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….

Giving

There is a story of a mother who wanted to teach her child how to give. During the Mass, she gave her a 100-peso bill and a 20-peso bill. She told her to make the decision which bill is for the Church and which one is for her candy. After the Mass, the mother asked…

Good Luck or Blessed

We Filipinos, when it comes to blessings, are very faithful. When we get a new house, a new car, or a new office, we have it blessed. Typically, when one is asked why do the blessing, the response is for “Good Luck” and that “Money Flows In.” If it is truly about good luck and…

Children

While God loves each and every one of us equally, there are those who are, should we say, “closest to his heart: Mama Mary – We know Mothers have a very special place in the hearts of their children and Jesus was no different. The first miracle at Cana was through the intercession of Mama…

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….

Doing My Father’s Will

Whenever I officiate a wedding, I always remind the newlywed couple that when they have children of their own, two things will cross their minds: The many acts of kindness, generosity, sacrifices, and forgiveness of their parents Dad was right after all, and mom was right after all. Their words, advice, teachings, and sermons (many…

Mothers and Their Immortal Words

John 14: 21 -26 One day, I came across immortal words of mothers. These words were uttered when our mothers felt we were not growing up right, our values were warped, we made wrong decisions, or we were not growing up as a person with character. I chose seven of the seemingly more popular ones:…

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 one will pursue.  What could it be? Money? As long as you have all the basics in life, money in the bank is more than…

Power of Words

Matthew 8:5-13 There is a saying that “A pen is mightier that a sword.” Throughout history, words have influenced people and not violence. A person who grew up with affirmation, is confident. Compare this to a person who grew up with criticism, as often criticism also comes out of the mouth. In St. Matthew’s Gospel,…

Father’s Day

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…