Musing on this solemn November
WE began this month of November with two feast days that are close to our hearts as Catholics: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. These subsequent feast days set…
Jesus’ desire for us
WHAT do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked Bartimaeus, the blind man in this Sunday’s Gospel. Wasn’t this the same question he raised to James and John,…
The radical way of Jesus
PARTS of the joy of my recently concluded Holy Land Pilgrimage were the company of two young brothers in their 20s and my conversations with them. Often after supper, we…
Greetings from the Holy Land
AS I write this article early in the morning of Thursday, the 4th of October, on the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, I remember the strong and honest…
Of faith and action
YEARS ago, a parishioner was complaining to me that our church was not doing enough work to alleviate the sufferings of the poor in our neighborhood. Being the new pastor…
On being the least of all
WE often hear that “politics” exists not only in governments but also in corporations, schools, civic organizations, and even in churches. We find this contention to be true when we…
The purpose of prayer
A FEW days ago, I was telling my parishioners in a homily about a Catholic priest who was traveling by train through Siberia. Sitting next to him in the train…
On living generously
I WAS telling my close friend about his personal qualities. “I admire your intelligence, prayerfulness, and convivial nature,” I said. “But what I admire most about you is your genuine…
Religion of the heart
A DEAR friend introduced me to the writings of Marianne Williamson, a spiritual writer, activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance. Two of her books, A Return to Love:…
On staying in God’s presence
I have shared with friends on Facebook a profound dialogue I read in Paulo Coelho’s new book, Aleph: “But isn’t prayer a way of bringing us closer to God?” “Allow…
On interruptions
Henri J.M. Nouwen, one of the great spiritual writers of the modern times, has influenced my personal spirituality and writing skill. He has helped me to see grace in my…
When tempests come
When the water is calm and the sailing is smooth, we feel happy and stable. We don’t want this state of serenity to end; we just want to stay with…
What illness and pain can do
MAUREEN Pratt, the speaker of the month this August of our parish’s centennial year, impressed many of us with her talk and example. Despite suffering from lupus erythematosus since age…
Fed by the Eucharist, a testament of faith
“WHERE can we buy enough food for them to eat?,” Jesus asked Philip, one the disciples, as he saw a vast crowd of about five thousand in number following them….
On spending some Me time
A MAN who goes to the gym, where I work out , would flaunt a t-shirt with bold lettering, IT’S ALL ABOUT ME. “Hmmm,” I would often muse, “what message…
Equipping our children with trust and power of God
JOINING the Goliaths of the world choirs! That’s what I thought as our children’s choir sung in front of the international judges of the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio…
From admiration to rejection
FIRST, the admiration, then, the rejection. “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands? Is…
On children of the world
LITTLE Gavin fixed his eyes on every ritual of the Mass that I was celebrating for our family a few weekends ago. A photo of him on Facebook shows his…
Small things matter
AT TIMES, we become blind to the enormous graces that are around us. It’s because we tend to measure grace according to the vain values of the world, particularly popularity,…
God and His dynamic and caring nature
JONATHAN’S innocent face always glows, especially when he serves at Mass and sees me presiding. The glow also comes from being part of an active church and from the utmost…
Everyday: A pentecost moment
THERE can be moments of depth in our everyday lives–times when God reveals something to us or makes us feel his quiet presence. These moments do not have to be…
He’s coming back soon!
“PADRE, Jesus regresara pronto, verdad?”, a mentally challenged Korean man asked me in heavily accented Spanish at our church patio. “Si,” I responded without thinking much. Then I mused about…
On speaking with authority
I STILL think fondly of the intimate Mass I celebrated last Saturday with my family on my ailing father’s 80th birthday. It was a moment filled with depth, intimacy, laughter,…
Keeping the faith: On Catholic school education
IT’S NOT a secret – US Catholic schools are struggling with low enrollment. Years ago, some children would even be on “waiting list” of acceptance, hoping to get in a…
It’s still Easter Sunday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church!
MY parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary, has a lot to celebrate nowadays! Besides celebrating a successful and well-attended celebration of its centennial year, St. Anthony Messenger, a national Catholic magazine,…
Intimacy with God
“LOOK at my hands, and my feet, that it is I, myself. Touch me and see me… he showed them his hands and his feet.” This was how the Disciples…
Don’t tell me – show me!
“UNLESS I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put may hand into his side, I will not believe.”…
An Easter message
DURING the Chrism Mass last Monday at the Cathedral of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez told us, the priests of the archdiocese, to value our priesthood — for God…