did not know him, I was told that he was Caucasian, a heavy build, we had the same hairline, and he was a priest. As soon as I got to the airport, it took no time for me to recognize him…
Love One Another
How often does it happen to families that when the patriarch and matriarch are gone, the children go their separate ways? Even worse, they fight each other over property. We have all heard stories and can just shake our heads in disbelief about what a sibling can do to another sibling. Jesus was about to…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 