“Soundness of heart is the life of the flesh: but envy is the rottenness of the bones.” – Proverbs 14:30 (DRA) Have you ever felt some kind of envy in your heart? Whether we admit it or not, we have all felt some form of envy at one time or the other. Some of us may have fallen into its trap while some of us may have learned its disastrous effects and have successfully overcome it over time. What is... Read more
I have sometimes wondered about the plight of those who have been deceived by evil. The fact that they have been deceived could imply after all, that they were not fully aware of what they were doing. And if this was always the case, how could they be punished for the evil they didn’t mean to accomplish? This can be all the more significant during our time when the temptation to believe the deceptions of the evil one is quite... Read more
We Catholics go to mass at least weekly. That is about 52 times in a year. If you have attended weekly mass for the last ten years, then you have listened to a homily 520 times! Considering this number, we can learn so much just by listening every week to our parish priest’s homily. And this does not even count those who attend daily mass. I am truly grateful for all the priests who have responded to God’s call, working... Read more
There’s nothing as fulfilling as knowing that you have helped another person discover God’s salvation. Out of the abundance of love that God has poured forth to us, we also want to share that love with as many people as we possibly could! Along the way, however, our initial zeal may be dampened by various disappointments. The person we’re talking to may misinterpret what we’re saying. Others simply walk away without being convinced. Still, others find our talk judgmental and... Read more
“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.” – Matthew 10:8-10 (NRSVCE) When I first read the above Bible verses, the first thing that came to mind was poverty. I understood it to mean that anyone who wants to follow Christ... Read more
In our secular world, more and more people are practicing the occult without knowing its dangers. While Christianity teaches that the only valid source of power is God, the occult invokes other means of power that promise to be manipulated at will. How many people practice New Age, Eastern and other pagan practices without knowing the risks involved in doing so? While books like Harry Potter continue to entice the young to dwell on magic, health and fitness buffs engage... Read more
I have always been wary of lessons taught as though emotions are never important when it comes to prayer. Maybe you have heard them, too. The ones that say we shouldn’t care about how we feel as long as we have the will to please the Lord. While I can understand the motive of such thoughts, there is something within me that doesn’t quite agree. It is true that we shouldn’t give in to fleeting emotions. So many relationships have... Read more
Without God, what would our lives be? It would have been a life-long search for meaning and never finding it. It would have been a futile attempt to love and be loved. It would have been an empty series of amusements without ever finding true happiness and peace. Deep inside, I think every person has this yearning to be good. But if we can be honest with ourselves, we can only be good up to a certain extent. We can... Read more
Have you ever noticed how some people view religion? When people say that they are spiritual but not religious, they seem to be avoiding a stereotypical image of what being religious means. And what is this stereotype image? I think it is the image of a pious person who is bound by strict rules but feels empty deep within. It is the image of self-righteous people with no compassion for others. And it is the image of saints who can... Read more
There are only two places left in the world where there is no divorce: the Vatican, and the Philippines. Sadly, the Philippines is in danger of passing a divorce bill after it has been approved by Congress. Now that it has already been transmitted to the Senate, the sanctity of marriage in the country is seriously being threatened. While the intentions of those who intend to pass this law may include concern for those who may be gravely affected by... Read more
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