When I was going through the discernment process of whether to leave my work to enter the seminary, one thing that the seminary told us is that we would not be offered anything. All they had to say was “Come and See.” This was difficult because we were working. It is not uncommon to leave…
Category: Trust in God
Good Tree and Good Fruits
Matthew 7:15-20 It is said that we human beings are composed of body and soul. When it comes to our bodies, modern science and technology make almost anything possible: If you want to look young, it is possible If you want to look like this person or that person, it is possible If you want…
Laborers and Harvest
It is said that in the Archdiocese of Manila which is composed of Manila, Pasay, Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Makati City, there about 200 priests. 80 priests are 60 years old or above. Only 40 priests are 30 years old and below. The average age of the priest is 54 years old. Surely we need…
Praising God in Difficult Times
I came across a story of a wife who prayed for a baby for more than two years. One day she received the good news from her doctor and in her excitement, she texted family and friends and all were happy for her. Four days later though, she knew something was wrong with the baby….
Elijah vs Prophets of Baal
In a popular reading, we hear of Ahab and Jezebel filling the land of Israel with a false god, and they kill the prophets of Jehovah. What did God do? He sent the prophet Elijah to give Ahab a message. Hence the competition to prove which God is true, with Elijah on one end and…
Christian Persecution
Is it said that two-thirds of the 2.3 billion Christians in the world today live in dangerous neighborhoods. They are often poor. They often belong to ethnic, linguistic, and cultural minorities. And they are often at risk. Hence, every month, we hear of a Christian being killed. Not too long ago, a priest, Fr. Mark…
Faith and Doubt in God
In any relationship, doubt sinks in every now and then: In a marriage, a partner might question their spouse’s faithfulness. In an employer-employee relationship, a boss might question one of his staff’s honesty. Likewise, the staff might also question if the boss keeps his promises. In any friendship, each side could ask if this person…
Saying Goodbye
Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has journeyed with so many people who were about to die, that her famed model, The Five Stages of Denial, has become the accepted standard of examining terminally-ill emotions. They are classified as: Denial – “No, I am not going to die” Anger – “Why me? There are so many other people…
Cleanliness from the Inside
It is said that we Filipinos are a mystery. We value cleanliness, yet look at our surroundings: We will clean our own backyard but we will dump the garbage in public places. We take a bath at least two times a day, even when it is winter, but look at the litter all over the…
Shattered Dreams
All of us have had our shattered dreams in life. We have planned, we have invested in ourselves, we gave our time, we gave it our all. The results, unfortunately, did not turn out the way we planned it to be. Just think of all the emotions – shame, anger, frustration, and hopelessness. In the…
