Luck vs Blessed

We Catholics often interchange and get confused between good luck and a blessing.  How many of us Catholics would also dabble in Feng Shui because of the “good luck” it brings. In our houses, while we may have the altar, we also display objects that bring “luck and good fortune”. What ends up happening then,…

Overcoming Evil

In the world that we live in, remember to look at everything that is happening not only economically, not only politically but also in the spiritual realm. Remember that St. Paul said that the greatest battle is happening in the realm of the unseen – good versus evil. The Gospel reminds us that good will…

Look the Other Way

There are occasions in our lives when we rather look at the other side:  In one of the most popular Gospel readings, we hear of two persons, two good persons, who saw a man lying on the road half dead, but they would rather look the other way and pass by. Why? The priest, if…

Service and Privileges

Not too long ago, there was an operation done by MMDA on illegally parked vehicles. The sad revelation was that many of the illegally parked vehicles were owned by Policemen themselves. How can it be, that the law enforcers are also the violators? In the same way, Jesus lambasted the Pharisees and the lawyers because…

Truth

Who would ever think that we would come to a generation wherein false news would become an industry. On the other hand, when you speak the truth, either you will be bashed or your character maligned. False news will be spread against the person, and in the worst cases, the person is killed. No wonder,…

What is Prayer?

The Jews, for the longest time, had this impression that God was an angry God. Hence, to appease his anger, there were many offerings: money, animal, and crop offerings. However, the apostles saw the impact of prayer in the life of Jesus. Good times or difficult times, Jesus would always be in prayer. Hence when…

Gratitude

There is a saying that you will only know the value of a thing or a person when you lose it. In the meantime, either you take it for granted or you become entitled, or even both. Take for example when we visit first-world countries. We are so fascinated with how things work, how abundant…

Zechariah

When good things happen to good people, we tell ourselves that they are being blessed by God. When bad things happen to bad people, we just say they are just reaping what they saw. But what do we say when bad things happen to good people? Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in the eyes of…

God is Faithful

A Christmas carol says that this is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, but for those who have attended the Simbang Gabi Masses, the many Gospels tell us that the lives of people who were related to Jesus were affected and disturbed. Their lives have been altered to the point of a crisis. There…

Blessing

Typically, anyone who is rich, powerful, and famous, in the eyes of the world, is considered blessed. However, there is a saying, “If the rich are the happiest, how come they are not dancing in the streets?” If the powerful are the most secure, how come they have many bodyguards? If the famous are the…