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…

Look the Other Way

There are occasions in our lives when we rather look at the other side:  In one of the most popular Gospel readings, we hear of two persons, two good persons, who saw a man lying on the road half dead, but they would rather look the other way and pass by. Why? The priest, if…

Truth

Who would ever think that we would come to a generation wherein false news would become an industry. On the other hand, when you speak the truth, either you will be bashed or your character maligned. False news will be spread against the person, and in the worst cases, the person is killed. No wonder,…

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…

Blessing

Typically, anyone who is rich, powerful, and famous, in the eyes of the world, is considered blessed. However, there is a saying, “If the rich are the happiest, how come they are not dancing in the streets?” If the powerful are the most secure, how come they have many bodyguards? If the famous are the…

Finished or Not Finished

During the exams we would always hear the words of our professor, “Finished or not finished, pass your prayers.” If we did well, we were happy, but if we feel we did not do well, those words were such a dread.  Perhaps these words too are the words of Jesus about our journey on earth,…

Truly Rich

Many times we have this misconception that our religion does not want us to be rich. We have the misconception that it is better to be poor.   On one hand, Jesus tells us to go sell all our possessions, give them to the poor and follow him. On the other hand, he told Peter, anyone…