As a priest, I always give priority to the Anointing of the Sick and Confession for those who are chronically ill. The confession typically takes at least one hour. It is not only a confession but also a flashback of life. Typically, the three things talked about: first, the hurts in life, most especially broken…
Category: Importance of Prayer
Rosary
In 1571, before going into war, Pope Pius V asked all of the faithful to say the rosary and implore our Blessed Mother’s prayers, under the title Our Lady of Victory, that our Lord would grant victory to the Christians. Although the Muslim fleet outnumbered that of the Christians in both vessels and sailors, they…
Giving Christ a Chance
It is said that one of the greatest sources of motivation is man’s Pursuit of Happiness. We make decisions, we make plans, we work, we make friends and we buy things…all for us to be able to experience happiness. It is also a common experience of man to try to find happiness through material things….
Foundation
It is said that no matter how beautiful a house is, no matter how expensive a house is, and no matter how tall a house is, if the foundation of the house is weak, it will be destroyed by a strong typhoon. I am reminded of the houses in America. They are very pretty, with many…
Faith and Service
I came across a story of a mother who found out from her doctor that her daughter had autism. Although she suspected something was different with her daughter, it was devasting that it was autism. “Why my daughter”? “How am I going to take care of her”? “Lord, what wrong have I done?” Fifteen years…
Luck vs Blessed
We Catholics often interchange and get confused between good luck and a blessing. How many of us Catholics would also dabble in Feng Shui because of the “good luck” it brings. In our houses, while we may have the altar, we also display objects that bring “luck and good fortune”. What ends up happening then,…
Service and Privileges
Not too long ago, there was an operation done by MMDA on illegally parked vehicles. The sad revelation was that many of the illegally parked vehicles were owned by Policemen themselves. How can it be, that the law enforcers are also the violators? In the same way, Jesus lambasted the Pharisees and the lawyers because…
What is Prayer?
The Jews, for the longest time, had this impression that God was an angry God. Hence, to appease his anger, there were many offerings: money, animal, and crop offerings. However, the apostles saw the impact of prayer in the life of Jesus. Good times or difficult times, Jesus would always be in prayer. Hence when…
Gratitude
There is a saying that you will only know the value of a thing or a person when you lose it. In the meantime, either you take it for granted or you become entitled, or even both. Take for example when we visit first-world countries. We are so fascinated with how things work, how abundant…
Zechariah
When good things happen to good people, we tell ourselves that they are being blessed by God. When bad things happen to bad people, we just say they are just reaping what they saw. But what do we say when bad things happen to good people? Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in the eyes of…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 