When I was a seminarian, I was able to join a Holy Week celebration in one of the provinces. During the procession, we went around the town, praying and singing. Very nice celebration. When the carozas returned to the Church, during the closing rites, the priests blessed all the Carozas. Suddenly there was chaos. People…
Category: Patience
The Storms of Life
Ed. Note: This was a homily from a memorial mass for the Laurel family last year. As is always the case with Fr. Mon, we are including it here because his words of wisdom apply to all of us and our daily lives. Someone once said, “Life is like the weather: there are sunny days…
More Than the Usual
When Adam and Eve sinned, the very first promise of God was the Messiah. Although it took 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus, God never forgot his promise. In fact, Simeon was so happy to see the Messiah to the point that he said, “Lord let your servant go in peace. For I have seen…
True Healing
One of the most difficult of all human experiences is being sick. There are so many stresses: That is why one reason why people go to God, return to God, or find God is for healing. In the Gospel. Jesus healed the mother-in-law of Peter among many others and also drove out demons. In the…
He is Risen
On April 15, 2019, at about 6:50 pm, a fire broke out beneath the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral. After about six hours the fire was put out. One of the earliest pictures of the state of the Cathedral that came out was a picture of the altar with all the burned wood and destroyed…
Reap and Sow
Typical of Chinese New Year are the many articles on what our future will be like. The Year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon and there are those, accordingly, who will have a good year, those who will have a bad year, and those who will avoid bad luck if they do this and…
Changes
There is a saying that the only thing permanent in the world is change. All in this world is passing and fleeting, hence change is inevitable. Even if change is a reality though, people by nature do not want to change. Truly it is so hard to change: there is inconvenience, there is uncertainty, there…
Being Prepared
For those who are in their 50s and above, and especially after going through Covid, we are reminded that we are only passing by in this world. Hence, every now and then we ask ourselves: Am I really prepared to go? Will I leave the world a better place to live in? Will my children…
Ponder
Typically we look at life based only on two things: good luck and bad luck. That is why as we celebrate the Christmas season and prepare for the new year, we have all these superstitious practices. Even if we know they are offensive to the Lord, we do it just to bring good luck. However,…
God’s Mysterious Ways
Matthew 11:2-11 One of the hardest of most human activities is to wait. All of us are waiting for something or someone in life: We are all waiting. In the Gospel of Matthew, John was waiting for Jesus. Yet, because God’s ways are not man’s ways, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 