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Reflections Archive
In 1934, the famous English novelist, Evelyn Waugh, published what many feel is his best novel, A Handful of Dust. Waugh, a devout Catholic, satirizes European society through many of the characters, but especially by means of the story’s hero, Tony Last. He is so devoted to maintaining his estate, a former castle, and so enthralled with the notion of living as an aristocrat that he ignores his wife, Brenda, while neglecting to raise their only
Prayer. There is, of course, the asking. The “give me this, the give me that.” More often than not this is the aspect of payer I know most surely. But there is the giving, too, and the receiving, the giving thanks. Above all, and in all, the love within and in between. This I must be aware of, especially today in the face of these readings about prayer.
In the first, Abraham bargains with God. He pleads on behalf of the people of Sodom
In the Old Testament, guests were highly appreciated, their welfare guaranteed. Thus when three of the Lord’s messengers appeared to Abraham, the patriarch “ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them, and bowing to the ground, he said, ‘Sir, if I may ask this favor, please do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Now that you have come this close to you
The catechism book teaches that the purpose why God created me is for me to be with him in heaven for all eternity. Sometimes I ask myself why did He not bring me to heaven immediately after creating me or after being born? Upon reflection, however, I believe that He has another reason in temporarily putting me here on earth. “That God who created me without my consent, will not bring me to heaven without my consent.” I guess this statement a
Since there are some parents who chose sponsors for the initiation sacraments of their children (Baptism, First Eucharist and First Reconciliation, Confirmation), even without the necessary qualifications, it has become a common practice in the parishes (particularly in the parish of St. Matthew, Toronto, ON, Canada) to require parents to bring the confirmation certificates of prospective sponsors so that these could be verified, and the parish i
We have heard the gospel so often that we have become jaded to its unsettling character – the unfamiliar has become familiar. Accordingly, few of us seriously consider the fact that, being strangers to Hebrew culture, we fail to understand much of the gospel precisely because many of the events it speaks of only Jews can intimately understand.
Luke, a stranger himself to the culture, shares us his own puzzlement as he records some incid
Aside from death in the family, two most painful experiences in life are: to be accused of something one has not done and be rejected. In my high school years, a classmate wrongly accused me of reporting his misdeed to the principal, something which I did not do. Until now, I still feel the hurt when sometimes I think about it.
Rejection, on the other hand, shows itself in many subtle forms. It could come in criticisms, for instance, in no
King David, Paul of Tarsus, and the unnamed “sinful” woman in the gospel share a similar lot – they made a mess of their lives. Fortunately their stories have a common twist. On the account of God’s mercy and love all three turned their lives around for the better. David, who accepted his wrongdoing, abandoned everything to the justice of God (2 Sam 12, 7-10.13); Paul, saved by grace, claimed “I live now, not I, but Christ lives in me
The story of multiplication of the loaves from St. Luke’s gospel always fascinates me. The story is something very personal to me.
Jesus “Taking the five loaves and two fish, looking up to heaven, said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.”
Jesus took the bread. If I was one of the loaves of bread Jesus took … why me?
I was planning to get out of the seminary o
Oh Lord, why, of all days, did you ask me to write on the Feast of the Blessed Trinity?
This mystery has puzzled the greatest minds without anybody being able to crack it. Isn’t it crazy to think that God is one and three at the same time? No wonder that Jehovah’s witnesses and Dan Brown do away with it saying, “This was all invented by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 313 AD.”
They are wrong, of course. Already St. Igna
Pentecost Sunday is not only a celebration of an historical event but also a reminder of the continuous and extraordinary intervention of God into our lives. This is something that we experience, an ongoing reality that touches us every single day of our lives.
The readings today tell us that there are several Spirit-experiences.
