THROUGHOUT the pandemic, the Catholic Church has led by example in making sure that our parishioners can safely worship and express their faith. At the height of the pandemic, we closed our churches. Later on, we found creative ways to worship safely — we had outdoor masses and hybrid masses where people could stay in…
Church leaders discuss safely reopening for in-person worship With our community at much higher risk from the COVID-19 virus, Filipino faith leaders like me recently gathered for an online roundtable entitled “Vaccinating in Good Faith: Filipino Families & Frontline Workers” to hear from medical experts and to honor our many essential healthcare workers, while we…
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 cautious, and we understand their situations. At Incarnation Church, we’re committed to providing parishioners with a safe environment as we worship together. We’re together in…
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 I do and transforming it according to His will. I initiate, plan, and execute a project, a ministry, or a mission and God takes over,…
“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 peace and unity in our country, world, and communities. It’s the earnest desire of Jesus that we become united in mind and heart and live…
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 imagine. The conversion and the missionary life of St Paul are some of the amazing stories of the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul, as…
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 isn’t a big thing — it’s a million things.” Proverb 17:9 states, “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” Then many of us agree to the…
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 alarming to say that there is an exodus of young people leaving the Church nowadays. We have hundreds of youth in the Confirmation program, some…
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 in the Scriptures. He was not always nice and sweet. He didn’t keep quiet when he saw things in disorder. He didn’t always appease people….
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 wealth, objects, and experience. So, minimalists have few pieces of furniture and less clutter in their house. They party and travel less. They avoid too…
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 our lives, the Church, and the world? Do you believe in the power of prayer, not only personal prayer but also communal prayer? That where…
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. As I’ve always said, no pandemic or financial crisis could ever stop us from practicing and living our faith! We have a strong Church, built…
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, amid tragedies and crisis, we can still say, “Hosanna to my King and my Lord!” We commemorate the entrance of Jesus in the city of…
“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 hard to suffer—to face the unknown, to lose someone you love, or to think of the worst illness in one’s self or the people dear…
“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 or darkest moment of our lives. It happens in times of failure, separation, sickness, death, and other tragic events. It doesn’t matter if we’re filled…
“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 the heart; the command of the Lord is clear.” -Psalm 19 HOW many of us appreciate God’s laws? How many of us thank God for his…
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 of the book by saying: “In this past year of change and crisis, my mind and heart overflowed with people. People I think of and…
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, sweets, vice, and more. Some of us are even giving up looking at Facebook, Instagram, or You-Tube in this social media generation. Whatever we give…
“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 be able to embrace, kiss, or touch the people we care about. It’s painful not to be able to visit sick family members and friends…
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 assuring us of his care, love, compassion, and mercy. JESUS is the Great Physician. That’s how we hear fellow Christians talk about him during this…
“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 the beginning of Jesus’ ministry by saying that people, including the scribes and Pharisees, were astounded at the power of Jesus’ words and actions. They…
“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 as we get into our senior years, as we contemplate the brevity and fragility of life. As one more scripture passage reminded us a few…
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 priorities, to look at what matters most in life? Many times, we would say. And we would even ask these questions to ourselves. But it is…
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, and many of us quarantining. But it’s the Christmas Season! We’re celebrating the birth of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God! The Gospel…
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 churches, malls, and street corners. It will be Christmas and New Year without big family gatherings. The pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives….
LAST Monday, a parishioner asked me to administer the Sacrament of Anointing to his brother, who is suffering from cancer. So after celebrating the eighty-thirty Mass that morning, I asked our seminarian intern, Hiew, to drive me to the sick man’s apartment in the LA area by Historic Filipinotown. As we passed the 101 Freeway…
Charles Péguy (1873-1914), a French poet and philosopher, described Hope as a little girl walking hand in hand with her two big sisters, Faith and Love. One gets amazed at seeing Little Hope walk with her sisters. While the two older sisters seem to guide her, Little Hope appears to be the one pulling them…
It’s the start of Advent—a four-week preparation for Christmas. But let’s not forget that it’s the dual invitation of anticipating the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s Christ’s Second Coming that seems to bring discomfort, fear, and restlessness to us. Why? It’s…
To stop feeling resentful and angry about the holiday restrictions, we may need to empathize with those who suffer and grieve from the effects of this pandemic. WE’RE all struggling during this pandemic — struggling that does not seem to end. We all wish that we can celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year without any…
IF someone were to ask me my understanding of leadership, I would say, “It is empowering others to exercise their God-given gifts for the benefit of others and God’s Kingdom.” I say this because I believe that everyone has abilities and talents to grow and share with other people and society. It has always been…
