God Revealing Himself to Us

Mark 12: 35-37 In St. Mark’s Gospel, Jesus continues to introduce Himself to the people. He is both Son and Lord based on Scriptures – Son of man by birth, and Lord and Savior by nature. While most of the people were happy and indeed rejoiced, the many opponents of Jesus were not happy. They…

Mothers and Their Immortal Words

John 14: 21 -26 One day, I came across immortal words of mothers. These words were uttered when our mothers felt we were not growing up right, our values were warped, we made wrong decisions, or we were not growing up as a person with character. I chose seven of the seemingly more popular ones:…

The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church

Matthew 16: 13-19 When we studied Church History as seminarians, our professor told us that when you look at the history of the Church, twenty-one centuries of it, you will realize that it is a very human organization. It is composed of 99 percent lay people and less than one percent ordained ministers. It has…

A Heart that Ponders

When my mother was still alive some years ago, the doctor’s clinic and hospital admittance became part of the last five years of her life. Being the one who has the most flexible schedule of my siblings, I would always accompany my mother. Eventually, I noticed that regardless of the type of doctor we would…

What is Most Important

Matthew 13:44-46 There was once a survey made and the question was, “What is the most important thing in life?” The top twelve answers were: Health Family Friends Love Purpose Passion Wellness Education Time Water Food Sleep Indeed they are important but they are all fleeting, fading, and passing. One day it is useful, the…

Corpus Christi

After mass one day in a Church in Buenos Aires, Argentina, there was a woman who showed the parish priest a discarded Holy Communion. The priest got the host, placed it in water to melt, and stored it in the Tabernacle. After a few days, the priest checked the host and found blood in the…

Thanking God for People

Matthew 5:13-16 Every single time it is quiet and there is a time to reflect, one of the things that I do is to thank God for various people in my life.  There are people who are not here in this world anymore, yet I remember their kindness. There are people who I have not…

Desert Experience

Once, on a trip to Egypt, I noticed that after a 9-hour road trip, nothing changed in the scenery. It was all sand, rocks, and cacti. It was only then that I realized how blessed the Philippines is. Any 9-hour travel would show how rich the country is in water, mountains, plants, trees, and birds….

Mary Mother of The Church

There is a saying, “without a mother, there is no life”. It is the mother’s womb that takes care of us for nine months and throughout our lives, the mother continues to care for us. Even if we reach 50, 60, or even 70 years old, in the eyes of a mother, we are still…

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…