Many Christians, even bishops, priests, pastors, religious men and women and lay women and lay men, have heard Muslims begin their public utterances with BISMILLAH AL-RAHMAN AL-RAHIM. Translated into English, the Arabic words mean, "In the name of God, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful."...
As ordered by the late pope St. John Paul II the first Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday which is April 3 this year. We are also within the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy which Pope Francis opened last 8 December 2015. With mercy as the motto of his papacy Pope...
There are four reasons why we have to do this. This reflection is being offered to help us begin a new way of relating with others. Easter gives human life a new beginning because of the resurrection of Jesus. First, we belong to one family of...
We can consider suffering as a problem and as a mystery. When suffering is viewed as a human problem we usually analyze its causes and effects and discuss possible solutions. We usually look to science to help us solve the problem. Scientific solutions are human...
Many people will have to make serious decisions about the elections and candidates. These serious decisions are about serious issues. They are serious because they are about morality in the conduct of the electoral process managed by Comelec and the candidates’ moral values, character, and...
In the 1960s the CBCP accepted a unique proposal of NASSA headed at that time by Infanta Bishop Julio Labayen. The proposal was a Lenten Evangelization Program called ALAY KAPWA. The uniqueness of the program was the use of the observances of Lent as an opportunity...
In a quick flashback we can say that EDSA 1 was a peaceful people power move that ousted President Ferdinand E. Marcos. EDSA 2 was another peaceful people’s uprising that forced President Joseph E. Estrada out of Malacañang. What do they have in common? To non-historians...
Once again the Church in the heat of the present election campaign calls Catholics to look intensely at the unfolding events from the standpoint faith. This faith, our basis for celebrating the Holy Season of Lent, has something to tell us about the meaning of...
Sacra is a Latin word for Sacred. Mentality means attitude, awareness, sensitivity or simply sense. Put together Sacramentality means attitude towards, awareness of, sensitivity for or sense of, the sacred. There are people then for whom everything, persons or thing, is a sacrament of God’s...
These two words were used by the Archbishop of Cebu Jose Palma when he officially opened the Theological Symposium on Jan. 22 as preliminary reflection before the celebration of the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City. What do words mean? And why the question mark? “Sacramentalized”,...
