THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. In the Gospel reading today, our Lord Jesus Christ compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed which He considers "the smallest among all seeds" (Mark 4:30-32). Is He belittling the Kingdom of God? Certainly not. For sure, the Kingdom of Heaven is...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. A man once painted the Last Supper in a way that was never before done. In the painting, Jesus and the apostles were gathered around the dinner table which was bare. There was no bread or wine. The Last Supper re-enacts the Israelites' Passover Meal...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Today we celebrate the solemn feast of the Holy Trinity. I remember one priest who addressed his Sunday congregation this way: “My brothers and sisters,the Holy Trinity is a mystery. If we understood it, it would no longer be a mystery. So let us keep...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. The word "sanctity" seems to have vanished in our vocabulary. We still hear someone tell us: "Napaka banal mo!" But this is followed by a wish to remove us from the world of the living: "Sana kunin kana ni Lord." For sure, we all want to be good. But to...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. The solemn feast of the Ascension reminds me of Luli and Oodaaq. Luli is short for “ lulubog-lilitaw ,” the name of an island in Palawan that one can see during low tide but is completely invisible during high tide. When I visited Luli several years...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Media people seem to enjoy broadcasting deaths caused by the pandemic, the lack of hospital facilities for patients, the slow procurement and even slower roll out of vaccines, unmitigated violent crimes, rising unemployment and prices of basic...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Every time I confess my sins, the feeling of being forgiven, renewed, and loved overwhelms me. I feel like a prisoner who is granted unconditional pardon, a debtor whose debts are written off, and a prodigal son welcomed and embraced by a merciful and...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. We cannot fully understand the meaning of the resurrection because none of us has died and rose again. But many events in our life can be considered "resurrection experiences." These are unprecedented, unique, totally gratuitous and above all, so life...
Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Two years ago, I said a funeral mass for a man who died of heart attack. After communion, the wife asked if she could deliver a short eulogy about her husband. I willingly obliged. I remember her eulogy very well because it did not sound like one. Filled with...
Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Today's celebration of the Holy Eucharist commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus. One dramatic highlight of the Mass is the reenactment of something that happened before the last supper—Jesus washed the feet of His apostles. I was in Grade 3 when I first heard...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Filipino religiosity peaks during Holy Week. If not for the pandemic and the government-imposed restrictions and protocols, many of us would be doing our usual Holy Week observances these coming days. Families would flock to churches for the annual...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Like most people, I seldom found joy and excitement in washing my clothes. The tedious and boring task wore me down. I would rather that someone did it for me. But I realized that avoiding important chores made them more difficult to accomplish. So I...
