Opinion

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...

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...

Perhaps so if we look at a new study led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine that showed COVID-19 patients who were taking a daily low-dose aspirin (for cardiovascular disease) had a significantly lower risk of complications and death compared to those who were not taking aspirin.The researchers looked through the medical records of 412 COVID-19 patients, age 55 on average, who were hospitalized over the past few months due to complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection.About a quarter of the patients were taking a daily low-dose aspirin (usually 81 milligrams) before they were admitted or right after admission to manage their cardiovascular disease.The researchers found aspirin use was associated with a 44 percent reduction in the risk of being put o...

It was past midnight last Saturday when I chanced upon the news that Joe Biden is now the 46th elected president of the United States along with his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, now known as the first woman vice president.It was past midnight last Saturday when I chanced upon the news that Joe Biden is now the 46th elected president of the United States along with his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, now known as the first woman vice president.I’ve been closely watching the US elections and have been praying for Biden’s victory. Some might say, it is not our business. But somehow, a Biden win gives me renewed hope that it will be a wake-up call for us as well because what the Americans showed us was the election was all about character, truth, and...