Recently there are two people who were part of my formation that passed away. One was a priest and the other was a friend and a teacher. Both were younger than me. With this reality, again, I am reminded that life is short and uncertain and that at any time, God can call you. The…
Category: Mercy & Forgiveness
The Greatest
There is a story of a school winning a basketball competition. Out of Jubilation, the students shouted and cheered, “We are number one.” After some time, the cheering and shouting died down. From the bleachers came a booming voice from one of the other school’s professors – “What is the problem of being number two”?…
Everlasting Life
Due to Covid, many people have been thinking about the meaning of life. Some of the realizations: In the Gospel, Jesus was asked if many will be saved. The response was of Christ, “It is how we live our life”. Hence, three things we can do to prepare ourselves: The three teachings of Christ when…
Priests in Crisis
One of the sad realities in the Church is that there are priests who are not faithful to their promises when they were ordained: celibacy, simplicity, and obedience. These three are meant to counteract the three realities of today’s world. The actual reality is, these three are interrelated. When one is compromised, the other two…
Meaningful Death
Once I attended a wake. While the relatives were very sad that their mother passed away, their greatest consolation was that she was prepared. She picked the dress that she would wear in the coffin. She had a list of priests who would celebrate Mass for her for the three days of viewing. She picked…
We Are Family
Matthew 18: 21-35 Once I was talking to a real estate broker and he mentioned that the best business nowadays is still Real Estate. He explained that land is not getting any bigger, yet there are more people and their incomes are increasing. Hence, property prices go up every year. He also mentioned something else…
Envy
In ancient Greece, there is a story of a very skillful athlete, Theagene. Since he brought great pride to the city, a monument was erected in his honor when he died. Theagene had a rival, Pausanias, who never won against him. Pausanias would vandalize the monument every night. One night, while he was vandalizing and…
Death and Life
Matthew 5: 27-32 I once came across an article praising God and creation. It talked about the human body and how complicated it is – 12 organs, 5 of which are vital: brain, lungs, liver, kidney, and heart. Of the five, the heart is the most important. If the heart is not working anymore, then…
Betrayal
One very important factor in any relationship is trust. It is something we build over time but can lose in just one moment. One image is that of a jar wherein marbles are collected over time for all to see. The collector demonstrates trust in those who see it, but sadly it just takes one…
Agonies of the Last Supper
In the Jewish tradition, when you share a meal with a person, this person is considered a friend. More so, if the meal is considered the last person’s meal. The people one dines with are not only friends but close, personal, and intimate friends. Hence, the people Jesus dined with during the Last Supper may…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 