About three times a year, I go up to Baguio with 2 of my closest priest friends. This is an opportunity to relax, read, pray and eat. About 4 years ago we learned that one of our favorite restaurants in Baguio, Star Café, closed down. It was founded in 1940, yet was closing down because…
Category: Humility & Selflessness
Dying to Oneself
Let me share with you a personal story. In the priesthood, one will never starve. Whether in joy or in pain, people will feed the priest. From birth to death, people will feed the priest. When there is a new restaurant, people are just so excited to feed the priest. Hence, it is not surprise…
Being Looked Down At
Regardless of who we are, we have all experienced being “looked down at.” A friend shared his experience when he was growing up. Every Christmas season his family would go to their cousin’s place in a very upscale community. He and his siblings had this feeling that even if they were related, they were not…
The Power of the Word
Children Learn What They Live If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy. If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty. If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence. If children live with…
Doing Anything and Everything
Luke 16:1-18 One sad reality of today’s generation is the reality of greed. If the weather patterns have changed (Climate Change), one could ask oneself, “How can people carelessly cut so many trees and not even plant new trees in return?” If there is a huge disparity of wealth, one could ask oneself, “How come…
Praising Even in Difficult Times
There is a story of a king who accidentally cut his finger. When his servant saw the finger he said, “Praise God.” This greatly offended the king and he ordered that his servant be put in jail. One day, the king decided to go to the woods. While going deep into the woods, he was…
God Has A Plan
One sad reality of today’s generation is suicide. When giving Confessions to the younger generation in public schools, not only once, not only twice, but several times would a young person admit that he or she has attempted suicide. While there are many reasons why people, even children, attempt and commit suicide, according to studies…
Prayers
A child once asked his grandfather, “How did you grow up without the internet, without cellular phones, without technology, without video games, and without tablets?” The grandfather answered the question with another question to the grandson: “How is this generation growing up without God, without prayer, without values, without morals, without family and friends?” The…
To the One Who Has More
Luke 8: 16-18 It is said that one of the biggest problems of the world is the unequal distribution of the wealth. According to Fortune Magazine, the top 5 countries which had the greatest unequal distribution of wealth in 2014 were as follows: 5. Austria, 4. Indonesia, 3. U.K, 2. Sweden, and 1. USA. In…
Salt of the Earth, Light of the World
Matthew 5:13-16 USA Today, the American newspaper, came out with an article, “Why are priests being murdered in Mexico.” Since 2012, there were 23 priests murdered. Through 2018, already 4 priests have been murdered. While nothing concrete has come out from the investigation, many feel it is because they spoke out against drugs and other…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 