When Jesus founded the Church, he gave it authority. “Peter you are the rock and on this rock I will build my Church… whatever binds on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever is loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19) In this world, there is only one authority and that is…
Category: Trust in God
Money
In a eulogy that I witnessed, a son was giving tribute to his father. He said when he was growing up, they would wonder why they were not as rich as the office mates of his father. His father would always say three things: In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “What profit would there be…
Seeing God’s Hand
How many times have I been asked this question, “Why does God allow evil in this world?” That indeed is a very valid question. Just look at the current state of the world. My typical response which I learned from spiritual writers is that, “If you take away God, some other spirit takes over.” Hence,…
Ghost
On a personal note, one thing that has helped me in the priesthood is the ministry of exorcism. Why? In the Gospel, the disciples were filled with fear. First they thought their boat was going to capsize. Then they thought they would drown. Then to make things even more difficult, they saw Jesus walking on…
How Little We Have
Many times in our lives we are harassed by how little we have. How do you run a seminary with 98 seminarians with the prices ever increasing? How do you continue to send your children to school with prices ever increasing? How do you help out people while having your own needs? In the Gospel,…
Come Follow Me
In the music industry, there is what is called “Fandom”. They are passionate and devoted fans who are deeply engaged with their favorite artists, groups, or bands. They attend concerts, buy merchandise, boost streaming momentum, and participate in fan communities. In other words, they will follow their favorite artists anywhere they are and all that…
Social Sins
Ed. Note: This was a homily for a school mass. Student or not though, we can all relate to the lessons. In 1925, Mahatma Gandhi published in his newspaper Young India, a list of social sins. Almost 100 years later, now more than ever, these have become very relevant: For those of us in our…
Paradox of Life
It is said that life is a paradox. Five examples: In the Gospel, Jesus gives three paradoxes of life as well: Let us continue to live out a life that is full of paradoxes. One of the greatest paradoxes came from St. Mother Teresa: “That is you love until it hurts; there can be no…
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…
Becoming a Better Person
There is a saying that what we were when we were born, is God’s gift to us. What we become, is our gift to God. Yet, to become a better person is not easy. We have to know our shortcomings, mistakes, biases fears, prejudices, and what trigger us. How do we get to know these?…
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 