AT times, the thoughts of past scholars are striking because of how they relate to our present lives. Take, for example, this insight of William Barclay (biblical scholar and theologian) on hope as opposed to pessimism in The Daily Study Bible Series on the Gospel of Mark: Too often experience fills us with pessimism, teaches…
Reading Thomas Merton’s s letters in the book Thomas Merton, A Life in Letters has fascinated me because of the relevance of Merton’s thoughts in today’s world. As you may know, Thomas Merton was one of the influential religious figures of the 20th century. As a monk, mystic, and prophet, he helped form American religious…
What makes education Catholic? It’s a worthy question that many of us—bishops, priests, and laypeople, especially Catholic school parents and students—should think about and answer. The question is not merely about delving into the reasons for sending children to Catholic school but rather understanding the foundation and the vision of faith-based education. Thomas H. Groome,…
“The Lord’s call is not an intrusion of God in our freedom; it is not a ‘cage’ or a burden to be borne. On the contrary, it is the loving initiative whereby God encounters us and invites us to be part of a great undertaking. He opens before our eyes the horizon of a greater…
“THE Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” These were Jesus’ words…
There is so much richness of meanings in this Sunday’s (January 16) Gospel that it would be difficult to point out just one particular thrust. However, it’s understandable because the Gospel of John is known to be full of signs and symbols that represent profound theological insights. But what impresses me about this story are…
WHEN I was in the college seminary, an American Jesuit priest, Father Thomas Greene, wrote two books that became primers for developing a good prayer life. These books were Opening to God: A Guide to Prayer and When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond the Beginnings. They became popular among seminarians, priests, and anyone who…
FOR my New Year’s message, I’m borrowing Fr. Terrence Klein’s reflection in America Magazine on the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” As many of you may know, this 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern, and had…
A warm Christmas greeting to you and your families! I hope you’re enjoying the Christmas season and keeping yourselves in good health. This Sunday’s Feast of the Holy Family falls immediately the day after Christmas. And so it may serve us best to see the importance of faith-filled and loving families like that of Jesus,…
WE’RE in the fourth week of Advent, and it will be Christmas next week! Are you prepared? Prepared to welcome the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus? As I’ve said, the Advent liturgies have allowed us to see in greater depth the meaning of Christmas, the coming of Jesus, the Word-made flesh. For…
JOY! It’s the theme for this Third Sunday’s Advent Liturgy. As a matter of fact, the third Advent candle symbolizes hope. And so, this Sunday’s Scriptures speak loudly about it. In the First Reading (Zephaniah 3:14-18a), we find that Zephaniah invites Zion to rejoice even though most of his prophecies are about predictions of judgment. …
WE are now journeying into the Second Sunday of Advent. Last week, we lit the first candle that symbolizes hope—hope for the world and the Church in these challenging times! This Sunday, the second candle symbolizes faith, which all of us– families and children–need as we face the changing times. I say “changing times” because…
Nick Ortner of The Tapping Solution writes this story: “A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, ‘I am blind, please help.’ There were only a few coins in the hat – spare change from folks as they hurried past….
I LIKE Gerald Darring’s down-to-earth description of the Kingdom of God in his book, To Love and Serve: Lectionary Based Meditations. He states: The Kingdom of God is a space. It exists in every home where parents and children love each other. It exists in every region and country that cares for its weak and…
THE Gospel Reading from Mark 13:24-32 this Sunday (November 14) provokes a sense of vigilance and urgency in us with the following words: Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know…
SOME of you must have heard of Pope Francis’ call for a “synod on synodality.” And you might have asked what it’s all about. First of all, synod (from Greek synodos, assembly) is a local or provincial assembly of bishops and other church officials, and sometimes the laity in a diocese, meeting to resolve questions of discipline,…
“Clarity is kindness,” Brene Brown, renowned author and speaker on emotional intelligence, would often say. She’s right. When things are “muddy” or our vision is blurred, we get confused and frustrated. When we let ourselves and others grope in the dark, we’re not kind to ourselves and others. We need clarity in every aspect of…
“Clarity is kindness,” Brene Brown, renowned author and speaker on emotional intelligence, would often say. She’s right. When things are “muddy” or our vision is blurred, we get confused and frustrated. When we let ourselves and others grope in the dark, we’re not kind to ourselves and others. We need clarity in every aspect of…
LIKE many of us, the wealthy man in this Sunday’s Gospel was searching for wisdom and direction in life. He was also concerned about his right relationship with God and personal salvation. Is he doing the right thing? Will he get to heaven? It’s why Jesus looked at him with love and compassion. Jesus saw his…
IT’S a jubilee year in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It’s because we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the first California mission, Mission San Gabriel. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez has called for a yearlong celebration of this jubilee and has marked it as an invitation “to make a new start” to…
“AT times, not only are we hard on ourselves,” I told a group of friends, “We also treat others harder than Jesus would do to them.” They kept quiet for a while, thinking about what I just said. Then it brought about a discussion on self-righteousness and judgmentalism. Jesus disdains judgmental behaviors and attitudes like…
IN his reflection on this Sunday’s Gospel, Fr. Ron Rolheiser asks us to imagine four persons in a room: “The first is a powerful dictator who rules a country. His word commands armies and his shifting moods intimidate subordinates. He wields a brutal power. Next to him sits a gifted athlete at the peak of…
SOME past homilies of priests are etched in our minds, shaping the way we think and live. In my experience, I remember two of them. One was from an American Jesuit priest who directed my high school seminary retreat. With his American accent, he impressed on us, young seminarians, in “Tag-lish” (Tagalog-English): “Believe sa sarili:…
THIS Sunday’s First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (35:4-7) strikes a chord in many of us: “Thus says the Lord: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not!” We have heard these words echoed many times in the pulpit and in our interactions with family members and friends. Still,…
HOW do we keep trusting in God in every mundane struggle? We meet life’s painful realities day by day, whether when it’s seeing children being harshly separated from their parents or merely when working with difficult people in our workplaces. How do we keep trusting God amid the confusing information about the pandemic, the virus,…
MY favorite time of the day is the early morning after I arise from bed and take a shower. Then, I would quietly go down to the kitchen to make coffee, take some deep breaths, and feel God’s presence. I would then proceed to the chapel to say Morning Prayer, the Office of Readings, and…
IT was an exciting weekend for my family. My first grandnephew, August James, received the Sacrament of Baptism! We passed on our Catholic Christian faith to “Augie,” the best treasure that my big family could give him. With this gift, he has the Spirit of Christ in him. By the Water of Baptism, he has…
In his book, Alive in God, Timothy Radcliffe shares the Catholic Relief Services of America’s reason for helping the poor: “We are called to help others not because they believe, or because they might someday believe, but because we believe.” This statement says a lot about active faith. Our belief in Jesus is not a…
That’s the tagline that several of us in the parish thought of as we face the challenge of evangelization. We’ve got to bring Glendale to God and God to Glendale! It’s overwhelming work, but it can happen if we all “tag-along” with those who want this to make this happen. After all, as I’ve shared…
“IN him, we were chosen. In him, we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Let’s make these words from today’s Second Reading (Ephesians 1: 3-14) our mantra this week because it is vital to us always to remember the assurance of God that he has confidence in us. For he has sealed us with…
