Repentance

None of us are perfect, none of us live perfect lives. We all make mistakes, we all sin, we all hurt God, our neighbor, and ourselves. However, there are two realities in life. There are people who refuse to change: When we hear this, we know that these people will never change. On the other hand,…

Forgiveness

When it comes to relationships, the question always is, “Should I forgive this person who has hurt me?” To answer the question, another question is asked: Is the relationship worth saving? If yes, definitely forgive. If not, still definitely forgive. Why the same answer? Because forgiveness is not about the other person. It is for…

Treasure Hunting

I came across this story of a man who lost his fortune because of treasure hunters. He was enticed by a group that there was a big reserve of gold in a certain place and it would just be a matter of time before it was discovered. What was supposed to be one month, turned…

Judging Others

We all have judged others and we have all been judged as well. It is very typical for us to judge other people based on their appearance. According to a study, there are three reasons that are important to us, as to why we judge others: Of course, since we do not know that person…

Assumption

When Adam and Eve sinned, the very first promise was made – to send the Messiah and save mankind. However this Messiah, to be able to come here on earth, was to be born of a virgin. That virgin that will bear the Son of God has to be pure – and therefore she was…

Mercy not Sacrifice

When I was a seminarian, I was able to join a Holy Week celebration in one of the provinces. During the procession, we went around the town, praying and singing. Very nice celebration. When the carozas returned to the Church, during the closing rites, the priests blessed all the Carozas. Suddenly there was chaos. People…

Investing in God

The very first of the ten commandments is I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. The reality is though, we compromise our faith in God in so many ways: In the Gospel, we are often given the imagery that our faith needs to be nurtured so that from…

The Storms of Life

Ed. Note: This was a homily from a memorial mass for the Laurel family last year. As is always the case with Fr. Mon, we are including it here because his words of wisdom apply to all of us and our daily lives. Someone once said, “Life is like the weather: there are sunny days…

The Laborer are Few

After eight years I once again returned to the seminary. It was then I realized that there are fewer seminarians for the priesthood. When I left for a new assignment in 2015, the count was about 160 seminarians spread within a 10-year program. Now it is less than 100. According to a study, the four…

Money and Happiness

We live in a society that always pursues money. Why? It is the belief that it buys happiness. Hence, a study was made where it was found that indeed it does – but only after a certain amount. Once that amount is reached, no matter how much more money you have, it does not bring…