ON this beginning of Lent, let me share with you a Lenten prayer by William Arthur Ward: Lent can be more than a time of fasting. It can also be a joyous season of feasting. Lent is a time to fast from certain things and to feast on others. It is a season to: Fast…
“ What Jesus asks us to do is to try every means to achieve peace and not to resort to violence.” IN the Gospel this Sunday (Matthew 5:38-48), Jesus gives us a strong mandate. It asks us to approach a conflict in a non-violent manner, not to give in to any retaliation and hatred. He…
“ God continually calls us to moral excellence and integrity, especially nowadays, when it’s hard to see the truth in society.” DARE greatly! In other words, don’t settle for mediocrity. Run the extra miles! Aim high! Dream big! These words are true when it comes to careers and professions. But it is also true when…
“ He wants us to be free—free to be ourselves and yet willing to take a risk and to show up to be a light of hope for others.” YOU’RE not doomed in darkness! You’re meant to give light to others and the world. Your life is not meant to be bland and boring. It…
THE tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people in a helicopter crash shocked us all. It’s unimaginable, heartbreaking, and utterly depressing. We are all grappling with questions about their demise and often think it’s only a bad dream. Yes, we can’t believe that Kobe is gone. He was a…
“ Our spirits and faith should never get old. God should always see this in us.” I’VE often wondered why we Filipinos have a great devotion to Santo Niño. And I’ve heard one thing: that praying to Santo Niño is effective (mabisa) and powerful. For example, a friend shared with me that the people of…
“I WILL make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:5-6). My fellow Christians, these words that God spoke to Prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament are directed to us today. God is calling each one of us to bring light and hope to…
“ It’s trusting in God’s providence and protection in good and bad times.” LIVE the moment! This is my advice to all of you this new year! It’s the attitude of living in the present and paying attention to God’s graces and actions in our lives and the world. It’s having a Marian heart–always grateful…
AS we celebrate the New Year, let’s remember the famous words of Dag Hammarskjold, the Swedish diplomat and second Secretary-General of the United Nations: “For all that has been, thank you. For all that is to come, yes!” These words imply two great attitudes: gratitude and openness to God’s will. We’re thankful to God for…
NOW that Christmas passed by, we look at the photos of families and friends shared on Facebook and Instagram and express a profound gratitude to God. Thank God for another beautiful Christmas! Thank God for parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and other family members who drove or flew from far places to be with us. Thank…
FOR my Pastor’s Notes this 4th Sunday of Advent, let me share you this reflection I wrote several years ago: My best Christmas gift in December 2011 was not a gadget, nor a nice polo shirt or a sweater. It was not a gift card either, nor a ticket to a concert. It was something…
“We want to see Christians manifest joy in their faith.” AS many of you know, I spent five years working in seminary to train future priests. A big part of my job, which I enjoyed most, was visiting and evaluating seminarians on their year of supervised parish internship. In my visits to our seminarian-interns, I…
THE Old Testament Reading this Sunday is one of my favorite Scripture readings during Advent. It speaks so much of promises of hope, harmony, and peace. Its contrasting images capture God’s innermost desire for us: “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and…
IT’S Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving Day to all! As I reflect on the beauty of this day, I remember a thanksgiving homily that my fellow priest, Fr. Anthony Lee shared with the seminary community. He started his homily with his experience of a “culture shock” during his first Christmas in America….
ON this last Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Christ the King, I’d like to use Archbishop Socrates Villegas’ insights on the kingship of Christ. A deck of cards carries several images of a king: the king of clubs, king of spades, king of diamonds, and king of hearts. Jesus is not the king…
“We can’t close our eyes and ears to the tragedies and changes happening in the world.” “THAT’S too scary to think about,” one person would say, referring to this Sunday’s Gospel. “Yeah, no one wants to think about earthquakes, wars, famines, and plagues,” another person would say. “We’d rather think of good and happy things,…
OUR junior high kids in the Religious Education program were in high spirits when I visited them in their class last Sunday. Three students took turns responding to their teacher’s question about our purpose in life. One student answered, “Our purpose in life is to be happy!” Another said, “God created us to love and…
YOU may have been saved from a fatal accident, healed from cancer, freed from an unjust accusation, or received a much-needed help. Any of these miracles happened in your life because you believe in God’s protection and the intercession of saints and angels. You know and understand that there is a higher spiritual power looking…
CAN we recognize the giftedness of the person next to us? Can we appreciate him or her as a sister and a brother in Christ? Can we honestly say that we have embraced the whole humanity in all its varied colors, languages, and cultures? To answer these questions, we need to examine ourselves thoroughly. Are…
ASK God with a sincere heart for his absolute forgiveness for all your failures and sinfulness, and he will grant it to you. Plea to him for a place in heaven along with your loved ones, and he will listen to you. For God sees your repentant and believing heart, and is moved by your…
AS I write this article, I’m watching on television wildfires spreading around Southern California once again. We pray for the end of this disaster and the safety of all people. We pray for families who lost their homes and for firefighters who are trying their best to protect homes, buildings, and, most of all, lives. …
“You claim his lordship and power over your life. You know that you are nothing without God!” DID you wake up this morning saying to yourself, “I will do everything for the greater glory of God”! If so, then you are on the right track. You recognize that all that you are and have and…
LAST Wednesday, a group of parishioners and I kicked off our celebration of 40 Days for Life with a rosary procession to an abortion clinic near our church on Arden Avenue. As we were walking and praying, I realized that it takes a great deal of courage nowadays to profess and defend publicly our Catholic…
THIS Sunday, September 22, thousands of us, particularly Kapampangans, will gather at the Cathedral of Los Angeles to celebrate the 63rd Canonical Coronation Mass of Virgen de Los Remedios. We will come to this annual Marian celebration to express our love and devotion to Mary, the Virgin of Remedies, and to ask for her powerful…
SAINT Ambrose (397) beautifully reflected on the images of a shepherd, a mother, and a father to connect the three parables we hear this Sunday: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Prodigal Son. He wrote: “Who, then, is this father, this shepherd, this mother? Could they not, perhaps, represent God the Father, Christ,…
THERE is a famous story taken from the writings of the Desert Fathers, which reads this way: “Abbot Lot went to see Abbot Joseph and said: ‘Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and according as am able I strive to…
THIS past week, 330 of us priests of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, along with Archbishop Jose Gomez and his auxiliary bishops, were in La Quinta for a four-day convocation. The two-fold goal of this gathering was to strengthen our fraternity as priests and to renew our priesthood. The conference was successful. It allowed us…
IF there is one fundamental thing that God desires for each one of us, it’s a close relationship with him. After all, we are his sons and daughters. He wants that we develop and nurture an intimate friendship with him. God wants us to know and love him with all our heart, mind, and soul….
AS my parish in Glendale, California celebrates my installation this weekend as its pastor, I think of Mary, our Blessed Mother. She is the model of what it is to be a leader and member of a Catholic Christian community: faithful, willing, humble, heroic, and generous in service to God and His people. Mary’s “yes”…
WE’VE all been distressed by a series of mass shootings in our country in the past two weeks. At times we don’t know what to say anymore. We’re afraid for everyone’s safety, and we’re angry at the inability of our leaders to prevent any more mass shootings. Fr. James Martin, S.J. wrote the following prayer…
