“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
The Christian world is still left shocked after the unthinkable mockery of the Last Supper at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. At the said event, Jesus was portrayed as a woman along with other transgender apostles. Before them was a stage mimicking the Last Supper table, but instead of a place for bread and wine, it was used as a platform for very provocative performances. While the Olympics organizers have since apologized and claimed that it never intended... Read more
If you have ever felt frustrated because you’re not making progress in your spiritual life, you are not alone. Many believers also experience times of spiritual dryness or desolation, those times when they feel they’re not moving forward in their walk with God. The important thing is that you were able to identify the problem. Now, you can begin to take the necessary steps to re-ignite your faith. If you would like to find progress again in your spiritual life,... Read more
“Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendor.” -Saint Padre Pio No person on earth has ever followed Jesus as closely as Mary had. Didn’t she carry Him in her womb? For thirty years, she lived by His side, taking care of Him and helping Him in everything. Even at His very last moments, she was there: meeting Him as He carried the cross, watching His... Read more
Many people today are turned off by the idea of having to suffer for the sake of holiness. For them, the image of a Catholic saint who had to go through unimaginable ordeals and martyrdom is not a very enticing one. Why suffer when all you want is to be happy? Doesn’t God want us to be happy, too? It’s not easy to understand how a good God would allow so much suffering. And it’s harder to grasp why His... Read more
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