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 words of our guide as he welcomed us last night, after two days of visiting the holy sights of Jordan: “Keep in mind always that…

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 of the parish, I listened attentively to this person and made assurance that we will be organizing outreach ministries to the poor and needy. A…

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 understand politics as “the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over government” and of “competition between competing groups or individuals for power…

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 was a Buddhist monk.  Both were praying according to their faith tradition – the Buddhist monk with his wooden beads and the Catholic priest with…

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 generosity and compassion to others, especially the poor and the weak.” He looked and smiled at me and then kept quiet. He probably did no…

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: Reflections on “A Course in Miracles”and Iluminata: A Return to Prayer, have been in the list of bestsellers. The other day, my friend sent me an…

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 me to answer with another question: will all your prayers make the sun rise tomorrow? Of course not. The sun rises in obedience to a universal…

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 brokenness and ordinariness. He has also effected simplicity and clarity in my writing skill. A few days ago, I decided again to read one of…

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 it. But we know that this is not always the case in life. Storms come by naturally and monsoon rains would disrupt our routines. Accidents…

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 9, Maureen has led a productive and fulfilled life. One can only appreciate Maureen’s courage, determination and positive attitude if he or she understands what…

“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. “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little,” Philip replied. “There is a boy…

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 is he trying to say?” Definitely, the message sounds narcissistic, but I wonder what leads this man to walk around wearing this t-shirt. Is he…

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 last week to qualify for the Champions’ Competition. That meant that despite not having received any national or international awards yet, Immaculate Heart of Mary…

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 he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and John?” And they took offense at him. As Jesus experienced this…

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 curiosity and awe. “How cute,” one of my priest-friends commented. The photo, indeed, worth a thousand words, is something to behold and to cherish for…

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, money, power, and prestige. We feel blessed if we have attained a high level of success in our profession; we feel blessed if we belong…

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 care that he receives from his parents. After Mass, Jonathan would ask me for my blessing. “Padre, echeme su bendicion,” he would always plea. Of…

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 dramatic; they can be simple and ordinary. The other day, I was sitting with a priest-friend in a nearby coffee shop when one of the…

“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 my answer and why this simple-minded man asked me if Jesus is coming soon. Was he influenced by the apocalyptic preaching of his Korean brothers…

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, gratitude, and grace. My younger sister thought that it was “priceless,” especially in seeing her little kids and another practice as altar servers. For me,…

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 parochial school. Now administrators, principals, pastors, and bishops are anxiously thinking of and implementing ways to fill empty seats in classrooms. Last Wednesday’s Educational Summit…

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, has dubbed our elementary school as LA’s Little School that Could. The popular magazine put on its cover story of April issue our children’s choir,…

“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 recounted Jesus’ appearance to them after he resurrected from the dead. They were words of intimacy and connection, words of assurance and love. He had…

“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.” These were the famous words of Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles, who we nicknamed “The Doubting Thomas.” When I appropriate these words to the…

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 has given us the power to transform ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. “People are hungry for God,” he…

AS WE celebrate Palm Sunday this year, to commemorate the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem before his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, I invite you to reflect on the words of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, to the people of Cuba as he entered their county, a truly impressive and historic visit: “I carry in my…

IT would be dishonest for us to say that we wouldn’t want an easy life. Who wants to be poor? Who wants to struggle all the time? Who does not want to enjoy some pleasures of life? Even the poor nun who ministers to people living in squatter areas desires comfort and release from seeing…

EVERYONE’S life will always be beset by some trials and difficulties, however prosperous, successful and pleasurable it is. We cannot run away from the Cross; it will always be a part of us. That’s the reality of life. As we often hear, “it is for what it is.” Now, this may be sound pessimistic for…

BEING blind is absolutely a terrible fate that one can have. Imagine one’s self not being able to see the world – its life and colors. Imagine not being able to see the faces of loved ones especially those of one’s children or one’s spouse. Imagine not being able to see one’s features – one’s…

“TRUST is the foundation of marriage,” my dear friend Prosy said during a dinner engagement. “Certainly, it is the basis for any other relationships, whether it is friendship, business, or church,” I responded. “Take away trust and everything would crumble.” I remember preaching about this to my parishioners as we continued our pledge to renovate…