WORD ALIVE Miss Melissa Ramos is an ambitious, go-getting woman whose main preoccupation is academic achievement. She has two undergraduate degrees, two MA degrees and a Ph.D. As she pursues her second Ph.D., the stress and...
WORD ALIVE Some time ago I celebrated the culminating mass of a two-day Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) of the Loved Flock charismatic community at the DPWH chapel, Port Area in Manila. What I considered remarkable was that the organizers were lay people and professionals who took time out to...
WORD ALIVE There’s a saying that goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” In today’s gospel, this saying applies to Jesus when he returned to his hometown and taught in the synagogue. His town mates could not accept him because he was too familiar to them. “How can he claim to be a...
WORD ALIVE Once heavy rains pounded and flooded a town. As the water kept rising, inundating the houses, a man known for his piety climbed up to the second floor of his house. A rescuer on a banca (row boat) came near and yelled, “Come, I came to save you.” But the man said, “Don’t worry, I...
WORD ALIVE A young man who was known for his impatience once prayed, “Lord, give me patience...and I want it now!” His impatience must really be that bad. * * * Seeing so much evil around, the slow progress in economic recovery, problems about money, conflicts at home or in offices, we...
WORD ALIVE In the gospel of today, the people say “Your mother and brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” Did he have brothers and sisters? According to Jewish language, brothers and sisters also mean cousins. But what the Lord means is those who do the will of God. It was...
WORD ALIVE A pious woman was bringing a bunch of novena-booklets to church and met the parish priest. Surprised, the pastor said, “You have so many prayer books. Who is your favorite saint?” The lady replied, “Of course, I like the Blessed Virgin Mary best! But I also like her sister.”...
WORD ALIVE Once an archbishop was discussing Christianity with a learned Japanese journalist. 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)." * * * ...
WORD ALIVE There’s a poignant story told when a destructive earthquake hit Turkey some years ago. After the temblor, rescue teams worked frantically, hoping that some people buried under the rubbles might still be alive. Eight days after the killer quake, miraculously a woman was found alive. So...
WORD ALIVE Once a student of a Catholic college was being initiated into a Catholic organization. He was asked: “What are the most important requirements of our Christian faith?” Without batting an eyelash, he replied, “Going to mass on Sunday and receiving Holy Communion.” Well, these are,...
WORD ALIVE Tomorrow is Good Shepherd Sunday. It is a day in the Catholic Church worldwide to focus attention on the religious vocations of priests, nuns and lay brothers, and to pray for more vocations. The need for priests and religious cannot be stressed enough. We need spiritual shepherds...
WORD ALIVE In today’s gospel, we read about the third appearance of the Risen Lord to two disciples at Emmaus. The manifestations served to confirm and bolster the sagging faith of his close followers. They had doubts and misgivings if he was really the expected Messiah. “Did he really rise...