The first Spirit-experience is in the Gospel. Jesus gives his Spirit to his disciples who are cowering i
Some friends who live abroad tell me that it is not only Filipinos who make up large communities in foreign cities. There are still places where the sight of brown skin would be a Nepalese who just happens to look like a Filipino, or taking it the other way around, where our Filipino countrymen are mistaken to be Chinese or Indonesians. In such areas, Filipinos have once again proven their ingenuity by coming up with almost fool-proof techniques
While preparing for my turn to preach on one of the Seven Last Words in 2008, I was talking to a TV host-comedienne at the sacristy of the Shrine of the Divine Word. I invited her to join the Oasis of Love Catholic Community. The popular actress said: “Ay, Father, muntik na akong maging born-again (Father, I almost became a born-again). Nang nagkakaproblema na ako sa married life ko, binisita nil agad ako at binigyan ng advice from the Bible. (
Commentators of John’s Gospel tell us that there are two moments in the life of Peter which seem to parenthesis a life of relationship with Jesus no less different from how we experience our own today. These two incidents are too meager in details that they seem too cold, abrupt, and void of human emotions. But, if we supply it with our knowledge of the cultural, political and social background of those times, both incidents come out very much
The term “paradigm shift” has been bandied about so often and used so loosely one wonders whether it still means anything. A paradigm is more than a simple belief about reality, or a certain position about some disputed subject, or a specific preference for doing things. Paradigm is about beliefs, convictions and habits, indeed, not on the retail but on the wholesale level. In other words, paradigm is about worldviews as such rather than abou
Early. Dark. Tomb. These are the dominant words that open today’s Gospel. For some of us, quite often, the same words mark our lives as well. But it is into this kind of gloom that Resurrection comes. It happened then, it happens now. We only have to believe (the last word in today’s Gospel). This, of course, is not always easy to do. Mary of magdala herself, alt
I had the opportunity to visit Corregidor Island sometime ago. Among the now silent big guns and empty barracks once occupied by American and allied Filipino soldiers, one can find underground bunkers where hundreds of soldiers sought shelter from enemy attacks. There are exhibits showing how Americans and Filipino soldiers suffered during the seemingly relentless assaults of their Japanese attackers. At the conclusion of the tour, one feels an o
Many years back I heard the late Cardinal Sin tell the following story. A man went to confession and somewhat nervously confessed that it was thirty years since his last confession. The irritated priest scolded him and asked him why he was away from the sacrament for so long. “Because,” said the man, “the last time I went to confession it was to a priest like you!” The Cardinal would conclude the story with the exhortation, “Be ki
When I was in La Paz Parish for 10 months in 1988, I presided over a number of First Communion celebrations. I remember how the children were being coached individually to ensure active participation and a more memorable celebration of the Holy Eucharist. One afternoon in Canan church, I sat inside to observe the liturgical rehearsals. I was impressed how well versed the children were with regards to their responses and special assignments. The E
A story is told that during the earlier times in Vienna, Austria, there is a Church where a ruling family, the Hapsburgs, are buried. Every time a royal funeral happens the mourners will knock on the door of the Church to be allowed to get inside. The priest inside will ask, “Who is it?” The guard will reply, “The Emperor.” The priest will respond, “I do not know him.” For the second time they will knock and the priest will ask, “Wh
As we plough through the heart of sorrowful Lent, the Church sees to it that we do not lose sight of the glorious end promised by the Lord. In the first reading, we recall the covenant between Yahweh and Abraham: “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Just so shall your descendants be.” In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today is Migrants’ Sunday. We remember our countrymen who left their homeland in search of the proverbial greener pastures. The lure of possible wealth is a temptation to which they have succumbed. They have perhaps also given up on the possibility that things will get better in their own country. It was also noted that many have performed better and perhaps behaved better under foreign governments.
Jesus was also tempted by Satan who of
The idea presented in today’s Gospel is going to cause difficulties to some people, if not to most of us. It is easy just to read or hear the words and we may even nod our heads in agreement. But actually putting it into practice is not something we would think of taking seriously.
Happy are you who are poor? Who can stomach such statements? Who can take this seriously? Are we not being constantly pushed by society that the ideal is to b
My grandmother used to take delight in teaching me some of her mysterious “oraciones” to be recited in times of need and emergencies. For instance, there was this “oracion” to be prayed in case someone might want to harm me. It goes something like this: “egsac egmac egolum, POH!” Accordingly, if I recited this, no weapon could harm me. Another one, I remember, was to be prayed in case I needed extra physical strength to carry or move
Luke, author of today’s Gospel, your name comes up fairly often to us who try to regularly read the Gospels. You, Paul, we all should know you, too, even if not all of us can grasp all of your letters. But the two other names mentioned with you today are not as familiar: Neh
In the old Filipino culture, the 11th commandment given to children is: “Thou shall not talk back to thy parents.” And such a commandment was strictly enforced. Woe to any child who dared talk back to his/her parents.
