What Forgiveness Can Do

Matthew 10:16-23 The story of Joseph is perhaps one of the most popular Old Testament stories. In fact, it was made into a play named “Joseph the Dreamer”  Joseph was the 11th child of Jacob. His stepbrothers were envious of him because he was the favorite of Jacob, and so they sold him as a…

How to Have Eternal Life

At the end of this journey called life, we all know that what matters is Life Eternal. How do we attain eternal life? Some of our brothers and sisters say that just proclaim with your lips that Jesus is Lord and you will be saved. Hence, no need to do good works. Others say, that…

Eyes of Faith

While people may see the same thing, they interpret things differently. A person may see junk and old materials, while an artist may see a beautiful sculpture. A person may see an empty piece of land, while a real estate developer may see a profit when a mall is constructed on the land. A person…

Wisdom

Luke 7: 31-35 An interesting article I came across discusses the pros and cons of technology. On one hand, getting information nowadays is so easy. Just go to Google and information is readily available. 25 years ago, it could be months for one to get information that we can get now with just a click…

Pride and Humility

Luke 11:29-32 In the first reading today, we hear of the sign of Jonah. He went around Nineveh for 40 days warning them to repent and they did. In the Gospel today, the Jews were asking for a sign but Jesus did not give the sign because he knew that their hearts were hardened. In…

What Matters In Life

As a priest, I always give priority to Anointing of the Sick and Confession for those who are chronically ill. The confession typically takes at least one hour. It is not only confession but also a flashback of life. Typically, the three things talked about: first, the hurts in life, most especially broken relationships; second,…

Being Put Down

One of the most common human experiences is to be put down. For my generation, how familiar are the words, “You are nothing but a second rate…trying hard…copycat.” We have been put down for so many reasons. The color of our skin, our accent, our religion, because of the mistakes we have done, because people…

Giving

Luke 14: 12-14 Jesus would always see things from the heart: He lambasted the Pharisees and Scribes because they were holy on the outside with their titles, places of honors, and vestments. However, God saw what was in their hearts. Despite the town willing to punish her, Jesus did not judge or punish a woman…

In the Beginning

Once I was talking to an HR personnel of a multinational corporation and he was saying that in his company there was a move for gender classifications, identity, or expressions. Now they are talking about: Bigender – someone’s identity encompasses man and woman Agender – someone’s identity is either man or woman, or any other…

Perseverance

I love watching the many talent shows on TV. Often a contestant walks in, we think, “Why is she there?”, “The nerve”, or “He will never make it.” Then the person does his well and we are stunned. We ask ourselves, “Unbelievable! Where did he/she get that talent?” My dear friends, the Gospel tells us…