Opinion

This should be a big celebration, the culmination of all liturgical celebrations we have had for the whole liturgical year which ends precisely with the Solemnity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.The occasion should remind us that what we begin we should end well, that ending well ultimately means making Christ our king, the “all in all” in us, the be-all and end-all of our life, and that the way to achieve it is to learn to love the way Christ has loved us and continues to love us.Learning the art of ending things in general, well is not a matter of solving all our problems and perfectly achieving all the earthly goals we have set for ourselves. That will never happen. When we die, there will still be unfinished businesses, let alone, problems unsolved, challen...

If the Department of Education is to be believed, both my sons who sport tattoos on their bodies are criminals.This was the fodder of discussion yesterday in my family and friends' chat groups after my sister Mary Anne, spotted a post criticizing DepEd for marginalizing people with tattoos as criminals.In that post, the statement in Tagalog, asks students to fill in the blank with the correct answer from multiple choices given and in English it goes like this: The tattoo is a symbol of _. Choices are: A – being a criminal; B – slavery; C – bravery and beauty; and D – a member of the low class in society.And for DepEd, the correct answer is A, thereby generalizing that those who have tattoos on their bodies must be criminals.It was a source of laughter in our family gro...

It’s often a virtue that is taken for granted. We tend to go through our day guided solely by instincts and what we consider as “what comes naturally.” We tend to think on our feet, which may be effective from time to time, but definitely not all the time. We like to act with spontaneity, regarding following a schedule as being rigid.We need to realize that this virtue is a necessity for us. There are just so many things to deal with and we have to know their proper priorities. Not everything has the same value. We may be involved in all kinds of aspects of life, but there are priorities. We obviously have to give priority to the spiritual over the material, the supernatural over the natural, prayer over our work, family over our social activities, etc.With all the rapid pace of t...

Celebrations are important, even during a pandemic. However, we should keep in mind that traditional gatherings with family and friends can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or influenza and other respiratory viruses. We don’t have to cancel gatherings but we need to re-think our plans again and be a little more creative.Celebrations are important, even during a pandemic. However, we should keep in mind that traditional gatherings with family and friends can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or influenza and other respiratory viruses. We don’t have to cancel gatherings but we need to re-think our plans again and be a little more creative.First and foremost, we need to limit in-person celebrations because when people get togethe...

If we truly love God and everybody else, with a love that is nothing less than a participation of the love God has for us and as commanded by Christ to us, then we will never say enough in our self-giving.Even if such attitude would already seem to be going beyond common sense, our reason, and other human and worldly standards that we usually use to measure our love, we would still go on giving ourselves, never saying enough. We would just give and give, even if we seem to consume ourselves till death.This is, of course, an overwhelming prospect, but that is what true love is. It is some kind of madness that knows no limits. It is given without measure, without cost, without any calculation.And even if such total self-giving is not reciprocated, it would still go on loving...

This Sunday we are presented with another parable for our reflection. It tells of a man who, before taking on a journey, entrusted his possessions to his servants.To one he gave five talents; to another two, and to a third one. The first two servants were industrious and invested their talents; in the process, they doubled their amount. The third servant, afraid of losing his one talent, buried it in the ground. When the master returned, he called the servants and settled accounts with them.He praised the first two “good and faithful servants,” and rewarded them with greater responsibilities. Then he invited them to “share in (their) master’s joy.” Instead, the third servant was condemned for being “wicked and lazy” and ordered that he be “(thrown) into the darkness outside.” ...

Since we have been created in the image and likeness of God, we have to remember that as much as possible, we should identify ourselves with Christ who as the Son of God is the perfect image God has of his own self and thus the pattern of our humanity, and as the Son of God who became man due to our sin, he is the redeemer of our humanity that is wounded, weakened or damaged by our sin.Since we have been created in the image and likeness of God, we have to remember that as much as possible, we should identify ourselves with Christ who as the Son of God is the perfect image God has of his own self and thus the pattern of our humanity, and as the Son of God who became man due to our sin, he is the redeemer of our humanity that is wounded, weakened or damaged by our sin.It’s a truth ...

Whenever I get a chance to go out (which is very seldom) I usually go around town just to see how things are and to validate posts on social media, that indeed, people are casually roaming around and some are not practicing the minimum health standards imposed.Many do wear masks but you can also see people by the side of the roads in twos or groups, chit-chatting with their masks on their chins, and even some within view of enforcers.And then you have that mass gathering at the Public Plaza and the DSSD satellite office purportedly because they received a text message to go there and claim their financial assistance. Of course, I believe some reports that perhaps, many of those who went there, probably did not get any text at all but just joined the people congregating there.D...

No doubt we have to learn how to contend with the different and even competing and conflicting elements in our life. We have our personal life as well as our family, professional, social, economic, and political life.There are things that need our immediate attention, and yet they should not derail us from our long-term and ultimate goal. There’s a lot more.We have to deal with many variables in life, and yet we should never forget the constants. We need to give due attention to both the incidentals and the essentials, giving them their proper ranking.There are things that are pressing and that have to be attended to right away, but these should not compromise what is truly precious in our life.This is not to mention that in our life, we have to unify and integrate the...

We all need to be reminded that all our suffering has a positive and favorable aspect. It’s not all entirely bad and negative, though in itself it will always be bad. But if viewed and lived through our Christian faith, there is something in it that can give us a greater good. We may refer to this advantageous aspect of suffering as the happy Good News or Gospel of Suffering.Our pains and suffering are always the result of sin, ours and those of the others. They are the necessary consequence of our separation, whether temporary or permanent, from God from whom all good things come. (cfr. Ps 16,2; James 1,17) We may not be the direct cause of our own suffering, but in this world, we cannot escape the effects of sin, and so we must be ready for them just the same.We have to remi...