“THE Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” (Lk 9,22) These words of Christ show us the general trajectory of our life here on earth....
DESPITE whatever, we cannot deny that there is in us an inherent desire for what is good, and ultimately for God and for heaven. This truth about ourselves is dramatized in that gospel episode where Herod was so intrigued about Christ that he longed to...
THE Feast of St. Matthew, one of the apostles, celebrated on September 21, reminds us that all of us has a vocation. We are all called by God, which is what vocation means, since we come from God and we are meant to belong to...
WHEN Christ was told that his mother and relatives were around and would like to see him, he said it very clearly that his mother and brothers and sisters are those who do the will of his heavenly Father. (cfr. Lk 8,19-21) The response of Christ...
“NO one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8,16) These are words of Christ that clearly tell us that we...
Our Nation is hit by 5 to 12 typhoons every year which destroy food crops, buildings, roads and delivery of goods delays. This means we buy more hardware goods for roofing, glass windows, cement to repair the damaged and washed roads, bridges, houses, telephone lines,...
Creation includes the human being. God, the creator of everything, created human persons to be his collaborators in taking care of all his creation. Caring for creation then, is a call for everyone. We can have so many concrete expressions to care for creation. Everyone must...
(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the Blessing of the Replica Image of Maria Bambinella during the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Sta. Ana Shrine Parish, Sta. Ana Ave., Davao City.) I don’t remember...
WE really have to be careful in understanding and interpreting the words of Christ in the gospel, since there are instances when our initial reaction would be that of surprise, disbelief and even of scandal. A sample of these words is when Christ said: “Make friends...
WE have to be more aware and more willing to carry out our Christian duty to evangelize, to go out into the whole world, preaching the Good News, and baptizing people, as Christ himself clearly told his disciples. (cfr. Mk 16,15) Christ, of course, gave us...