Mark 12: 13-17 There is the famous tale from Aesop’s Fables, of a fox who wanted to eat the cheese he saw in the mouth of the bird. He first approached the bird and praised how beautiful his color was. He then praised how beautiful were the bird’s feathers. Then he said, “I am sure…
The Last Request
Mark 16: 9-15 All of us have experienced someone passing away. How we wish to be by their bedside to say goodbye. Of course, there are also the last wishes or the “huling bilin.” For a person about to transition to the next life, the last wishes are the ones he or she feels are…
Love One Another
Local elections are most ideal when people work together for the common good of the country. Yet this seems to not be the case. Just go to social media and you will realize that there is so much negativity. Further, it is not only about politics and it is not only in this country. Just…
Mothers and Goodbyes
Editor’s Note: This homily was from a 40th-day Mass last year. As it pertains to the importance of mothers in our lives, we are sharing it as part of a Mother’s Day reflection. — This weekend will be Mother’s day and on social media, there are already so many tributes to mothers. Two things I…
We Are Family
Matthew 18: 21-35 Once I was talking to a real estate broker and he mentioned that the best business nowadays is still Real Estate. He explained that land is not getting any bigger, yet there are more people and their incomes are increasing. Hence, property prices go up every year. He also mentioned something else…
Credentials
Matthew 23: 1-12 Notice that when we are introduced to a person or a group, what follows after our name is usually the credentials: He or she is the vice president of… He or she is the brother or sister of… He or she is the owner of the house on the corner… Hence, we…
Auditing Time
It is said that one of the most stressful moments in corporate life is when it is the season for auditing. A team of auditors comes to the office and reviews the documents. That, of course, is followed by the questions, explanations, and clarifications portion. What a relief if all is okay and all is…
Envy
In ancient Greece, there is a story of a very skillful athlete, Theagene. Since he brought great pride to the city, a monument was erected in his honor when he died. Theagene had a rival, Pausanias, who never won against him. Pausanias would vandalize the monument every night. One night, while he was vandalizing and…
Divine Mercy
John 20:19-31 It has been more than two years since the pandemic started and in the eyes of the world, there still is no light at the end of the tunnel. Hence so much fear and worry with the many questions we have in mind: When will the pandemic end? How many more variants do…
Thirst
John 19: 28 A past advertisement would tell us to “Obey your thirst.” This is part of our humanity. We need to eat and we need to drink as well. However, between eating and drinking, science says we will last longer without eating than without drinking. It is harder to deal with thirst. The fifth…