When I was a newly ordained priest, my parish priest told me to give priority to couples celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversaries. Further, he explained why. We live in a world that is so consumeristic – when a new item comes along, we dump the old one. Sadly, it influences our relationships. Hence, with…
Category: Trust in God
Being Wise
Recently there are two people who were part of my formation that passed away. One was a priest and the other was a friend and a teacher. Both were younger than me. With this reality, again, I am reminded that life is short and uncertain and that at any time, God can call you. The…
Everlasting Life
Due to Covid, many people have been thinking about the meaning of life. Some of the realizations: In the Gospel, Jesus was asked if many will be saved. The response was of Christ, “It is how we live our life”. Hence, three things we can do to prepare ourselves: The three teachings of Christ when…
Thank God for Mothers
John 2: 1-11 Once in a seminary theology class, our professor asked the class, “Who is the Mother of Perpetual Help?” Instantly, the class responded, “Mama Mary.” Then our professor asked, “Who is the Perpetual Help?” For a while there was silence. Then someone reluctantly answered, “Jesus?” Our professor immediately affirmed the correct response. It…
God’s Calling
Matthew 9:9 We have a saying, “Do not judge a book by its cover.” We see a person with fine clothes, a nice car, and materially rich, we think he is okay and happy. Hence it is the desire to become rich. How many of us tell ourselves that “If I win the lotto, it…
Things We Thirst For
John 4: 5-42 According to science, an infant is 75- 78 percent water. By one year old, the infant is 65 percent water. When the infant reaches adulthood, the person is about 50 to 65 percent water. Hence, when we lack water, we get thirsty. Many ailments come from dehydration, including: In fact, a person…
The Truth Will Set You Free
John 8: 31-42 One program that is very successful in treating alcoholism is the program Alcoholics Anonymous. It is said that for a person who wants to be healed, the most basic requirement for the alcoholic is to admit that he or she needs help. No denial, no justification, no blaming. Just plain and simple,…
The Power of Prayer
Matthew 7: 9-11 Whenever we see a friend who has lost a lot of weight, created a booming business, or has had a health-related recovery, we often say, “teach me how you did it.” “Teach us how to pray,” were the words of the Apostles to Jesus. They must have seen how powerful and significant…
Turning Bad Into Good
Matthew 26: 14-27: 66 As human beings, we look at things in our lives based only on two realities: favorable and unfavorable; this event is good, this event is bad; this experience brought joy and this experience brought pain, etc. In St. Matthew’s Gospel, the Pharisees and the Scribes wanted to kill Jesus. Why? He…
Don’t Lose Hope
John 11: 1-45 Once in a group conversation, we were talking about the great menace of drugs. How so much of the population is into it. Then someone in the group added, “Remember, we are only talking about illegal drugs. How many people are into prescribed drugs? How many people take prescribed drugs due to…