THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa We have no precise Filipino words that correspond to "being," "presence," "existence," "subsistence," and other abstract or metaphysical concepts. We try our best to express these using our native words, but we succeed only in watering down their meaning. As the...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa In today's Gospel reading, Jesus said: "The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners" (Luke 4:18). But what if prisoners do not want to be free? What if slaves refuse to break the chains that keep them in bondage? Harriet Tubman,...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa Media reports about the grim consequences of a disaster, like typhoon Odette, often show the forlorn faces of survivors, desperately pleading for help, or mournfully staring at the wreckage of their homes, hopes, and dreams. The media usually ignore how...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa One of the gifts I treasure is the picture of the laughing Christ. It reminds me that Jesus must have laughed a lot. Otherwise, how could He have withstood human misery, the hardness of heart of the disciples, the murderous arrogance of the Pharisees, betrayal...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa When the Christmas season comes, many of us rummage stores, looking for the best and the cheapest. We behave like "consumptives." In the past, pulmonary tuberculosis was called "consumption." Those afflicted by it were called "consumptives" because they...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Yesterday, a friend who looked haggard and harassed came to me and said: "I wonder what's wrong with me. My schedule is a mess. The pressure of work is driving me crazy. I have become extremely busy, disorganized, and disoriented." Many of us can relate...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa The atheist Jean Paul Sartre once wrote that if heaven exists, he doesn't want to go there. That's understandable because Sartre denied the existence of God during his lifetime. So, if ever he got there, he would certainly be miserable. Imagine living forever...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa In today's Gospel reading, Jesus foretells the signs that precede the end of the world and His triumphant return. "In those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky and...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Every disaster brings out the best and the worst in us. For instance, during this pandemic, many people have become paranoid and panicky, behaving selfishly, and looking only after their own interests without regard to ethical principles and social...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. I once read a story about cancer patients in a hospital who were sharing with one another what they wanted most in life. One wished for clean bedsheets and better food. Another said she longed to be visited by her children. Another one mumbled that she...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa This early, many candidates in next year's election are spending millions of money on posters, banners, T-shirts and advertisements to imprint their names in our memory and get our precious votes. Lets we forget, our duty as voters is not just to elect...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando Dela Rosa Today marks the end of the annual festivities in honor of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Her image, fondly called La Naval de Manila, is enshrined in Sto. Domingo Church and is now more than 400 years old. People often ask: “How much is it worth?” To answer...
