Service and Privileges

Not too long ago, there was an operation done by MMDA on illegally parked vehicles. The sad revelation was that many of the illegally parked vehicles were owned by Policemen themselves. How can it be, that the law enforcers are also the violators? In the same way, Jesus lambasted the Pharisees and the lawyers because…

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…

Zechariah

When good things happen to good people, we tell ourselves that they are being blessed by God. When bad things happen to bad people, we just say they are just reaping what they saw. But what do we say when bad things happen to good people? Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in the eyes of…

God is Faithful

A Christmas carol says that this is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, but for those who have attended the Simbang Gabi Masses, the many Gospels tell us that the lives of people who were related to Jesus were affected and disturbed. Their lives have been altered to the point of a crisis. There…

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,…

Wrong Turn

Every once in a while, I join pilgrimages as a tour escort. One of the duties is to make sure that no one gets lost in the tour. Hence, I always tell the pilgrims: A memorable tour was when a first-time pilgrim got lost in Spain. She did not speak Spanish, she had little command…

Yes

Luke 1:26-38 When a couple is about to get married, one of the things that we, as priests, look into is the reason for the marriage. We try to find out if both parties are entering into the marriage not out of force, not out of fear, not coerced, or for any other reason; otherwise,…

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…

Discipleship

During his time on earth, many people travelled with Jesus. Most likely they wanted to hear something, they wanted to ask for something, they wanted material blessings, or they were curious or amazed by his fame, and power to heal and do miracles and blessings. True to form and in a very straightforward way, Jesus…