IT’S, of course, a given. Prayer is basic in our life of piety because that is our personal effort to get in touch with God. All other acts of piety would be of no value if they are not done as prayer or, at least,...
I SAW that phrase in one of the daily prayers for priests, the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Breviary. It struck me immediately since it reminded me of how charity should be. It should be ardent, never cold, and blazing, never like a dying...
CHRIST himself made such description and definition of a true Christian. They strike us as something strange from a purely human point of view. But given our wounded condition and our ideal status as children of God whose essence is pure love, the Beatitudes give...
(An excerpt of the homily of the Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D. during the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 16, 2025 @ San Pedro Cathedral.) Woe to you who are rich, meaning ang atong kalipay pangkalibutan lang or kung mao na imong paglaom you...
The call to priesthood is a call to love—one that requires deep intimacy with Christ. As Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”, so too must every seminarian respond with a love that overflows into service. Formation is not merely an academic pursuit but a...
God created the church and government of nations to help and guide the people of the world. We are children of the house of the Lord. We are citizens of the countries where we were born. These two bodies are our earthly foundations. The church...
WHY oh why did Christ command his disciples so? (cfr. Lk 6,27) The quick answer is that despite our unavoidable differences and conflicts, even the very serious ones, in the end we are all brothers and sisters, we are all children of God, and we...
WE have to realize that we all have a mission in this life. It’s a common mission to seek personal sanctity that always goes together with doing apostolate. It starts with oneself, then in the family and eventually should cover as far as possible in...
IF there’s one aspect in our life that most needs a sporting spirit, I would say it should be in our spiritual life, in our relation with God and with others. It’s there, in the game of life, where we should play our best, knowing...
WE should relish this truth of our faith. God wants to share what he has with us. He takes the initiative. That he created us without us, endowing us with all sorts of things, foremost of which are our spiritual faculties and the grace which...