I am sure that we have heard people lament, “What is the point of doing good and what is right? Just look at the people who do otherwise. They have nicer houses, nicer cars, nicer clothes, and more properties.” Indeed these people may have a point. But there is one thing that they always forget…
Category: The Commandments
Who is Not with Us is Against Us
Every once in a while, I am approached by parents lamenting that their son or daughter is not Catholic anymore. No more Mama Mary or rosary, no more images, and intercession of saints, no more Masses and the litany continues. I often ask the parent if the son or daughter has become a better person….
Public Opinion
John 7: 40-53 One of the favorite pastimes of people is talking about other people’s lives. Even Jesus was not exempted. They were talking about him. “Is He a prophet?”, “Is He the Christ?”, “Is He from the family of David?”. Yet Jesus had only one thing in mind, to do the will of the…
Go to All the Ends of the Earth
Mark 16: 15-20 In the 50s, it was said that the Philippines was the 2nd strongest economy in Asia. In fact, the first airline in Asia is in the Philippines; the first stock exchange in Asia is in the Philippines; the first steel church in the world, San Sebastian Church, in the Philippines; the first…
Forgiveness
John 18: 33B-37 As a priest, two of the most urgent sacrament are Confession and Anointing of the Sick. Why? Because these two Sacraments have the capacity to forgive sins. In Confession, the priest forgives in the name of the Church, “I absolve you of all your sins, “In the Name of the Father, of…
Courage Versus Entitlement
Mark 12: 1-12 In today’s context, the Gospel could be retold as Mr. Juan de la Cruz, out of compassion and kindness, allowed a family to stay in his property. Many years after, the children grew up and got married. They built their houses at said property. Throughout the years, relatives from the province came…
Deception through Flattery
Mark 12: 13-17 There is this story of a fox who wanted to eat the cheese he saw on the mouth of the bird. He first approached the bird and praised how beautiful his color was. He then praised how beautiful were the bird’s feathers. Then he said, “I am sure that your singing is…
How to Deal with Betrayal
John 13: 21-33, 36-38 One of the most important factors in any relationship is TRUST. We need trust in friendships; We need trust in a business partnership; We need trust in marriage. On the other hand, it is very painful if the trust is destroyed. I remember a story of a woman whose husband left…
We Are Family
Matthew 18: 21-35 Once I was talking to a real estate broker and he mentioned that the best business nowadays is still Real Estate. He explained that land is not getting any bigger, there are more people, and their incomes are increasing. Hence, property prices are going up every year. He also mentioned something very…
Envy
In ancient Greece, there is a story of a very skillful athlete, Theagene. Since he brought great pride to the city, a monument was erected in his honor when he died. Theagene had a rival, Pausanias, who never won against him. Pausanias would vandalize the monument every night. One night, while he was vandalizing and…
