Matthew 3:1-6 We have a saying, “Do not judge the book by its cover.” Why? Typically, people judge people by their looks. In one of the more known Gospel stories regarding visual judgment, Jesus talks about people who got shocked by the appearance of John the Baptist. He was wearing camel’s hair and eating wild…
Category: Love & Kindness
One and Only
We live in a throw-away generation. Just look at how we treat material things: If a new one comes along, discard the old one. If you lose something, just replace it with a new one. When something is of no value, then just throw it away. The sad reality is that this is also how…
True Wealth
One of the desires of families as it was then and as it is now, is to preserve whatever wealth they have. One way this becomes a reality is through marriage. Yes, there are people who enter marriage not principally out of love but to preserve the wealth. That is why in the Gospel story…
All Things Come to Pass
Once upon a time in New York there existed the World Trade Center. The Twin Towers of 110 floors were completed in 1973. In 2001, it was brought down by terrorists when two planes crashed on both towers. It was a strange feeling that the symbol of American capitalism was brought down just like that. …
Time to Hold On and Time to Let Go
A study found that the main source of true happiness is none other than relationships. As we know though, there is no relationship that is perfect and there is no relationship that has not been tested. The typical questions when it comes to strained relationships: Yes, we commit mistakes, we have our own bad side,…
Privileged Class
Since time immemorial man has been separated by two realities: the haves and the have-nots; the upper class and the commoners; the rich and those who were not rich. In fact, we have ways of separating people and putting them in different groups. In the Gospel, the Jews thought that they were the Children of…
Immortality
Ed. Note: This homily was from a funeral mass last year. We have included it here because as always, Fr Mon’s words pertain to all of our lives. Since time immemorial, it was the desire of man to live forever. That is why throughout history they did everything to live forever. From medicines to potions,…
The Resurrection
The Resurrection is the most important celebration of the Church. Why? If Jesus did not rise, we would not be here. The original testimony that Christ had truly risen was the stone removed from the tomb (someone powerful had done it), the empty tomb (no body of Christ), and the folded cloth (which meant the…
Peace
Even before Covid, as priests, we already got a sense that many people are experiencing mental health issues – fear, worry, anxiety, depression, fear, and even suicidal thoughts. Then when Covid came, it even made things worse. That is why the words of Christ are very important – “Peace be with you.” Peace is not…
Regret (Paghininayang)
Regret is one of the biggest and most common emotions a person can experience after losing someone. On top of the pain of the actual loss, the feelings of regret come rushing through, making even the strongest of us ask: In one of the more known Gospel stories, Martha’s regret after the loss of her…