Betrayal

There is a saying, “Why is betrayal very painful? Because it does not come from an enemy but from a loved one.” There is betrayal everywhere: In marriage, in business partnerships, in friendships, in the family, and in organizations.  It is very painful because there are questions that will remain unanswered, such as, “Why did…

Regret (Paghininayang)

Regret is one of the biggest and most common emotions a person can experience after losing someone. On top of the pain of the actual loss, the feelings of regret come rushing through, making even the strongest of us ask:  In one of the more known Gospel stories, Martha’s regret after the loss of her…

Greatness

There is an article that states that all of us have desires. These desires are what lead us to greatness and being the greatest. The seven desires are:  That is why, even when Jesus was already grieving about his coming passion and death, what was in the mind of the mother of the sons of…

Anger

During Confession, there are penitents who confess that they got angry. The question is usually, “Is anger a sin?” Even Jesus got angry when the temple was being turned into a marketplace. He also got angry when rules were more important than people when the children were not allowed to come to him, when the…

All in God’s Time

Thanks to technology, everything now is faster and more convenient. Do you need information? No need to go to the library; just do your research on the Internet. Do you want your favorite food? No need to cook for hours; just order it online from a delivery app. Do you want to watch your favorite…

Fathers

According to a study, these are some of the typical experiences of a person who grew up without a father: While the well-known Gospel parable of the prodigal son is about unconditional forgiveness, it is also worth reflecting on the difficulty of fatherhood. The youngest considered his father dead when he asked for his inheritance. The…

Lorenz and Lilibeth

Ed. Note: This was a homily from one of Fr Mon’s wedding masses earlier in the year. As Covid taught everyone to assess what really matters in life, we have included these valuable words for all to reflect on. Today is the 3rd anniversary of the start of the Covid lockdown. We look back and…

The Art of Warfare

There is a book entitled, The Art of War which is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the 5th century BC, and is attributed to the famous military strategist Sun Tzu (“Master Sun”). The book is  about conflict knowledge and tactics revolving around several key concepts, including: In the world that we live in, we must remember that…

Sins of the Ancestors

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The Jews of Jesus’ time asked this question because of many realities: The response of Christ: “Neither he or his parents sinned”. In other words, this is a case that is not due to sinfulness or generational curses, but rather that it…

The Road to Holiness

It is the desire of every Christian to walk the path to holiness. To do so, the Church has given some “dos and don’ts” in this journey. Jesus often reminds us that more than from the outside, what really matters is what is on the inside.  One such example is when Jesus tells of the…