According to an article by Oxfam, the top 1% of the world’s richest own even more wealth than 95% of the rest of the world. If we come to think about it, shouldn’t the world’s resources be more fairly distributed? How are the rich fairing in sharing their wealth with the needy? To be fair, a huge portion of these people’s wealth may be tied to their companies that help provide employment to many. Also, these people may have also... Read more
Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Our Blessed Mother allows us to share in the grief of both Mother and Son as well as to be consoled in our own sorrows. As we pray the seven Hail Marys, we can reflect on the particular events of Mary’s life to grow in our faith and draw closer to her heart. Hers was a sorrowful heart pierced by a sword, a heart that weeps with her Son and that weeps with us... Read more
The Carthusians, an enclosed religious order founded by St. Bruno of Cologne in 1084 have this very profound motto: “The Cross is steady while the world turns.” It is no wonder that even today, not much of their way of life has changed. With monasteries across America, Europe and Asia, they are a witness to the truth embodied by their motto. Much of the world has indeed changed, but the truth found in Christ remains. The Carthusians, however, do not... Read more
There will always be a kind of sorrow in our Christian life. For us Catholics, this is very evident in the way we make the sign of the cross and keep our crucifixes posted in our homes and places of work. It is also shown in our devotions where we often recall the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. While Pope John Paul II reminded us that we are the “Easter people” who should rejoice, it doesn’t take... Read more
As Christians, we often contemplate upon the passion and death of Jesus Christ. While I was reflecting upon the crucifixion of Jesus one morning in prayer, a thought suddenly came to mind. What could Jesus have seen up there from where He was crucified? What did He see? Somehow, I remembered that there was a painting that wanted to show just that, Jesus’ view from the cross. I searched the internet to find out if I remembered it right, and... Read more
Have you ever wondered if there were times when Jesus couldn’t perform His miracles? If Jesus is so powerful, why can’t miracles happen more often? Why don’t we see it happening more in our time? There is one Bible verse that can help us understand Jesus more when it comes to His miracles: “And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.” Matthew 13:58 (NABRE) Could this Bible verse point us to that one... Read more
“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
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