Having the Best

Typical of parents is that they will always want what is best for their children. Hence, one of the biggest frustrations is when the children do not do what is supposed to be good for them. The biggest frustration is when children do not listen to their parents and they go astray. Somewhat similar to…

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…

Eulogy

Once we were asked by our professor to write our own Eulogy. Initially, it brought laughter to the students. It was an uneasy laughter. Eventually, it died down, for when we started working on the details it became a moment of deep reflection – “Who do I say that I am when I pass away from…

Seed

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” In other words, everything starts small. When you wonder why people are so forgiving and generous, they all…

Hate

There is a saying in tagalog, ,“Ang bungang hinog ay binabato.” (A stone is thrown to a ripe fruit). Then you have the crab mentality which Filipinos are known for: When someone is rising, the tendency is to pull others down. Why this reality? Because hatred and jealousy are two very damaging emotions. Even Jesus…

Abuse of Power

There is a movie quote from the film Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility”.  This is a saying that is very true because if your look at the world today, people abuse the use of power. Some displays of power in everyday life:  During the times of Jesus, the Jews and the Samaritans were…

Living Forever

Matthew 25: 31-46 Two very good friends made a promise to each other that if one goes ahead, the other would send a sign that she is okay in the next life. Many years later one of the two friends passed away. Many days after the burial, the one who was left was thinking of…

Eternal Life

We live in a world wherein there is the seen and the unseen, the good and evil, the wheat and the weeds, the spiritual and the material. There is life on earth and eternal life. We live in a world wherein it is not one or the other. We live in both worlds. In the…

Seating Position

What is in a seat? A lot. At a party, there is a difference when you are seated beside the owner of the house compared to just being seated at one of those tables in the garden. In a concert, there is a difference when you are in the front row compared to when you…

Courage

Who would ever think that we would see the day that: Even calling out an inappropriate relationship brands one as judgmental and intolerant.  Despite all of these, right is still right, even if no one is for it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. Further, we remember the saying, “All it…