IF we want to be like Christ, we need to be the world’s salt and light. This, in fact, Christ said so very clearly in the gospel of St. Matthew (5,13-16). We have to seriously figure out how we can conform ourselves to what Christ...
THAT’S what happened to St. John the Baptist. (cfr. Mk 6,14-29) Just because he did not want to lose face before his guests, King Herod finally chose to give in to the request of a dancing girl who, advised by her scheming mother, asked for...
THAT’S from the Gospel of St. Mark (1,15), words spoken by Christ himself when he went into Galilee and proclaimed the Good News of God after John the Baptist was put in prison. After saying this he immediately said: “Repent and believe in the good...
WE should not be surprised by this phenomenon. In the gospel, there are many instances when Christ would leave even those close to him questioning and skeptical about his teachings and ways. When he went to his hometown, for example, and entered the synagogue and started...
THAT’S a verse from the Gospel of St. Matthew. (8,17) It’s actually from the Book of Isaiah (53,4) expressing a prophecy that Christ fulfilled through the many miraculous healings he made while going around preaching. It’s a truth of faith that we need to cultivate and...
THAT’S what we can gather from the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Imagine Christ, the very son of God, submitting himself to some ritual when it would have been unnecessary for him. Obviously, the child Jesus could be exempted from this law, and we...
(An excerpt of the Homily of the Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D. last January 17, 2025 on the Rite of Institution to the Sacred Ministries of Lectorate and Acolytate at San Pedro Cathedral Parish, San Pedro Street, Davao City.) Daghang salamat seminary for allowing us...
The Church celebrates February as Pro Life Month for a special reason. Abortion created a worldwide uproar which divided families 40 years ago. It is still a serious issue though the opposing parties have reduced their tenacity. This is because from the 1980’s to the...
ONCE again, we are presented with the paradoxical teaching of the Beatitudes in the gospel reading of the Mass of the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. (cfr. Mt 5,1-12) We, of course, wonder how these Beatitudes, which flip conventional wisdom, can be the source of...
IT’S actually a very shameless thing to do. But it’s just amazing that many of us resort to this clearly anomalous thing to push our particular view and opinion, especially in the field of politics. As defined, one-upmanship is when someone tries to outdo or one-up...