THERE is an interesting episode in the gospel where Christ mentioned the great power of prayer and fasting. It is recorded both in the gospels of St. Matthew (17,14-21) and St. Mark (9,17-21). It is about a man who begged Christ to cast out a...
THAT’S from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. (7,29) It means that time is short. It strongly reminds us that we cannot afford to waste time which is a most precious resource we have in fulfilling the ultimate goal of our life. The...
“Adoro te devote, latens Deitas.” So starts that famous Eucharistic hymn composed by St. Thomas Aquinas. It means, “Hidden here before me, Lord, I worship you.” And it continues, “Quae sub his figuris vere latitas,” which means, “Hidden in these symbols, yet completely true.” The words...
IN any group that we may belong to, be it a family, a neighborhood, a class, an office, etc., we should have that concern for one another such that we form one organic whole whose parts or members know what to do and help each...
[caption id="attachment_22238" align="alignright" width="350"] A 1922 sketch of Franciscan missionaries, in their simple cassocks, in California. (Wikipedia Commons)[/caption] 2,000 years ago, Christ told the apostles and disciples to go out and spread the good news despite great risks and sacrifices. The apostles and disciples carried out...
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In these recent days, we feel again, with growing intensity, the pain and shame, because of the many revelations of sexual misconduct, most particularly those done against minors but not only minors, committed by a significant number of clerics, a number...
The coming to Davao of the holy relic of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina and the thousands of devotees patiently lining up to touch it brings to mind what is usually called "Filipino popular religiosity". By this term is meant that the Filipino people express their...
Last October 15, 2018, I was one of those who went to San Pedro Cathedral with the intention of seeing and touching the relic of St. Padre Pio that of his incorruptible heart. Sadly, my first attempt at around 9 am was futile. There were...
WE need to know the character of our human acts, i.e., those acts that we do knowingly and willingly. In other words, human acts are those we do freely, for which we are therefore responsible. They have to be distinguished from the acts of man which...
WE obviously have to be governed by the rule of law. Without the law, we can only expect disorder and chaos, and all the forms of injustice. But we need to distinguish between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and...