Ups and Downs of Life

Luke 13: 10-17 How often have we heard people say, “You cannot tell 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 this Gospel, people were so amazed with how a demon was driven…

Doing My Father’s Will

Whenever I officiate a wedding, I always remind that newly wedded 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, mom was right after all. Their words, their advice, their teachings, their…

God Revealing Himself to Us

Mark 12: 35-37 In this reading, Jesus continues to introduce Himself to the people. In the Gospel, 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…

Trusting God

John 4: 43-54 As a priest, when I do the anointing of the sick, there is one thing I noticed. When it is the son or daughter that is sick, the parents suffer more. “Lord, take the pain or the sickness away from my child and give it to me.” Hence, when a child is…

Praying for Guidance

Luke 6:12-16 For those who drive, there is an app that is very much appreciated – WAZE. Just put in your location and where you would want to go and it will guide you. It tells you when to turn right or left or make a round. Yes, it also tells you how to get…

Mothers and Their Immortal Words

John 14: 21 -26 The other 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, and we were not growing up strong or a person with character. I chose seven of the seemingly more…

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 and suddenly we experienced strong rains and winds. Water was getting into the boat. With a small…

Desert Experience

In a trip to Egypt, I noticed that after a 9-hour road trip, nothing changed in the scenery. It was all sand, rocks, and cacti. It was only then that I realized how blessed is the Philippines. Any 9-hour travel would show how rich the country is in water, mountains, plants, trees, and birds. It…

Rediscovering Childhood Joy

I guess many of us would agree with me that our childhood days were the happiest. To start with, it was simple. All we cared for were our food, toys, friends, and TV. We took it for granted that our parents will always be there. Not much to worry about. But as we grew older,…