IT was quite a stinging statement Christ told his disciples once. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” he said (Lk 12,1), referring to the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. It reminds me of what Pope Francis said to a group of new bishops sometime ago. “The world is...
THERE are times when our conscience confronts us with our sinfulness, usually the hidden and persistent ones, the way Christ confronted the sinfulness of the leading Jews of his time. (cfr. Lk 11,47-54) Instead of reacting the way these Jews did—they reacted with hostility toward...
ON the Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist, celebrated on October 18, the gospel reading is about Christ appointing 72 disciples and sending them to places where he intended to go. (cfr. Lk 10,1-9) Somehow, a sense of urgency was injected in this commissioning when Christ...
IT’S an idiomatic expression that means “to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it.” It’s an expression that aptly describes what was dramatized in that gospel episode where Christ was accused by a...
“THIS generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (Lk 11,29) Words of Christ that...
(Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao during the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast of Maria Bambinella, Sta. Ana Shrine Parish, September 8, 2023.) We continue to ask, what could be a particular reason why we rejoice, I would like...
The COVID-19 problem greatly affected the world from March 2020 to December 2022. The world during the COVID period, could not focus on the problem of food. We know that by 2050, our population will be 8 billion to about 9 billion. The world’s experts, international...
ONCE again, Christ uses a parable to impart to us the great truth of our Christian faith that we are meant to be in heaven, with God for all eternity where our definitive state of life is a sharing in the very life and nature...
“BY the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” (Lk 11,15) That was the reaction of some unbelieving Jews when Christ drove out a demon from a possessed person. They did not realize that their reasoning was marked by a contradiction. Thus,...
WE cannot deny that there are times when we can find ourselves in some emergency situation. We feel helpless, grasping at straws. And we find ourselves having no other alternative than to run to the nearest fellow who can lend us some help, going to...