Strange Visitors?
It happened for quite a long time now, if I can recall. The first visitor came in early or mid 1980s. I call it strange because I didn’t know him. He must have heard about Bishop Benny S. Tudtud and me. But Bp. Benny could not...
Category Archives: Shalom
The “mystery of communion”, what does it mean?
The Church document uses a technical expression; “mystery of communion in Christ in the Spirit” provokes another question, what does “communion in Christ” mean? Why “in” and not “with” Christ? The word “in” means, part of something internal. The word “with” is just an external accompaniment,...
Modern Mystics?
I read in several books on mysticism that Fr. Karl Rahner the famous Jesuit theologian had once wrote that the 20th century Christian will be a mystic. I cannot recall the book and the reason why he wrote on the topic. I can only recall...
Missionary Heroes or Martyrs?
It is a fact that the missionaries were killed in cold blood by Moro assailants. They are Fr. Rufus Haley and Fr. Innocentes. Fr. Haley was an Irish Columban missionary and Fr. Innocentes a Filipino OMI missionary. I was one of the concelebrants in their funeral Masses,...
We can feel the vibration
This is a true story. It came from a young priest who wrote me a beautiful letter which touched me to the core of my being. It was sometime in June of 1967. I just arrived from the United States and was surprised to be appointed...
Symbols in the world of meanings
The most famous historical event in Philippine history was the so-called Edsa Revolution. Thousands of people swarmed into Edsa Avenue on 25 February 1986 to face the armored tanks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Who were these brave individuals and what did they...
“Two Ears, One Mouth”
Several times in this Shalom column of the Davao Catholic Herald I have repeatedly written that, before Pope Francis brought up the word, Synodality whose essence is Listening as a prime discerning process, we in the Bishops-Ulama Conference, BUC, have painfully learned that, 1) God...
Experience is Never Full
It is advised by wise and holy people that in all our prayer and worship we have to respond to God's invitation to intimacy. True love always leads to experience of intimacy. Although it is never full but can be as deep as possible. The...
Using God to find God?
This is not possible. Why? Because it is theologically incorrect and wrong according to Fray Meister Eckhart, a Dominican monk and mystic. Some people experience God's presence while praying. Then for good reason they published the prayer in the Internet assuring others they too can have...
Brokenshire Peace Forum
Our dialogue and peacemaking partner, the pastors and members of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Davao City group, also celebrated the 2021 Mindanao Week of Peace by holding a Peace Forum on December 6 at their local church where about 50 persons,...