It comes as a great surprise for a Filipino reader of the traditional mold to see the young Jesus talking back to his mother who had spent many anxious moments in looking for the lost child. “Why are you looking for me
This is my first year in Rome. One of the first activities I have done so far is to administer the sacrament of baptism to a Filipino child who was born here. The parents and the community got so caught up with inviting would-be godfathers and godmothers, and preparing the place for the reception that they forgot to inform the Italian parish priest. They did it only the day before the baptism itself to the surprise of the of the said pari
A story is told about a four year old boy who was helping his father set up the Christmas decorations. In the midst of their preparation, the young boy suddenly asked his father, ‘Daddy, what does ignore mean?’ The father explained,’ Ignore means not to pay attention to people when they call you.’ Immediately, the little boy looked at his father and said, ‘I don’t think we should ignore Jesus.’ Puzzled, the f
Witness to the Light
People – Christians or not – generally do not want to act as witnesses to crimes committed, even if they were at the scene of the crime. We have to believe in the honesty of a witness. One reason why few are willing to become witnesses is the fear of lack of security and it becomes burdensome as well as bothersome to act as witnesses. Very busy peopl
Advent is a season of waiting, and waiting can be a long, tiresome, and trying moment. What normally passes like a breeze becomes an eternity when we are counting the moments and waiting for something to happen. And so, during such times, we need people who will continually inspire and console us, lest we give in to sorrow and despair, unsure of whether better days are coming. This is the role Baruch played in the life of the Israelites, supposed
Lola Nena sits by the patio of her humble home calmly being amused by all sorts of people passing by. In her hand is a worn-out plastic rosary, one of the give-aways of the barangay captain when he ran for office last year. Our serene grandmother is not really praying the rosary; she already did that early in the morning. She was simply clinging to it as was her custom whenever she begins to recall with remarkable accuracy the loving faces of her
The patient requested, “Doctor, if there is anything wrong with me, do not frighten me half to death by giving it a long scientific name. Just tell me in plain English.”
“Well,” the doctor replied hesitantly, “to be perfectly frank, you are just plain lazy.”
“Thank you, doctor,” murmured the patient. “Now give me the scientific name so I can tell my family.”
Truth hurts. Most of us do not want to a
There is a popular wise saying that cautions us to remember our bad times when we are high and our happy times when we are low. The Chinese have their yin and yang, the lights and shadows, and we normally think in terms of opposites – plus and minus, positive and negative, good and bad, right and wrong. Also, life seems to be a process where contradictorie
The modern market economy is built on competition – it accepts conflict and tension as normal between consumers and producers, between producers and sellers, between laborers and employers, between creditors and borrowers. Whether it is a transaction of goods or services, each party wants to get the highest benefit as possible from the other.
What Jesus chooses to underline in contrasting the Pharisee and the widow is not their inter
Today, all roads lead to the cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria. Visiting our deceased loved ones at their resting place is a century-old Filipino tradition. Every year, I go to Guagua, Pampanga to bless the tombs of my deceased relatives and my late Mom. As you read my reflections today, probably, I am still in Guagua, where my parents came from, blessing almost half of the cemetery, because people, even those whom I have just met, would
Conquering Blindness
Our sense of sight is a blessing. To be able to see gives us a sense of security and even joy. People oftentimes travel from one place to another to see new things. People connect themselves with all the modern technologies in order to see different places, culture, and lifestyle. Likewise, people like to be visible in order to be recognized. Today our society becomes more visual
Bearer of God’s Love
Mission Sunday is a time when we remember, in a special way, those who have taken to heart Christ’s call to make disciples of all nations. They have left their native land, their family and friends and have gone to foreign lands to plant the faith among the great masses who know nothing about Christ. It is not easy to be an exile, a stranger constantly adaptin
When I was in Kalinga some years ago, Vice President Gloria Arroyo at that time, head of the DSWD, visited the Mission of Pasil. After that event, I asked some people about their experience, like the public school teachers who met the vice president for the first time. Many people wanted to come near the vice president but were not able. So the teachers said, “We were happy and lucky to have that opportunity to see the vice president in p
JESUS’ TEACHING ON DIVORCE
The second story of creation in the book of Genesis is what we hear in today’s first reading. It reminds us of God’s breath of life into man’s nostrils in order for him to share in the life of God Himself. He is the embodiment of the whole of humanity, the human race. He is indeed the masterpiece of God’s creation. But, in order for man to
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The majority of us Christians are good. Why? Here and there Christians are convinced that it is better after all to do good than to do evil. Despite the fight between two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Satan, still many Christians support the good rather than the evil.
