Opinion

As we celebrate today the Solemnity of All Saints, let us take time to reflect on the significance of the saints in our life of faith. Statues, novenas, candles, processions, and various sacramentals related to the veneration of saints abound in our churches and homes, so much so that some accuse us of fanaticism and idolatry.The devotion to the saints forms part of the popular piety which Pope Francis acknowledges as “a precious treasure of the Catholic Church… [that] manifests a thirst for God that only the poor and the simple can know.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 123)Why do we honor (or as some misinformed would say, adore) the saints?To begin with, we do not adore the saints, but God only. We honor the saints because by honoring them, we honor God himself. The saints are marvelous...

This commentary has nothing to do at all with Negros Occidental, known as the sugar capital of the country, but about “Sugarbook,” the ‘sugar daddy dating’ site that has sparked debates among women advocates.A very interesting and well-written report by Tarra Quismundo on the ABS-CBN News website is a must-read, if only to understand the relationships between sugar daddies and young women, from their lenses, not ours.I was curious enough to look up the site which was started by Darren Chan in Malaysia three years ago. This site is fast rising in the Philippines, mostly from young women in search of their sugar daddies. A noticeable increase of 63 percent in sign-ups happened in the months of March to August this year, coinciding with lockdown periods.Metro cities have the highe...

This is about people who are close to us but who can betray us, much like what Judas Iscariot did to Christ. Imagine, Judas was already one of the apostles, so close to Christ that he must have directly experienced the goodness of Christ. And yet he managed to betray him!Of course, God’s providence is so wise and powerful that a greater good was derived from this truly horrible act. It’s nothing less than gaining the possibility of our own salvation, the reopening of heaven for us. But it should never be for this reason that we can even be cavalier in our attitude toward this possibility of betrayal.Certainly, this possibility can also happen to us when we only go through the motions of friendship, especially with God, but only up to there. It’s just appearances that we would be ma...

We have to be familiar with these two terms that refer to two conditions or states that can characterize our life. One is good which we should try to assume, while the other is bad which, of course, we should avoid at all costs.To be an empty suit is to be quite impressive and showy on the outside, in appearance, in airs or aura, etc. but rather empty on the inside, that is, in substance, in spirit that animates our life, in real capabilities.Dictionaries describe an empty suit as “a prominent person regarded as lacking substance, personality or ability.” A number of similar variations can flow from that general description of an empty suit.An empty vessel, while literally meaning a container with nothing inside, is a biblical term first referred to in 2 Kings 4,1-6 where a wom...

What a day it was! Still quite early in the morning, I already received several calls from friends and acquaintances asking for urgent clarifications about what they heard from the Pope. Apparently, from what they read in some news outlets, the Pope is now changing Church teaching about same-sex union. He is now for it. That was the gist of their concern.Admittedly, I felt alarmed as well, since many of those who called were known to me to be spiritually and doctrinally well-formed. And so I dove into the gathering storm to see what the real score was.Of course, I always try to restrain myself in my reactions to news items, knowing that journalism, even in its best condition, often gives superficial account of any issue. I have to control my knee-jerk reaction.As I found out fr...

In today’s gospel, we find the Pharisees returning once again to Jesus in order to trip him up. Having failed in their previous two attempts, they make sure that this time they will succeed. And so, they send a scribe, an expert of the Law, to test Jesus about the Law. They clearly foresee in this encounter a heavily lop-sided mismatch."Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" the scribe asks Jesus.Considering that there are 613 precepts contained in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and each of them is held as equally important and necessary to obey, the question is carefully contrived to corner Jesus and expose him as either ignorant of the Law or disrespectful of its parts if he chooses one over another.Without hesitation, Jesus answers by saying,...

We have to be clear about this very heartwarming truth of our faith. God is always willing to forgive us no matter how grave our sins are. He always offers forgiveness to us and it is all up to us to take that offer. We should never be afraid to go to him asking for forgiveness.Remember that scene of him hanging on the cross before he died. One of his last words was: “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23,34) Not only did he offer forgiveness to those who crucified him, who at the end of the day are actually all of us because we all sin and sin is the cause of his crucifixion. He also made the effort to find an excuse for his killers, for all of us. That’s what real love is, which is what God is.Would he still forgive us if our sins are really that big and u...

Such is life as we go through different circumstances and situations, the twists and turns in life. And now that we are in this pandemic mode, we are talking about a new or next normal where many of the usual things we used to have and do, have changed or are not available anymore.But let’s never forget that it is quite impossible that we would find ourselves in some dead-end. A door may close, but to be sure, another one would actually open for us. If we believe in a provident God, we would know that such is the case.The challenge is for us to discover that new door. It actually would not be totally new, since what may appear to be new would share many things in common with the old one. So we should just learn how to transition to the new things as smoothly as possible, adapting o...

The gospel this Sunday opens with the Pharisees and the Herodians plotting together on how to trap Jesus. Note that the Pharisees and the Herodians have traditionally been on opposite sides. Their quick alliance only shows how desperately they want to destroy Jesus and get rid of him.After humoring Jesus with flattery, they pose him the question, “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” The question is a perfect trap meant to put Jesus in a no-win situation. If he says yes, he will be accused of treason for legitimizing the Roman rule over Israel. If he says no, he will be guilty of instigating insubordination and rebellion.Jesus asks to be shown a coin for the census tax and inquires, “Whose image is on the coin?” “Caesar’s,” they answer. “Then, give to Caesar what b...