CHRIST defined it very clearly. When told that his mother, Mary, was in the crowd wanting to see him while he was preaching, he said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Lk 8,21) It was...
THAT’S the lesson we can get when Christ said that “no one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8,16) And...
In 2024 and 2025 World Press studies rated the Philippines as dangerous for media based on the number of newspersons killed yearly. That is one angle. I believe our press is one of the most free and liveliest in the world. Rappler’s Ressa posted many...
(An excerpt of the Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D. in his Homily during the 88th Parochial Fiesta of San Nicolas de Tolentino Cathedral, Mati, Davao City, September 10, 2025.) Karong adlawa dili lang fiesta sa Mati Cathedral, also the fiesta of Tandag Cathedral, and also...
As we joyfully commemorate Laity Week in the Philippines from September 22-28, 2025, our hearts turn to the wisdom of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II). This celebration is not only a tradition, but a living reminder of the lay faithful’s irreplaceable...
(An excerpt of the homily of Bishop Abel Apigo, D.D., Bishop of Mati, during the fiesta of San Nicolas de Tolentino Cathedral, Mati, September 10, 2025) “Say nothing of this. Give thanks to God and not me. I am only an earthen vessel, a poor sinner.”...
WE should not be surprised by this reality. No matter how much we try to keep ourselves clean—physically, mentally, spiritually, etc.—we always manage to get dirty in one way or another, sooner or later. That’s part of our limited and wounded condition here in this...
TO be upfront about this point, it is when we do everything for the glory of God when we can truly achieve the perfection of Christian morality. Our human acts should not just be done to pursue a purely natural goal, no matter how legitimate...
IT’S a given that we are all sinners. No matter how much we try to be sinless, we still manage to fall into sin one way or another, sooner or later. We should just acknowledge this condition of ours, and do what we need to...
THAT was the conclusion Christ drew from what he told the men of his time. (cfr. Lk 7,31-35) “To what shall I compare the people of this generation?” he asked. “They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We...