WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD Once a pious woman who was bringing a bunch of novena-booklets to church met the parish priest. He asked, “Who is your favorite saint?” “Of course, I like the Blessed Virgin Mary best! But I also like her sister!” “Her sister? Who is she?” asked the...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD Once an archbishop was discussing Christianity with a learned Japanese writer. The writer told the archbishop, "I can understand God the Father and God the Son, but I can never understand the significance of the ‘Honorable Bird’ (Holy Spirit)." * * * Today is...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD Fr. Joseph Dau Vu, SVD, was a Catholic chaplain of the Vietnamese "boat people:" refugees in Morong, Bataan. He related to me how he together with 55 compatriots slipped out of communist Saigon on an old, decrepit motorized boat and sailed to freedom. * * * The...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD Tomorrow is national and local election all over the country. As good Christians and other religious denominations, let’s pray fervently to God but we should also vote wisely for the right candidates, especially presidential aspirants. Let’s not vote for...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD There was a “fake news” that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead because the grave was borrowed. The wealthy owner, Joseph of Arimathea, was getting it back allegedly since he needed it. That’s not true, of course. Jesus wanted to prove what he predicted and...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD An SVD missionary in one of the Pacific Islands related how surprised he was one day to be visited in his parish by a woman carrying a handful of sand. “Do you know what this is?” she asked. “It looks like sand," replied the missionary. “What does this all...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD What's the meaning of life? Is it meant to be nothing but a vain struggle for a modicum of joy and satisfaction terminated by death? In the words of St. Paul, are we here in this world to "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die"? * * * Jesus, by his...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD In basketball, a player is hailed as a hero when he commits a few errors and makes points during crucial moments. He becomes a "darling of the crowd." But the next time, he is treated as a bum or villain when he fumbles, misses some baskets, and does not score as...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD During the days of the Civil War in America, a guard was caught sleeping on duty. For that, he was sentenced to death. When Pres. Abraham, Lincoln heard about it, he himself talked with the guard and ordered the penalty be commuted. * * * His generals complained,...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991 causing great devastation to Zambales and Pampanga provinces, many deemed it as God's wrath over two "cities of sin" located within those provinces. The Mt. Pinatubo tragedy may be compared to the ones mentioned in the gospel of...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD A patient, who was being wheeled into the operating room, pleaded with the young doctor: “Doc, please be gentle with me; this…this is my first time to be operated on!” The surgeon, who also looked nervous, glanced at her and blurted out: “Do…don’t worry,...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD There's an amusing story about a young man who was constantly bedeviled by sensual thoughts. Feeling guilty, he consulted a priest-friend. "Don't worry," the priest assured him, "these thoughts popped out in our minds. They're not sinful but only enticements. But...
