The gift of the Holy Spirit
“He’s Jesus, our Lord, who promised his disciples and all of us who would believe in him his abiding presence. And so, he gave us the most precious gift: his…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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Aboard a floating carnival with my first born
THE most notable about time in an ocean voyage is that it is so purely relative. While fragment is in space, a moment is in time. We sailed in the…
Queries from readers
Eggs have been around for eons, even before man discovered they were edible. In many households around the world, eggs have been a routine part of breakfast. One of the…
Whatever happened to ‘happily ever after’? (Part 2 of 3)
“Suicide, contrary to the lyrics of a popular song, is never painless.” (Continued from last week’s issue …) There is an onslaught of overwhelming assaults that come in all forms…
A foretaste of heaven: Witnessing the Episcopal ordination of LA Auxilary Bishop Alex Aclan
“We know that our liturgies—especially the Eucharist—are a foretaste of heaven on earth, I cannot think of a better foretaste of heaven than this.” – Bishop Alex D. Aclan, Auxiliary…
Welcoming the spring season — the Filipino way
HAVING four seasons in a year is an idea that is quite foreign to Filipinos who grew up in the Philippines. Back there, we only have dry (summer) and wet…
The birdman of Woodland Street
THIS might as well be a story for the birds — light, gay and cheery. I can’t recall any other welcome in my whole life as I had in Alan…
Miracle of life
Wednesday last week, while waiting at O’Hare Airport in Chicago for our flight to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to attend the graduation of our granddaughter, Sydney, my wife, Farida, and I…
Whatever happened to ‘happily ever after’?
(Part 1 of 3) “…All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?…” —Eleanor Rigby, Lennon-McCartney STORIES make up the…
Brother Richard Fernando, a young Filipino Jesuit on the road to sainthood
ANOTHER Filipino might become a canonized saint! His name is Richard “Richie” Fernando, a 26-year-old Jesuit brother who died saving the lives of his Cambodian students in 1996. According to…
Ultra Femme 360: Technology’s gift to women
THE month of May is a very special month because we are celebrating Mother’s Day. And because it’s Mother’s day, we are also honoring the miracle of a mother-bringing-life-into-this-world. So…
Smiles and tears of motherhood
TO be a mother is not a trade. It is not even a duty. It is only one right among many. What an effort it will be to convince others…
On death and dying: How can I comfort you?
AT one point in our lives, we experience the lowest of lows and some situations seem to be hopeless. We all ask God for the rhyme and reason in difficult…
Do American presidents lie and betray America?
“Throughout the history of the American presidency, from George Washington’s inauguration to the present day, the chief executive’s duties have encompassed more than politics. Our presidents are charged with responding…
Is health really wealth?
THE old cliché that health is wealth is timeless, always pertinent and relevant and a scientific truth many of us have taken for granted…until we later discover (sometimes too late)…
Making a difference: Two stories of kindness to warm the heart
“…The boy looked at him, shrugged his shoulders and went back to throwing one more jellyfish back to the water, and told him, ‘…Made a difference to that one…’” HOW…
Gifts from the Holy Land: Seeing with my heart’s eyes
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and then you will be my witnesses…” – Acts 1:8 “The Spirit calls us to share our faith with…
The makings of a presidential journey
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign trips were something else. Their outcomes were not foreseeable, and at the outset, no promises are made. The government does not wish to risk inflating expectations. …
The beautiful Anima Christi prayer
MICAHEL Masteller, a seminarian who is doing an internship at Resurrection Church in East Los Angeles, wrote a reflection paper on his experience of visiting a parishioner, Maria, who had…
Practical health tips
Is fasting healthy? Fasting results in drop in blood sugar during the fast and spike of the glucose level on resumption of food intake. It is best for our blood…
The bucket list: The power of kindness
“Kind people are the best kind of people.” WHAT does it cost to be kind to others? We often think that being kind costs us something — whether it is…
Nicole David Yalong’s thousand blooms, conscious parenting of twins
“Purposeful giving is not as apt to deplete one’s resources. It belongs to that natural order of giving that seems to renew itself even in the act of depletion. The…
Kate Hancock and her window to paradise
IN my recent trip to the Philippines a couple of weeks ago, I decided to have a much needed R&R at a resort in Camiguin, which fortunately, happened to be…
Voices of spring as heard by artists
ARTISTS are those whose gifts set them apart as their talent, wisdom and integrity are superior. They make beauty, unlock mysteries, serve the truth, create life out of the matter…
The bucket list: Travel light
“He who must travel happily must travel light.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Sixteenth of a series) TRAVEL is a pure metaphor for our life’s journey. There are two choices in…
Measles can kill
THE current resurgence of measles in the United States is alarming. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that as of April 11, 2019, there were 555 new…
An Easter Sunday message: No flames will ever destroy our faith!
WE were all in shock at seeing on television and social media the historic Notre-Dame De Paris Cathedral engulfed in flames last Monday, April 15. How could this 850-year-old gothic…
The fascination with the Bible
“It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bothers me; it is that part I do understand.” – Mark Twain IT is the time I prepare…
From cultural absence to cultural presence: Why Asian American studies matter to me
by Ashlee Monton [Writer’s note: Once a year, an essay competition is held at CSUN, amongst Asian American Studies and Education majors, as part of an endowment set up by Prosy…