Jesus invites us today to trust God’s providence and to be surprised by His graces prepared along the way as we meet people and embrace events in our life. In this way, we become more welcoming of God’s presence and accepting of God’s graces.Continue reading Take nothing for the journey. Seriously?
To seek recognition, affirmation and praise are all part of growing up. We see this among our children as they always try to get the attention of their parents or among the adults around them. Children have their own way of getting attention. However, when parents become indifferent to this need of a child, this could leave a hallow and painful part in the life of a child. Thus, when the child becomes an adult, he or she would most probably continue seeking recognition and affirmation from people around in order to satisfy that need which the person did not receive from home.Continue reading God is Generous
This is what Jesus is trying to teach us today in our gospel. Work is not necessarily and always connected with wage or money. Work is more than just receiving or deserving a just payment or wage. There is more value in our human work and labor than just earning money or wage for it. To equate and limit work with wage undermines the dignity of work of God and man. Take for example, the work of mother at home, the work of a priest, a teacher to educate, a doctor to heal, a farmer, a fisherman, and a public servant. Deep inside, we know that the work we do is more than just the wage we receive because we dignify our human labor as our vocation and mission in participation with God’s work.Continue reading Work FOR What?
Why follow Jesus? Why support him in his ministry? Each of them had their own stories with Jesus, stories of conversion and renewal, stories from brokenness to healing, from death to life. Each of them must have this real encounter with the person of Jesus. That encounter must have brought a total change in their life and in the way they were responding to life.Continue reading Working with Jesus
Jesus invites us to learn from her. She who recognized her sinfulness, allowed Jesus to transform her life. Her actions towards Jesus was her expression of her affection and at the same time of her need of forgiveness, Jesus who is the face of the Father’s mercy, willingly granted her forgiveness.
When we become persons who recognize our failures and sins, we become persons who also see hope and life. We become persons who become positive with life and at the same time positive with others. We become happy persons.
This is what Jesus wants us because recognition and forgiveness of sins allows us to unburden ourselves from guilt. This will also allow God to work in us.Continue reading Power of Asking Forgiveness
The pain and suffering that come from those broken relationships create deep wounds in us. And will forgiveness be possible then? Yes, it is. And forgiveness will always be a call for each of us.
Hence, unless we find forgiveness in our hearts that begins with accepting and embracing those painful experiences and go on with life, then, we will not be free.
Remember, forgiveness will make us free. It will not erase the scar of betrayal or of abuse or of deceit in our life but we will be able to stand up, to wipe our tears and go on with life.Continue reading Life and Freedom in forgiveness
“To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Easy for us to say these words at times to make excuses for our wrongdoings and to ask forgiveness for our mistakes. However, we also say same words of excuse to refuse forgiveness to those who have wronged and hurt us. “What can I do, I’m only human.” “Pasensya lang, tao lang po.” These words in fact describe not only our human frailty but also our difficulties of forgiving others. Perhaps asking forgiveness is much easier than giving forgiveness. But nevertheless to forgive is indeed difficult, especially whenever it is associated with “forgive and forget”.Continue reading Be Forgiven BY Being Forgiving for God
September 9, 2020 – Wednesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090920.cfm) Homily How do we understand being blessed? Usually, when we think of a life that is blessed we think of material wealth and prosperity – like having a good family, a prosperous business, a successful career orContinue reading How blessed am I?
September 7, 2020 – Monday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090720.cfm) Homily True love could never go wrong. The Lord could never inflict any bad thing on anybody. Jesus only desires our wellbeing, our healing, and our freedom. The presence of Jesus among us is the concrete expressionContinue reading True love never goes wrong
September 6, 2020 – 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090620.cfm) Homily Who wants to be corrected? Who wants to be criticized? Being with our friends, with our family or with a community, we cannot really avoid conflicts and tensions. However, a particular difficult situation can be more problematic when weContinue reading Be united in prayer because Christ is in the midst of us
