The call to ministry
“We can see and feel the urgency of this call in this present time when many people have left the Church and do not feel the need to be affiliated…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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Back from the Brink: NDE: Near Death Experience
“ Unless a grain of wheat shall fall upon the ground and die, It remains but a single grain with no life.” — From a hymn composed by Bernadette Farrell…
In the land of Jesus
Jerusalem Syndrome As a student of history, I found Jerusalem a most fascinating city the first time I was in Israel in 1960 as a grantee of the Asia Foundation…
Once upon a time series: Charisse’s Confection
A story in two Scoops (Part 1 of 2) “I’ve had it!” Charisse said to herself as she put down her phone. This one broke up with her via text…
Preach Jesus!
THE rooms of the dormitories are now clean and empty, and the seminary is quiet, for the academic year has ended, and the seminarians have left for summer vacation. Some…
Coming out of the end zone
SHE can remember no raging against the night, no anger about what Yeats described, “a decrepit age that has tied to me… like a dogs tail.” She just grew old,…
Losing hair? Don’t lose hope — this hair restoration treatment could be your saving grace
MANY people refer to the hair as one’s crowning glory. I could say the same for very good reasons. The hair, being one of the first things people see when…
Health news Nazareth
The global keyboard Shalom! I wrote this column last Friday, June 21, 2019, in Nazareth, during our family tour of Israel, on the way to Galilee and Jerusalem. The use…
Love as the center of gravity
“All you need is love.” —Lennon-McCartney PAUL, aka Saul of Tarsus, lived more than two thousand years ago. He had something to say about what does matter in life. He…
LA Fil-Ams’ sparkling fellowship with Gov. Hermilando “Dodong” Mandanas
BATANGAS Governor Hermilando “Dodong” Mandanas came swathed in a summer coat of understated elegance and a miscellaneous smile. No blush, no bluster, no braggadocio — only a beguiling mixture of…
Goodnight, Tito Eddie: Farewell to the legend
PHILIPPINE Cinema has lost one of its greatest treasures. The man who has not only been an icon Philippine show business but was – more than anything – a great…
Dangers lurking in our home
Our own poison collection We may not realize it, but in various places in our home, we have toxic chemicals which are hazardous to our health, especially for children. They…
Beatrice’s fight for survival
Once upon a time series BEATRICE was good with numbers and Jim was more of an artist. He played in a band and made a good living with short-term gigs. …
The God who creates, redeems, and sustains
AS David looked up into the skies and contemplated the vast and endless heavens, the beauty of the night captured his heart in worship and adoration to God, and so…
Thank you Catriona, Next: Gazini Ganados
“TO conquer our dreams. Philippines, I will forever our raise our flag. Thank you for choosing me as your queen. Forever a Miss Philippines, forever a Binibini…” Those were the…
The state of California’s judiciary according to Filipina Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye
“Every generation is responsible for creating democracy anew, a democracy that is relevant and responsive to the needs of that generation. One that expands upon and completes the previous work…
Honor thy father
MY father is the kind of man I’ve always dreamed of: kind to the weak, fierce to the arrogant, generous to those who loved him, ruthless to those who will…
Flexitarian diet
Coined by dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner in her 2009 book, Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Years to Your Life, the…
NDE: Near death experience
Back from the brink EMMA looked down at the busy huddle in the operating room. She was floating, hovering above the doctors and nurses in their blood spattered scrub suits…
Keeping the spirit of God alive in our hearts and the world
OFTEN I would remind people that we, Christians, worship a triune God. In essence, this means God is one, but eternally exists as three distinct persons: the Father, Son, and…
The president and the Malacanang press Ccorps
WHENEVER I suffer lesions of depression that I allow others to mercilessly inflict on me, nothing beats my reflections of the Malacanang Press Lounge where some of my fondest thoughts…
Once upon a time series: Abigail’s story
“Will you marry me? She asked him” (Let me introduce to my readers a bit of a background on the ‘Once Upon A Time’ Series that I am launching in…
The depth of Mon David’s love of family as reflected in his superior jazz musicality
“I’ve been working in this field (communities in schools) for 50 years and I’ve never seen a program turn around a life. Only relationships turn around lives. We adults in…
Jimmy Bondoc: How not to be you
A WISE man once said, “Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual.” But it does come with some pretty basic rules on how NOT to be viral and hated in…
An evening at the opera
I CAN never quell a stir of fascination, dread and longing when the house lights dim and the curtain parts. But the enjoyment of an opera can begin, not with…
Entering priesthood
FOURTEEN new priests graduated from St. John’s Seminary this past school year: six for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; three for the Diocese of Monterey; three for the Diocese of…
Cologuard: A lifesaver
IN the United States, colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and the rectum) is the second leading causes of cancer deaths. This year, 2019, the projected number of new cases: …
Whatever happened to ‘happily ever after’? (Part 3 of 3)
“…You have changed my mourning into dancing, O Lord, and have girded me with joy, alleluia…” —Psalm 30 (Conclusion of 3 parts) (Continued from last week’s issue …) There is…
No one is above the law
“It is more proper that law should govern than any one of its citizens.” – Aristotle On Feb. 21, 2019, “The Rachel Maddow Show” team uncovered a telegram sent by…
On death and dying: How can I comfort you? (Part II of II)
AS a recap, a medical doctor named Mario was diagnosed with Hepatitis B and with liver cirrhosis in the late ’90s. He got over the disease and lived comfortably for…