What is Your Story?

Matthew 13:10-17 If there is one thing that attracted people to Jesus, it’s that he told stories. Not only was he a very good story teller, but his stories were simple, relevant, deep, and profound. These are the stories we call parables. The Gospel of Luke has 24 parables; the Gospel of Matthew has 23…

Taking Care of God’s House

Matthew 17:24-27 It is said the Philippines and East Timor are only the two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia. The Philippines has the 3rd biggest number of Catholics and is the most present all over the world. Due to about 500 years of the Christianity, it is no surprise that the country has so many…

What Forgiveness Can Do

Matthew 10:16-23 The story of Joseph is perhaps one of the most popular Old Testament stories. In fact, it was made into a play named “Joseph the Dreamer”  Joseph was the 11th child of Jacob. His stepbrothers were envious of him because he was the favorite of Jacob, and so they sold him as a…

Why Follow Jesus

One topic of conversation in many gatherings is the sad reality of suicide. Why do people take their own lives?  We read about prominent celebrities often having suicides. They have money, they have fame, they have so many friends, and they enjoy the finer things in life. With all of these, aren’t they supposed to…

Prayer and Authority

Notice in the bible, the word authority is always mentioned. In Genesis, God gave mankind authority over every living thing upon the earth. In Matthew, Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on earth. In Matthew again, Jesus gave Peter the authority: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever…

The Truth Will Always Prevail

Matthew 10: 24-33 Thanks to technology, it is so easy to obtain information: Is it raining in Baguio? Just text a friend who lives there and you will get your response. How does one go to Mall of Asia fastest? Just go to Waze and it will teach you the way. What is happening in…

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.”…

Wise and Learned

Matthew 4: 18-22 Last year I listened to an economic briefing and it was said that despite all the economic problems of the country, we are doing okay because of the OFW money which doubles every three years. In 1950, we were the second strongest economy in Asia. By the 70s though, Filipinos started to…

Pearl of Great Price

Matthew 13:45-46 There is this story that a certain General Yamashita during World War II brought most of the gold from the Southeast Asian countries that they controlled to the Philippines with the intention of eventually bringing it back to Japan. Whether this is true or not is debatable, but even today there are many…

Blessings and Responsibilities

Matthew 11: 20 -24 As human beings, at times we cannot but compare ourselves with others. Why do they have such a nice house? Where did they get all their money? Look at her, beauty, and brains. Why is she so popular and the favorite of the boss? When we compare ourselves to others, many…