Once there was this dog who fell into a deep well. The villagers suggested many ways how to save the dog. Finally, the wise man of the town suggested getting shovels. Upon the return of the villagers with their shovels, they got surprised by the suggestion of the village wise man, “Shovel dirt and throw…
Category: Trust in God
Coming of the Kingdom of God
Matthew 13: 47-53 In the summer of 2016, a sad event in the history of the Church happened in France. An 85-year-old priest was killed while celebrating Mass. As to the events that followed, we can only pray. On social media, one of the current topics is the end times. When things become unbearable and…
Ups and Downs of Life
Luke 13: 10-17 How often have we heard people say, “You cannot predict life.” One day life is good, the next moment, all the challenges in life. Or one day life is difficult, then with an expected twist, suddenly life is good. In St. Luke’s Gospel, people were so amazed at how a demon was…
Doing My Father’s Will
Whenever I officiate a wedding, I always remind the newlywed couple that when they have children of their own, two things will cross their minds: The many acts of kindness, generosity, sacrifices, and forgiveness of their parents Dad was right after all, and mom was right after all. Their words, advice, teachings, and sermons (many…
God Revealing Himself to Us
Mark 12: 35-37 In St. Mark’s Gospel, Jesus continues to introduce Himself to the people. He is both Son and Lord based on Scriptures – Son of man by birth, and Lord and Savior by nature. While most of the people were happy and indeed rejoiced, the many opponents of Jesus were not happy. They…
Mothers and Their Immortal Words
John 14: 21 -26 One day, I came across immortal words of mothers. These words were uttered when our mothers felt we were not growing up right, our values were warped, we made wrong decisions, or we were not growing up as a person with character. I chose seven of the seemingly more popular ones:…
The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
Matthew 16: 13-19 When we studied Church History as seminarians, our professor told us that when you look at the history of the Church, twenty-one centuries of it, you will realize that it is a very human organization. It is composed of 99 percent lay people and less than one percent ordained ministers. It has…
Rough Times
John 6:16-21 For those of us who have ridden a boat and were caught by a storm in the middle of the sea, we still remember the feeling – FEAR. We were in a small boat in Antique once, and suddenly we experienced strong rains and winds. Water was getting into the boat. With a…
A Heart that Ponders
When my mother was still alive some years ago, the doctor’s clinic and hospital admittance became part of the last five years of her life. Being the one who has the most flexible schedule of my siblings, I would always accompany my mother. Eventually, I noticed that regardless of the type of doctor we would…
What is Most Important
Matthew 13:44-46 There was once a survey made and the question was, “What is the most important thing in life?” The top twelve answers were: Health Family Friends Love Purpose Passion Wellness Education Time Water Food Sleep Indeed they are important but they are all fleeting, fading, and passing. One day it is useful, the…