THAT’S the very nature of love, if it’s true love, one that is a vital participation and reflection of the very essence of God which is also meant to be our own essence, since we are God’s image and likeness. It’s a love that never says...
THIS refers to Christ who, after preaching in a synagogue, left a deep impression on the people who compared the way he preached with the way the scribes preached. (cfr. Mk 1,22) This gospel episode somehow reminds us, especially priests, about how preaching should be properly...
SOON after John the Baptist was arrested, Christ told the people, “The time has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Gospel,” (Mk 1,15) after which he chose 12 apostles from among the disciples he managed to gather at...
How can we reconcile our roles as priests, prophets, and kings in the modern world? Baptism imparts a thoughtful identity to believers, integrating them into the priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission of Christ. As priests, the baptized are called to offer their lives as spiritual sacrifices,...
(An excerpt of the homily of the Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles D.D. during the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord in San Pedro Cathedral Parish, January 5, 2024.) Epiphany comes from the Greek word, epiphaneia.. to make known, to reveal, to show, pagpakita, pagpadayag…...
IF we wonder why Christ had to be baptized by St. John the Baptist, the quick answer is that Christ wanted to institute the Sacrament of Baptism through which we would be recreated from our wounded human nature due to the sin of our first...
THAT’S what St. John in his First Letter said. “Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God,” he said. Christ himself said it in a most explicit way, assuring that everything will be ok as...
WITH all the rapidly evolving developments we are having these days, we need to learn how to live our Christian faith consistently. This can indeed be a big challenge since this is practically like breaking a new frontier where things are still new and quite...
THIS was clearly spelled out in the First Letter of St. John. “If God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (4,11) Christ himself, of course, specified it beforehand when he, before ascending into heaven, said it as the new commandment....
INDEED, that is how true love is. It never says enough in its self-giving. If it would cost one’s life, so be it. It would always take the initiative, never waiting for some favorable conditions to start loving. It may involve some episodes of anger,...