“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.”-William Shakespeare, Ask You Like It Musicals, to me, are like a love affair. For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with musicals. In spite of all the tragedy and internet debate, I still looked forward to the Tony awards. Now I know that award shows can get... Read more
There’s this saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. People put all sorts of labels and preconceptions on women and we have this tendency that being a woman or being of a certain race, ethnicity, or sexuality means that we have to look and act a certain way. Sometimes, we believe society and think that we have to act like everyone else who has the same labels as us in order to belong. But the... Read more
There is a reason why justice and mercy go hand in hand. Like the rest of the internet, I was disgusted over the way-too-lenient sentence that Brock Turner received from the judge. While I am devoted to Divine Mercy and advocate forgiveness, I also know that six months in jail is not actual justice. Brock Turner isn’t sorry. Which is why, instead of screaming “Rape culture” and “Check your privilege,” I am asking Saint Maria Goretti and Alessandro Serenelli to... Read more
From today’s reflection: No matter how far you feel you’ve fallen, or how long it’s been since you last talked to that person, it is never too late to ask God for forgiveness, to forgive yourself, or to start forgiving the ones who’ve hurt you. In short, mercy and forgiveness have no expiration date. Read the rest here! Read more
From today’s reflection: Everyone has their weaknesses, their vulnerable spots, the parts of their souls that are the most susceptible to temptation. Some people have a very bad temper. Others struggle with gossiping or lying or with emotional chastity. Even if we’re not addicted to “hard substances” like alcohol or drugs, our tendency to desire sin can lead us to one of four addictions: wealth, pleasure, power, and honor. Sin can be a bad habit to have and at some... Read more
From today’s reflection: Today’s passage is definitely soap opera worthy. Heck, give this story to the writers of Game of Thrones and you could easily see this happening on HBO: A king lusts over the wife of one of his soldiers, sleeps with her, gets her pregnant, and then kills her husband by sending him over to the front lines where he was guaranteed to die. This is one of King David’s worst moments. If this was a Shakespeare play,... Read more
You know, for a society that claims to be so tolerant and open, we sure have a funny way of showing it! It seems like I’m seeing reasons why we need mercy, compassion, and forgiveness everywhere. Over the long weekend, the internet exploded over the death of a gorilla. Suddenly, everyone becomes an expert in parenting and handling gorillas. I don’t deny the fact that there could have been ways to prevent all this from happen, but as things stand right... Read more
From today’s reflection: Let’s take a look at a person who committed a sin that some people still haven’t forgiven. He betrayed Jesus around the hour of his death, abandoned Jesus even when he swore up and down that he would always be there for his Savior. In spite of the fact that he betrayed Christ, though, he still became a great leader. In fact, he becomes the head of the Church. Yep, Saint Peter had an experience with confession,... Read more
Why do we need Confession? Why do we need to confess our sins to a priest? How often should we go to Confession? Find out in today’s reflection here! Read more
From today’s reflection: One often misunderstood aspect about God’s grace is that we have to deserve it. Nobody deserves God’s grace or mercy. It’s instead given as a gift, whether we feel like we deserve it or not. The Catholic Church holds everyone up to a high standard because our purpose in life is to be a saint. At the same time, the Church loves us so unconditionally that no matter how far we fall, we can return to the... Read more
Monique Ocampo Writes
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