Mark 12: 38-44 It is said that the biggest charitable institution in the world is the Roman Catholic Church, which operates more than 140,000 schools, 10,000 orphanages, 5,000 hospitals, and some 16,000 other health clinics. Where does the money to help out come from? It is from its members that give. The Gospel gives an…
Category: Social Awareness
Compassion
The older generation would always say in Tagalog, “May awa ang Diyos.” (God is compassionate). When there is a tragedy, death, misfortune in life, they will say, “May awa ang Diyos.” In the Gospel, Jesus said, “it is Mercy that I desire, not sacrifices”. Why? Because as God is compassionate, we should also be compassionate…
Following Christ
During the time of Jesus, many people wanted to follow Christ. Perhaps they say it was his power and influence, the miracles he performed, the teachings with authority, and the many material blessings that he received. However, what they only saw was the outside. What they did not know were the sacrifices and challenges inside,…
Eternal Life
How often have we been asked if we have been “saved”? Then the question that follows is “How?” “If you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.” While this is nice to hear, the problem is there is nothing written in the bible about accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. On the…
Each Life is Important
If there is so much trouble in the world today, it is because we do not value life as it already is. We do not value people as they already are. Other things are given importance more than people. Once upon a time, the safest place for a human being was the womb of the…
St. Therese of the Child Jesus
St. Thomas Aquinas once said: “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” That is why it is so hard to argue about religion because of this reality. In the Gospel people often ask for signs. After all the miracles, after all the healings and teachings…
Guard the Heart
“One of these days, I am going to be rich.” This was the thought that played in a mind of a person who experienced discrimination from rich relations when he was young. The thought never left his mind. He studied hard, worked even harder, and eventually rose up the corporate ladder and met the right…
Everybody Hurts
I often refer to the famous REM song, “Everybody Hurts.” I guess if there is a theme song all of us can relate to, it would be this one. Sometimes everything is wrong(Now it’s time to sing along) When your day is night alone (hold on, hold on)If you feel like letting go (hold on)If…
End of Evil
Matthew 8: 28-34 In the U.S., one the sad realities of the protests against racism is that they are now bringing down Catholic images. One of the favorite targets is St. Junipero Serra. He was the one who brought the faith to California, but those who take down his image claim that he mistreated the…
Darkness Looms
Who would ever thought that we would have witnessed and experienced lockdowns? People staying at home, the economy grinding to a halt, and most of all…fighting a new virus. As if that was not hard enough, just read the news. Racism-related hate crimes in the US and beyond, new disagreements and wars in the Middle…