Opinion

Without Sunday Mass, We Cannot LiveIn the year 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered that all Christian writings be burned, basilicas pulled down, and sacred rites prohibited. A group of 49 Christians in Abilene, a small village of present-day Tunisia, would secretly gather every Sunday in one of their homes to celebrate the Eucharist. Soon enough, they we discovered, imprisoned, tortured and eventually put to death. When interrogated why they defied the emperor’s decree and risked their lives, one of them answered, “Sine dominico, non possumus.” Without Sunday Mass, we cannot live.Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. Why do we celebrate this yearly feast? Do we not celebrate the Eucharist every day of the year? The Church wants to keep this special...

They say that Trinity Sunday is every preacher’s nightmare. How can one speak of the most profound mystery of our faith and make sense of it? But it really doesn’t have to be so. After all, no one expects a preacher to explain the Trinitarian mystery. No one can. It is a mystery.The Trinity is a doctrine we simply believe because Jesus himself revealed it. But more importantly, it is a mystery to be lived because God has made us in his image and likeness. The Trinity is the fundamental doctrine of our faith that teaches the mystery of three distinct Persons in one God, sharing the same nature, co-equal and co-eternal.What makes the three Persons one? Love. The love between the Father and the Son so perfect it becomes a Person, the Holy Spirit. The inner life of the Godhead is one o...

Last Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave his parting words to his apostles, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”On Pentecost, Jesus fulfilled his promise. He sent the Holy Spirit from the sky like a strong wind that filled the room where the apostles and the community gathered around Mary. Appearing like tongues of fire, the Spirit rested on the each of them.There and then, the apostles were transformed from fearful fugitives to fiery evangelizers. They came out of their hiding place and began to preach Jesus boldly to all peoples. They were emboldened and enabled to fulfill their mission bec...

Last weekend, I took a 4-day trip to Zamboanga with my District Trainer, Dr. Jundad Legislador and District Secretary, Juan Antonio “Ja” Villaluz to conduct our third of five District Training Assemblies for incoming officers of our Rotary District 3850 which covers 12 provinces, including the Zamboanga Peninsula.We were immediately met with a sumptuous lunch of Zamboanga’s famous Curacha, those big red crabs found only in their waters and some in Bataan, along with giant prawns, baked oysters and seaweeds as sidings, hosted by the Rotary Club of Zamboanga City, all of which were freshly caught just that very morning.An old woman weaves Yakan cloth to make into glass coasters.*The colorful pattern that made Yakan cloth famous.With cravings satisfied, we went to Grand Asto...

It was another food coma as we savored the best that Bohol and Iloilo can offer over the weekend.I flew to Bohol last Thursday to speak at the District Training Assembly of Rotary District 3860 at the Henann Convention Center in Panglao, Bohol, at the invitation of my classmate and Incoming District Governor Twinkle Gamboa and her District Trainer and spouse, former PNP Chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa.As expected, another superb hosting from the Gamboa couple led to a tour of Bohol Island right after deplaning and first stop was the Loboc River Cruise for lunch which was enjoyable as I was in the company of balladeer Poppert Bernadas who entertained us with a song after the sumptuous lunch.Buffet lunch on board the Loboc River Cruise boat.*Among my favorites was the humbang nangk...

The story of the two disciples of Emmaus is among the most loved stories of the gospel for many reasons. A true literary gem, the account is artfully crafted replete with charm, warmth, humor and even gentle irony. Some authors consider it a masterpiece within a masterpiece for the entire chapter 24 of Luke is itself a masterpiece. Above all, what makes the story extraordinary is that it illustrates what Christian life is all about and articulates the elements of discipleship.Discipleship is following Jesus all the way to Jerusalem. In Luke’s gospel everything moves towards Jerusalem. “Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Lk 9:51) Jerusalem is where Jesus will accomplish his Father’s mission through his passion, death and resurrection. In Jerusalem, he will to his send the Holy Spi...

This Sunday is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast was instituted by Pope John Paul II on the Second Sunday of Easter of the Jubilee Year 2000 during the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska. St. Faustina was a Polish nun who received visions from Jesus, including the now-familiar image of Divine Mercy. Today, the devotion to the Divine Mercy is among the most popular and widespread in the Church.The significance and relevance of this devotion is best captured in the words of Pope John Paul II. “What is mercy if not the boundless love of God, who confronted with human sin, restrains the sentiment of severe justice and, allowing Himself to be moved by the wretchedness of His creatures, spurs Himself to the total gift of self, in the Son’s cross …?Who can say that he is free f...

Lola Tali with her children in order of age -- Betty, Ronnie, Jose Jr., Danilo, Lina, Ephraim, Nolito, Lynn, and Judith (l-r)*“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed. If you think in terms of ten years, plant trees. If you think in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” -ConfuciusCatalina Magbanua Carinal is probably the epitome of what Chinese philosopher Confucius had in mind when he uttered that proverb.Catalina or Lola Tali as she is fondly called by her brood recently celebrated her 100th year surrounded by all her nine children and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, family and friends during Easter Sunday at Las Palmas Resort in Bacolod.The birthday cake*The celebrator with (standing l-r) Lynn, me, Myrna Espino, my sister Dr. May Rife and Helen...

Alleluia, Christ is risen!In the bishop’s house, we have a practice of celebrating every Sunday as a “little easter” by having something extra or special at dinner, like pasta and ice-cream. This is our way of reminding ourselves of the Church’s greatest feast (though admittedly in a self-gratifying way via a hearty meal, hahaha…), and of the greatest event of our faith, the death and resurrection of Christ which won for us our salvation.While we celebrate Easter liturgically once a year, life is in fact full of “little easters.” These are the times when God delivers us from the jaws of death and raises us from our tombs of misery, desperation and helplessness. These are moments of liberation, forgiveness and new beginnings, which God offers to us liberally and repeatedly throughou...

The flaw in the arguments of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in exercising the state power of eminent domain while being a private corporation is that it raises concerns about accountability, transparency, and fairness in the exercise of such powers.Eminent domain is a state power that allows the government to take private property for public use, provided that just compensation is given to the property owner. However, this power must be exercised with caution and in the public interest, not for the benefit of a private entity.NGCP is a private corporation that operates the country's power transmission network, which is essential for the delivery of electricity to consumers. While NGCP was granted a franchise by the Philippine government to operate the trans...