ed. note: This was a mass homily given at LaSalle campus a few years ago, hence the student-athlete references. — Luke 4:31-37 Many years ago, a book titled A Purpose Driven Life came out and became a bestseller. The message was simple yet very profound, especially in a world that puts value on money, fame,…
Category: Gratitude
Greatest of All Commandments
In the Jewish traditions, there are 613 laws extracted from the Old Testament. To show one’s love for God, one has to be faithful and follow these laws. Humanly speaking, though, it can be so burdensome and difficult to think about and actually do these 613 laws. Hence, the most practical question, which is the…
Mother’s Day
According to a survey, the seven most popular words of a mother to her children when she is angry are as follows: These words bring a smile to our faces because these words have been uttered from one generation to the next. When the younger generation grows old and has a greater concept of life,…
Entitlement
Whenever people ask about the priesthood, I always say, “It is the world’s best-kept secret.” Why? Because fewer men are making it an option. On the other hand, no other vocation will allow you to journey with people from birth to death, in joy and in pain, and in every milestone of their lives. Hence,…
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. 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. One of the…
Money
In a eulogy that I witnessed, a son was giving tribute to his father. He said when he was growing up, they would wonder why they were not as rich as the office mates of his father. His father would always say three things: In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “What profit would there be…
Paradox of Life
It is said that life is a paradox. Five examples: In the Gospel, Jesus gives three paradoxes of life as well: Let us continue to live out a life that is full of paradoxes. One of the greatest paradoxes came from St. Mother Teresa: “That is you love until it hurts; there can be no…
True Joy
We live in a generation that loves to show off. Just go to social media: people posting pictures where they are, what they are eating, the company that they are with, and the happiness that they are experiencing. Whatever the motivation they have in showing off, there are some things better kept unsaid. In other…
Peace in the Family
A sociologist once said, if you want to destroy a nation, no need for war, famine, pestilence, economic sabotage, or pandemic. Just destroy the most basic of all social units, which is the family. In other words, it is most essential to keep the family intact. But the reality is how do you keep a…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 