THROUGH UNTRUE The song "Isang Linggong Pagibig" portrays how, within a brief span, love between friends and lovers can deteriorate into resentment and alienation. Today's Gospel reading illustrates that this can also happen in our relationship with God (Mark 14:1-15:47). On Palm Sunday, Jesus made...
THROUGH UNTRUE We have all experienced failure. Despite our best efforts, we often fall short of our goals, face setbacks, or make mistakes. During those moments, it is tempting to dwell on our shortcomings, succumb to despair, or give up entirely. Failure brings a distressing sense of...
THROUGH UNTRUE Jesus promised a hundredfold reward to His disciples if they gave up everything to follow Him. Why should they be rewarded for doing what seemed easy to accomplish? For instance, what did Peter give up? A tattered fishing net, a dilapidated boat, a sickly mother-in-law. It...
THROUGH UNTRUE Many of us harbor guilt for experiencing anger. But anger itself is neither morally bad nor good. It is our instinctive reaction to whatever threatens or destroys something or someone we love. Tim Keller suggests that anger is a form of love. It is "love in motion." In...
THROUGH UNTRUE We typically fear death, so we devise defensive strategies like denial, forgetfulness, or rationalization to mitigate our fear of mortality. Even when we see vivid portrayals in movies of people dying through illness, wars, disasters, or calamities, we often remain largely...
THROUGH UNTRUE Temptations are like credit cards: enjoyable until the bill arrives. Temptations are powerful “triggers” seducing us to experience what appears good or pleasurable. They often awaken immoral and illicit desires that lead to regrettable outcomes. But take note: temptations are...
THROUGH UNTRUE Leprosy was once the most dreaded disease because it was perceived as a visible sign of physical, moral, and even spiritual decay. However, modern medicine has demystified the disease, providing effective treatments and debunking misconceptions about its transmission. In today's...
THROUGH UNTRUE During Pope Francis's audience with the youth held at the University of Santo Tomas in 2015, a little girl asked him: “Why does God allow us children to suffer so much...?” She could not finish her question because she started crying. The Pope took the girl in his arms and...
THROUGH UNTRUE When Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana of Cebu embraced Christianity, Spanish missionaries gave them a 17th century image of the Child Jesus. The Santo Niño has since become a cherished devotion among Filipinos. Many find solace, inspiration, and a sense of cultural identity in this...
THROUGH UNTRUE The Vatican document “Fiducia Supplicans” has ignited a heated debate concerning the propriety of blessing couples in “irregular, illicit, or immoral unions.” Those who refuse to grant this blessing argue that doing so implies approval of and support for unions characterized...
THROUGH UNTRUE Every New Year, many of us turn to fortune tellers, feng shui experts, and tarot card readers to ease our worries and anxieties about the future. Their predictions somehow help us embrace the upcoming year with a sense of direction and purpose. However, it is crucial to approach this...
THROUGH UNTRUE When I was much younger, I believed that completing the Simbang Gabi novena, contributing to charity, and forsaking my favorite vices would guarantee a picture-perfect Christmas. I envisioned Christmas as a future event for which I had to prepare. Seeing Christmas as a hoped-for...
