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…

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…

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,…

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!…

“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…

FINALLY, we’re back to having indoor Masses without restrictions: 100% seating capacity, no required wearing of a mask, and social distancing! Of course, some of us are still frightful and…

I’VE already spent 30 years of service in the priesthood, and still, priestly life fascinates me! What fascinates me most: Is the hand of God present and touching everything that…

“Together in prayer for peace and unity.” It was the theme of our prayer vigil and peace walk last weekend. We demonstrated through prayer and action our ardent desire for…

WE can’t put the Holy Spirit in a box. Like the wind, he blows wherever he wishes. He uses people he wants to use, even those that we would never…

FRIENDSHIP is one of our most precious values. It brings us joy, comfort, and hope. It sustains us and inspires us in our work and aspirations. Paulo Coelho says, “Friendship…

THIS passage from the early Church gives me hope, especially in this discouraging time when many people, particularly youth and young adults, do not come to Church. Indeed, it is…

OUR image of Jesus may often be the nice and sweet person who does not cause troubles in our lives. That’s far from the totality of Jesus that we hear…

If you google the word, minimalism, you will learn that it is a lifestyle of simplicity and moderation. It’s living with less possession and tempering excessiveness and passion for more…

DO you believe in God, the Creator of all? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His Son, our Lord, and Savior? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit that permeates…

On this Easter Sunday, I reaffirm our relentless spirit as Catholic Christians, which is evident in the ongoing worship and services worldwide amid the pandemic, whether in-person gathering or live-streamed….

PALM Sunday is the solemn beginning of Holy Week. We raise not just our palms but our hearts and minds to the Lord—that in good times and in bad times,…

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (John 20: 24) IT’S…

“But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” (John 3:21) We all could go through a dark…

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing…

POPE Francis wrote a new book entitled Let Us Dream: The Path to Better Future. He wrote it in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. He begins the first part…

IT’S the start of Lent! We think of this season as 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. And we grew up in it giving up something, whether it’s meat,…

“MOVED with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” —Mark 1:40-42 It’s hard during this pandemic not to…

Instead of dwelling on the “drudgery,” the “misery,” and the “troubled nights” of life that Job describes in the First Reading, let’s imagine Jesus putting his hands on us and…

“WHAT is happening here? It is a new kind of teaching–he gives orders even to unclean spirits, and they submit to him.” (Mark 1:21) Mark’s Gospel describes the scenes at…

“I TELL you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out, “ St. Paul tells us in this Sunday’s Second Reading (1Cor 7:29-31) Paul’s warning becomes more personal to us…

HOW often have we heard from fellow Christians that this pandemic calls for repentance, for a change of heart? How often have we heard them asking us to examine our…

IT didn’t feel like Christmas last Friday with all the depressing news we heard about the pandemic. The headlines blared with the high death toll, the continuous rise of infections,…

IT will be a different Christmas and New Year’s celebration this year—one we never thought about in our generation. It will be Christmas and New Year without the crowds at…