When Jesus was asked by his disciples, “Teach us how to pray” He started the prayer with the words, “Abba, Father.” The Jews were surprised because all the while they thought that God was an angry God. Hence, they had all these burnt offerings, animal offerings, and crop offerings simply to appease whom they thought…
Category: Humility & Selflessness
The Secret of True Wealth
Matthew 25: 14-30 Deng Xiaoping once said, “To get rich is glorious.” Indeed, it is quite glorious for many people, hence the desire to get rich. Some even want to fast-track their way to material wealth as the lure of houses, money, cars, and properties are so enticing. Why is money so alluring? Because it…
Feeling Good
As human beings, we want to feel good, we want to be happy. Often, our mistake is that we compare ourselves with others. We think that this will make us feel good, but on the contrary, the opposite happens. When we see that our neighbor has this new car, we become envious. When our friend…
Ascension Day
Once I was mentored by an elderly priest and he would always say, “May misyon pa” (there still is a mission). A woman was able to recover from a chronic disease, he would say, “May misyon pa.” A man was able to recover from a motorcycle accident, “May misyon pa.” People in their 90s celebrating…
Fear of Death
Mention the word, “Death” and many people are not comfortable. Someone offers a “memorial plan” or an insurance policy in case we pass away, and we become uncomfortable. One family member mentions fixing the estate, and we become uncomfortable. Once, as seminarians, we were asked to write our own Eulogy. Initially, it drew uneasy laughter….
Rediscovering Childhood Joy
Many of us would agree that our childhood days were the happiest. To start with, it was simple. All we cared for were our food, toys, friends, and TV. We took it for granted that our parents would always be there. Not much to worry about. As we grew older though, we supposedly have become…
Being Prepared
One reality of life is being prepared. For students who have an examination tomorrow, the challenge to prepare is by reading, researching, studying, and even memorizing. For a lawyer with a court case, the challenge to prepare is by studying the facts, the evidence, and talking to the witnesses. For a priest going to celebrate…
Deception through Flattery
Mark 12: 13-17 There is the famous tale from Aesop’s Fables, of a fox who wanted to eat the cheese he saw in the mouth of the bird. He first approached the bird and praised how beautiful his color was. He then praised how beautiful were the bird’s feathers. Then he said, “I am sure…
Love One Another
Local elections are most ideal when people work together for the common good of the country. Yet this seems to not be the case. Just go to social media and you will realize that there is so much negativity. Further, it is not only about politics and it is not only in this country. Just…
Credentials
Matthew 23: 1-12 Notice that when we are introduced to a person or a group, what follows after our name is usually the credentials: He or she is the vice president of… He or she is the brother or sister of… He or she is the owner of the house on the corner… Hence, we…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 