Who Is The Favorite?

Among siblings, one of the favorite discussions is who is the favorite of daddy and mommy? Even in the office, who is the favorite of the boss? In the Parish, people observe the priest and also ask who is father’s favorite? In the Gospel, Peter compared himself to John. We know that if not checked,…

David and Goliath

Aside from fairy tales, many of us grew up listening to bible stories: Samson and Delilah, Adam and Eve, and one of the most popular, David and Goliath. How fascinated are we, that with a slingshot, a small boy can bring down a powerful, huge giant! Against all odds… My dear friends, how many times…

What Shall We Do

In a retreat that we attended, the retreat master gave us two hours to reflect on the question: “If you had twenty-four hours to live, what shall you do?” After two hours, we shared our reflections and it all boiled down to one thing: Despite differences in the stories and experiences of all the people,…

Love of God

When tragedy strikes, one of the first who gets blamed is God.  Where was God when Tsunamis hit the Indian Ocean and Japan? Where was God when the earthquake shook Chile? Haiti? And the rest of the world? Where is God during war? A parent had to deal with the question of her teenage child…

Gratitude

One of the very first lessons of human beings is to be grateful. When we were given a candy bar or a gift as children, we were asked, “What do you say?” When our teacher would leave at the end of the class, in unison we would all stand up and say to our teacher,…

Envy

Is there anyone in our lives that we envy? Maybe he or she is richer than us? Maybe he or she is more confident and seems to have all the luck in the world? Maybe he or she is much better looking than us? Maybe he or she has more friends than us? Maybe he…

Competition

As a priest, one reality of the ministry is that we are always compared to others. Fr. A sings better, Fr. B is very good in Filipino, Fr. C is always present and so easy to invite, Fr D gives good homilies, etc. Intentionally or unintentionally, this causes intrigue and competition. In a reading from…

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…

Taking Advantage

John 2:13-22 Whenever we read the Gospel, we realize that Jesus, who is 100 percent God and 100 percent human, has a soft spot for the poor and the sinner. While society would judge these people, Jesus would not. In fact, he even mingled with them.  Yet, there were things that made even Jesus angry….

Mary’s Birthday

Luke 4:31-37 People nowadays will comment that these times are full of fear, anxiety, and worry. Since many have lost their moral compasses, they do not know what is right or wrong. In fact, these times, the wrong is made right and the right is made wrong.  We must not forget that behind the scenes…