Many Christians, including non-Catholics, prefer to create a society of good people.&
The Right Combination for Greatness!
In the field of sports, at this very day, Juan Marquez, the numero uno boxer in Mexico, and Floyd Mayweather , Jr, the number one boxer in the United States are engaging each other inside the ring in order to prove who is the best and number one boxer. Also at present, in the politcal field, the administration and opposition parties are figuring out whom are
Reflecting on the readings, I recall the comment and sentiment expressed to me by a man. He said, “Bakit maraming naghihirap at kahirapan sa mundo kung tayo ay mahal ng Diyos?” Understandably, we can empathize with the man for nobody wants to suffer. We want to avoid as much as possible the hard things of life. Jesus never gave a satisfactory explanation why we have to suffer but He did give meanin
When I was studying Italian in Perugia, Italy, I was staying at the old house right in front of the piazza, where people gather every night, making a lot of noise, shouting, singing, dancing. For the first week it woke me every night but then I became accustomed to the noise and it no longer woke me. You could say I became deaf to the noise. (A few weeks afterwards a room at the other side of the house, the quiet side, became vacant and I moved i
What gets to Jesus? Emphasizing the externals. Yes, the first thing that gets to Jesus is the Pharisees’ emphasis on the externals. The Pharisee in our story is bugged when Jesus does not wash his hands before the meal. In this case, hand washing is not about cleanliness. It is about a religious ceremony, a very detailed ritual. Before you ate, you had to wash your hands a certain way, and then wash them
Whenever I attend a celebration such as a wedding, baptism, priesthood anniversary or any other celebration, the host together with his/her family usually prepare good and delicious food which the guests actually enjoy. Eating together has a special meaning for us. The sharing of food and drink brings us closer and united with one another. We belong to one family although we come from different places, races and background. Today, we celebrate
Around us everyday, we see many examples of death bringing forth life. A kernel of corn is buried and it grows into a tall cornstalk. The ice cube dissolves and it cools the water. A match burns itself to light a fire. Water gets dirty to clean you. A battery goes dwad giving you music and light. Wood burns itself out to cook your food. A tree dies to give you sago. Animals and plants die to give you your food. By dying, these entire things rise
“Three Sixteen” is the title of today’s gospel. This passage is one of the most popular verses in the Bible. It has been memorized by millions of Christians and can be found displayed in billboards, mugs, frames, etc. This passage talks about God’s love for us and what it means to each one of us. There are several things that today’s passage tells us about God’s love. First, it teaches us that the love of God is broad. It is broad
In one African country, there was a great famine. There was too little rain for five years. People were really suffering from hunger. Animals, too were lying dead everywhere and were decomposing. Imagine the stink in the air. Rations from abroad came to the rescue. Tons of maize flour, powder milk, canned products and ready mixed food came in big quantities enough for the people. Systematic arrangements were made for the distribution. In eac
To be a Cadet Officer for Citizens Army Training (CAT) in the mid 1970s was very tough. A candidate had to hurdle dangerous obstacles to succeed. I could not forget one which was called “Tarzan”. With ropes dangling in equal distances under the branches of big mango trees, the candidates’ goal was to reach the other side by swinging through the ropes. At first I told myself, “chicken feed.” But after a failed first attempt, I discovered
The season of Lent begins with the Lord’s reminder to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God. To prepare means to get ready before the event. We are now given four weeks to make ready for the coming of the Kingdom. We all have our “tidying quirks.” I start cleaning the floor, then making the bed, dusting and end up cleaning the floor all over again! The Lord offers a simpler system. First repent or clean up then believe (tidy up).