From February 11 to 18 this year the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches in Davao are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This has been done for several years worldwide guided by a committee composed of persons from the Vatican Council for...
Fake news tell lies and deceive people for money and power. Government scams expose people’s greed for money and power. Drug war promotes control of others for the sake of money and power. Quoting Matthew 24:12 Pope calls these as forms of iniquity, a symbol...
In his Lenten message 2018 our Holy Father Pope Francis is calling our attention to the Gospel love or charity getting frozen by the moral climate fast changing into freezing point. This is a good metaphor for the dangerous over-turn of moral values where wrong...
Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X, who composed this litany often recited it after the celebration of the Holy Mass. O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire...
The gospel of Mark (10:13-16) says that “he who does not accept the kingdom of God as a child cannot enter it.” How does a child accept God’s kingdom? The phrase, “kingdom of God” or “reign of God” and “accept” it, usually refers to awareness of...
The Opening Prayer of the Holy Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany summarizes the message of the three Readings (Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3,5-6; Mat 2:1-12) and the Responsorial Psalm 72. The Mass celebrant praying with the people with outstretched arms says, “0h God, who revealed...
Yes and No. Most of us, without batting an eye, will immediately say Yes. But do we know why? Well, we say, it is obvious: last year is gone. This year is another. Therefore it is new. But how do we know that last year is gone,...
This is the question I brought to the attention of the board members of the Catanihan Foundation, Incorporated (CFI) in which I serve as chairman. Our CFI, perhaps the oldest charitable foundation in Davao City, has been giving a specially prepared lunch to 90 undernourished pupils...
Many of us who are quite media oriented know there is no real peace this Christmas, a peace that can only be the result of order. The reason is because there are a lot of disorders in our social, political, cultural and religious life. Martial law,...
In this year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons there will be many ideas, plans and projects to focus on for their welfare as individuals and as community. I have an idea which others can develop. Almost all priests and consecrated persons were born in a parish...
