When I was a newly ordained priest, my parish priest told me to give priority to couples celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversaries. Further, he explained why. We live in a world that is so consumeristic – when a new item comes along, we dump the old one. Sadly, it influences our relationships. Hence, with…
Category: Humility & Selflessness
Eternal Life
We live in a world wherein there is the seen and the unseen, the good and evil, the wheat and the weeds, the spiritual and the material. There is life on earth and eternal life. We live in a world wherein it is not one or the other. We live in both worlds. In the…
Being Wise
Recently there are two people who were part of my formation that passed away. One was a priest and the other was a friend and a teacher. Both were younger than me. With this reality, again, I am reminded that life is short and uncertain and that at any time, God can call you. The…
Seating Position
What is in a seat? A lot. At a party, there is a difference when you are seated beside the owner of the house compared to just being seated at one of those tables in the garden. In a concert, there is a difference when you are in the front row compared to when you…
Courage
Who would ever think that we would see the day that: Even calling out an inappropriate relationship brands one as judgmental and intolerant. Despite all of these, right is still right, even if no one is for it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. Further, we remember the saying, “All it…
The Greatest
There is a story of a school winning a basketball competition. Out of Jubilation, the students shouted and cheered, “We are number one.” After some time, the cheering and shouting died down. From the bleachers came a booming voice from one of the other school’s professors – “What is the problem of being number two”?…
Everlasting Life
Due to Covid, many people have been thinking about the meaning of life. Some of the realizations: In the Gospel, Jesus was asked if many will be saved. The response was of Christ, “It is how we live our life”. Hence, three things we can do to prepare ourselves: The three teachings of Christ when…
Talents
In the parish, when the pandemic hit us hard in 2020, so many people lost their jobs, so many people were displaced, and many people experienced fear, anxiety, worry, and depression due to the changes that we happening. The top priority then was helping out people with gift checks, thanks to Caritas Manila, and food….
Creation
One time I was riding a cab and the moment we got inside the complex the driver expressed surprise. He said he never thought that there would be a forest in the middle of the city. I call San Carlos Pastoral Formation Complex the lung center of Makati. Nowhere else in Makati will you find…
Bearing Fruit
Bearing Fruit As human beings, we are prone in comparing our life to others. Typically, we count their blessings and forget to be grateful for our own blessings. When these happens, typically, three things happen: The Gospel reminds us that our lives are meant to bear fruit. The time, talent and treasure that goes with…