Perseverance

Luke 8:4-15 A friend of ours has a very intelligent and pretty wife. Close friends of theirs would also ask the wife why she fell for her husband, when “she deserved someone better.” Her consistent answer was, “He showed perseverance.” While we Filipinos have a saying, “kung may tiyaga, may nilaga,” the Gospel today reminds…

The Sacredness of Life

Luke 1: 57-60 Look at the world we live in. There was a commercial I came across reminding us that children are expensive to raise, add responsibility, and limit freedoms. Hence, we are much better off without them. We have forgotten that each child means hope. Every June we celebrate the birth of John the…

God is Good

Why is there so much bad news in the newspapers, on the radio, on the TV, on social media? According to a study, it is because bad news sells. We people would rather read if it is bad news instead of good news. Since media is a business, these companies feature the bad news or…

Why Fast?

During the season of Lent, Catholics are encouraged to fast during Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Since Filipinos eat six times a day, from breakfast to morning merienda, to lunch to afternoon merienda, to dinner to midnight snacks, fasting is so hard.  While it is very difficult to skip meals, let us be reminded that…

A Fruitful Life

Matthew 13: 1-23 A married couple once shared their shock of their child’s words. He was mad at someone and blurted out inappropriate language. When they asked him where he learned these words, the answer was simple – the internet. Like the child, the question we can ask ourselves is, “Who guides us in this…

The Best Investment

Luke 6:38 When people are asked to do something, the first thing that goes into our minds is “What is it in for me?” Even the apostles were not exempted from this reality. Peter once asked Jesus, “We have left family, lands, and houses for the Gospel, what do we get back in return?” The…

Persecution

On the bucket lists of many Christians is a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It is a different experience when the bible stories come to life:  This is where Jesus walked on water This is where Jesus taught the beatitudes This is the area where once the temple stood This is where Jesus was born…

Spiritual Warfare

Luke 4:31-37 When people comment that there seems to be so much evil in the world, with so much anxiety, fear, and uneasiness nowadays, I tell them not to limit to only what is seen. Remember that there is also the unseen. We should remember that there exists the greatest battle happening – spiritual warfare….

Neighbor

I once celebrated Mass in an upscale subdivision. After the Mass, I was speaking to two couples. Since I realized that they did not know each other, I introduced them to each other. Couple A asked Couple B, “What street do you reside on?”. They realized they lived in the same street. Couple B asked…

Keep My Commandments

In the book “Praying our Goodbyes,” the author, Sr. Joyce Rupp, reminds us that life is short, life is swift and everything changes. Hence, if we look at life, it is a cycle of helloes and goodbyes. Humanly speaking, it is so hard to say goodbye because it is so hard to deal with loss….