Opinion

For a long time, the Holy Ghost was known as “the forgotten Person of the Trinity.” Thanks to the Second Vatican Council and the movements it inspired (like the charismatic movement), the awareness of the Holy Spirit and his vital role in our Christian life has been reawakened. Christian living, in fact, can be summarized as “living in the Spirit.”We learn from catechism that in baptism we have received the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit, God lives in us and shares his life with us, making us his children. As God’s children, we are called to live God’s own life, that is, to live in the Spirit. What does it mean?More than defining it, St. Paul describes this life vividly in his letters. He starts by telling what it is not. We do not live in the Spirit when our life is characterized...

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” Certainly one of the most beautiful passages in the gospel, this verse expresses in a most intimate way the theme of divine indwelling. To those who love him, Jesus gives assurance that the Father and he will make their “home” in them.There was a time in my life when I felt terribly down. Someone falsely accused me of something which deeply polarized our clergy. The pain and paranoia inflicted on me severely affected my relationships and ministry until I realized that I might be overreacting to the situation.My accuser was only one while the rest of the community and God himself were on the side of truth. The accusation was like the proverbial fly in the ointme...

Today’s short gospel reading begins the lengthy farewell discourse of Jesus given at the last supper. He tells his apostles, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”Why does Jesus call it a new commandment? Is it not essentially the same as the “old” commandment articulated in Leviticus 19:18, which speaks of loving one’s neighbor as oneself? In substance, they are the same: love your neighbor. What is new is the standard of such love. Jesus asks his disciples to love one another, not just as they love themselves, but as he loves them.On that night, he demonstrates his kind of love by kneeling in front of his apostles and washing their feet. They too should wash each other’s feet. The day after, he would show the ex...

The image of the Good Shepherd is one of the most beautiful and best loved icons of Jesus since the early days of the Church. It speaks of the providence, care, protection and security that the shepherd gives to his flock which vividly describe Jesus’ own relationship with his disciples.The task of shepherding is hard. Because Palestine is an arid land, the shepherd constantly searches for grass and water to feed his flock. It is also dangerous and risky.In the rough terrain some sheep can easily wander off and fall in the surrounding crags. Moreover, since the desert is home to wild animals, the shepherd is always on the alert and ready to protect his flock from predators.Shepherding is a fulltime job that demands total commitment from the shepherd. For all this, the true shep...

“Peace be with you!” Peace is the first gift of the Risen Lord, the peace which the whole world desperately seeks. Just think of what’s happening today in Ukraine, Palestine… and right here in our country (with the uncertainty of the coming election).Christ’s peace is not the peace which the world understands as an equilibrium of forces. It is an authentic peace, a new reality, which is born from the mercy of God and paid with the price of Christ’s own blood.By his passion, death and resurrection, Christ conquered death and sin and achieved the reconciliation between God and humankind.“As the Father has sent me, so I send you… Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” As Jesus gives his peace and reconciliation t...

One of my Facebook friends, Michael Ocampo, who is also a good photographer, posted last week a poster for the campaign rally of presidential aspirant and Vice President Leni Robredo and her vice presidential candidate, Senator Kiko Pangilinan, on April 20 in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.The poster’s title was “Pink Eruption” and sub-title “OneNegRose” with a rose flower instead of o in rose, a trademark of the Robredo’s campaign. I assumed the word eruption simply describes Kanlaon Volcano since Canlaon City is located just in the foothills of one of the most active volcanoes in the country. It is also in Canlaon City where one can see the beautiful panoramic view of the volcano, which is the highest peak of the Mount Kanla-on Natural Park.The other thing that captured my attenti...

In a recent interview with Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky, the BBC correspondent asked the Ukrainian leader, “How do you maintain hope in the future, given everything that is happening?” “It’s not hope,” the president replied, “but certainty.” “Of victory?” “Of course!”Pres. Zelensky is certain that in the end, Ukraine will win the war. What could be his basis for such certainty? Is it the extraordinary courage of his people and their unparalleled patriotism; or their massive support from the international community; or his conviction that good will always triumph over evil; or his faith that God is on their side? We do not know. It could be any or all of the above.We all have our own wars and uncertainties. The world faces a disturbing uncertainty not only of its future, but of its very...

Today, we begin the solemn celebration of Holy Week, as we recall the last days of Jesus on earth. It was during these days when he fully accomplished the Father’s mission for him to save humankind through his passion, death and resurrection (paschal mystery).And because of the pre-eminent fruit of the paschal mystery, which is our salvation, the Church has always kept these days as the most important and sacred in her liturgical calendar. Thus, the name the Holy Week.Let us endeavor to keep these days truly holy by spending time in prayer and reflection (instead of having fun in beaches and mountains). Let us accompany Jesus as he goes through his suffering and death. His final days were days of deep darkness and total rejection.The extreme pain he suffered was not only physic...

On March 26, numerous countries once again participated in the annual commemoration of the Earth Hour.This event, which started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, encourages everyone to switch off lights for an hour starting at 8:30 in the evening. Over 190 nations participate in this annual lights-off that has become a global movement in conserving energy to avoid the increasing emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases.Scientific studies already show carbon emissions hugely contributed to the declining quality of our environment to the extent of creating climate change that is now considered a global climate crisis.Aside from advocating environmental protection, the Earth Hour is a concrete gesture of minimizing the use of energy, and therefore, even just for an hour the wor...

In today’s gospel, Jesus arrives in the temple area to teach, when some Pharisees and scribes bring in a woman caught in adultery. They make her stand in the middle and ask Jesus’ verdict on her. They remind him that the law of Moses prescribes nothing less than death by stoning.The gospel notes that their motive is “to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him.” As in previous attempts, their question is meant to put Jesus in an air-tight dilemma of self-condemnation.To pardon the woman (and be consistent with his message of mercy) would be to go against the law of Moses, while to send her to death would be to violate the Roman law which forbids killing by private citizens.The insensitivity of the religious leaders in dragging the unfortunate woman and...