YES, we have every reason to be most happy when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let’s hope that when we greet each other, ‘Happy Easter,’ we would really mean it and know what is behind that greeting. Let’s exhume that happy...
What kind of an Easter Message can I give in these difficult days? If one watches news on television, both national and international, and watches them not only with one's eyes and mind but with one's heart, one can easily be overwhelmed by this grim...
IN case you will miss the broadcast of the seven last words of Christ, given our present condition, I am repeating them here with some commentaries for whatever it is worth. Indeed, I must say that the seven last words of Christ have a special and...
Because of the pandemic, we may not be able to attend the liturgical celebration of Holy Thursday which normally involves the celebration of the Chrism Mass in the morning (though this can be transferred to another day) and that of the Mass of the Last...
THESE days when we are in the middle of both the holiest of weeks and the dreaded coronavirus pandemic, it might be a good idea to recover that pious practice of meditating on the passion and death of the cross, looking intently on the image...
“WHOEVER keeps my word will never see death.” (Jn 8,51) That’s what Christ clearly said. Of course, these are words that have to be taken in faith. Otherwise, there is no way we can take them seriously, especially nowadays when there are just so many philosophies...
AS we begin the Holy Week and are made to contemplate the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, let’s take advantage of this liturgical celebration to re-appreciate the true value of meekness by deepening our understanding of that virtue. Many of us are afraid to play...
GUIDELINES ON OUR HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS We made our guidelines, which we already sent to you, for our Holy Week Celebrations (Pastoral Advisory #6) after consulting 3 documents: (1) CBCP Recommendations for the Celebrations of Holy Week during the Quarantine Period (2020), (2) the Decree of...
In the last paragraph of last week's Shalom, I wrote: "So, can we get close to knowing something of God's will by being Awake, Alert, Aware? Is it possible to experience such intimacy in moments like this happening called Covid-19? The answer is Yes. I...
Do you not care? This could be a question that each of us may address to God during this time of COVID 19 crisis. While some believe that everything happens for a reason, others doubt why God allowed this crisis to happen. This doubt may...