THESE past weeks have been anxious times for me as I prepare to finish my term of 12 years as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. There are times when I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about my departure–how I would miss the people I’ve served for many years. After…

THE words of St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13 would always relevant to us: “Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” These are words that apply…

FR. ANDREW Chung’s words during his First Mass as a newly-ordained priest still ring in my ears: “New vestments, new chalice, newly ordained priest…These are all things that will fade away, and yet what we are reminded by the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord is that while most things fade away, the one…

WHEN I see people praying ardently in church, I would remember Edith Stein (also known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) — a German Jewish philosopher, who converted to the Roman Catholic Church and became a Discalced Carmelite. Once before her conversion, she was passing by a magnificent cathedral in Germany. Intrigued by its…

THE advice of St. Peter to new converts to Christianity in the Second Reading this Sunday, 1 Peter 3:15-18, resonate with many us: “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that that is the will of God, than doing evil.” Truly, many of us have experienced misunderstanding, persecution, and calumny for doing something…

“LIFE can be messy,” I told my friend the other day as we were talking about the problems and challenges of people in families, parishes, and other communities. “It’s definitely not a perfect world, “ I added. “The reality is that no matter how we try our best to build a good church or school…

WHILE enjoying a quiet dinner with the monks of St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo, California during my day-off last Thursday, Fr. Francis, the former abbot, was on the microphone reading excerpts from the writings of St John of the Cross. I tried to catch every word that he was reading despite being distracted by a…

YES, it ‘s official. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez has appointed me as a Member of St. John’s Seminary Faculty beginning the 1st of July this year. As I pray and reflect on this new assignment, I realize how critical it is to prepare future priests.  At the same time, I feel privileged to be part…

WE commemorated three principal mysteries in our liturgy last Holy Week during Holy Thursday Mass:  the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood; and Christ’s commandment of fraternal love. These three mysteries reminded me of a testimony of a fellow priest last Holy Monday before Chrism Mass during a clergy’s afternoon of reflection…

I ALWAYS remember what my spiritual mentor, Nim Gonzales, once said:  “At times, the unpleasant things that we reject in our lives, such as our struggles, our pains or our crosses, become our cornerstone.” He made this remark in reference to Jesus’ words that “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Nim…

“ May we never lose patience and hope in any painful period of waiting. May God strengthen us in every dark moment of life!” IT’S been five weeks since Malaysia Airlines 370 was reported missing and, still, it has not been found despite massive search of several countries. Families have been grieving almost endlessly, and at…

THE Pope broke another protocol. Usually, he confesses to a priest in private, but two weeks ago, he surprised everyone at St. Peter’s Basilica. He bowed down before the congregation and went to confession in public –  to an ordinary priest in one of the confessional booths. People were stunned and amazed at what the…

IN challenging and difficult times, how can we maintain peace? What we can we do to keep our minds sane and our spirits high? “We’ll just have to keep hoping that it will get better,” we would say.  “We’ll just have to trust God,” we would add. Perhaps the drink from the bucket that the…

“  We can’t always stay up in the mountain, we’ve got to come down from the mountain where our people are. We’ve got to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the imprisoned and liberate the oppressed. For in these acts of heroic love, goodness, and generosity are found the…

“DO not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will take care of itself.” These words of Jesus are wise and unburdening but they’re challenging. It’s because for many of us, it’s not easy not to worry about the future such as our next meal, the education of our children, or our retirement. It’s not easy not to…

ASCESIS is another term for self-discipline. It comes from the Greek word, askesis, which literally means exercise. During this Lenten season, God calls us to a period of ascesis. The term can make us fearful or hesitant because it calls us to give up our appetites for pleasure and material things. It calls us to curb…

WHEN Jesus said in the Gospel that he came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, he meant it well. In fact, he wants this Law of Love to come to fruition in many concrete ways, to penetrate and to affect our lives deeply.  For following this Law makes us holy, which means…

IN HIS homily on Valentine’s Day, Pope Francis reminded all that love is “not a mere emotion, a psycho-physical state…it is a relationship, a growing reality.” May I also say that one’s heart can be filled with overflowing love for someone, but it can also bleed, not because it is not willing to forgive and…

A POOR man asked a priest, “Why am a poor? The priest answered, “Because you have not learned to give? “What can I give, I don’t have anything,” the poor man responded. “You have a few things, “ the priest told him. “You have a face that can smile, lips that can speak words of…

IT’S not everyday that we have a strong faith and prayer life. It’s not all the time that we’re passionate about living or we’re happy with our selves. There are times when we’re not filled with zest or motivation to continue the path that we’ve chosen. When these feelings come, we must never get discouraged. …

“VANITY of vanities. All things are vanities!” Some thinkers say that these words from the Book of Ecclesiastes are the harshest words of the Old Testament Bible and yet the most Christian ones. It’s because they prepare us for the words of Christ in the Gospel. They expose us to the ruthlessness of life and…

I STILL think fondly about my enjoyable trip to Guatemala and El Salvador. I think not so much about the places that I visited but the warm encounters that I had with the people there. I remember the times that I sat at dinner table with some families and friends and engaged in joyous conversations…

THE cool and refreshing wind of Naga caresses my face and reminds me of my youthful days in the minor seminary. I remember those days vividly, particularly those times when I would walk around the grounds of the seminary on a stormy morning, singing psalms of praise and writing poems to God. They were fresh…

ONE of my great mentors in the seminary taught me and my peers not only to be holy but also to be prudent, not in the sense of acquiring a great deal of knowledge on theology but in having practical wisdom of dealing with personal matters and pastoral ministry. For example, whereas the general norm…

HAVE you been in a  place with people from around the world? If so, you must have found it to be an amazing experience. You must have realized the capacity of human beings to bond  together, to be one in bringing harmony and peace, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became human for this purpose–…

WE get a treat of three parables in this Sunday’s Mass. The first and second parables are  preparatory to the third one, a much longer parable. The first one is about a shepherd who has one hundred sheep. Upon realizing that one is missing, he leaves  the ninety nine sheep to search for the lost…

AS we celebrate the New Year, let’s remember the famous words of Dag Hammarskjold, the Swedish diplomat and second Secretary-General of the United Nations, “For all that has been, thank you. For all that is to come, yes!” These words imply two great attitudes: gratitude and openness to God’s will. We’re thankful to God for…

OF ALL the universal themes in life, “family” is one that is closest to our hearts. It one of the “favorite things” that we can talk about and one that can either bring a great deal of joy or anguish to anyone of us. On holidays like Christmas and New Year, we long to be…

ONCE again, the Simbang Gabi Masses in our parish have been filled with excitement, joy and faith. Each early morning has been a period of reflection, heartfelt songs and prayer. Each homily has been engaging, humorous, and meaningful. Thanks to our visiting preacher from Butuan, Philippines, Fr. Randy Odchigue. But each Simbang Gabi Mass and homily should bring deep…

I WAS in awe of the beauty of the liturgies and the devotion of our parishioners during the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe last Thursday. I marveled at the piety of the people who came to church, the zeal of the organizers, and the profound words spoken about the feast. Like an earnest parishioner…