WORD ALIVE This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the two greatest saints —Saints Peter and Paul. In the beginning, the two were far from perfect. Paul was never a God-fearing, gentle person. Harsh and cruel, he relentlessly oppressed the early Christians, imprisoning them and even...
WORD ALIVE There’s an old saying which goes, “If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.” “Try and try again,” that’s what the Canaanite woman did in the gospel episode in this 20th Sunday. She kept on pestering the Lord to the point of vexation to cure her possessed...
WORD ALIVE Did you know that Jesus mentioned “television” in the gospel? After the Transfiguration at Mt. Tabor, he said: “Tel-e-vision to no one.” (Mark 9,9). The gospel in this 18th Sunday does not relate about television but the vision of Jesus’ transfiguration (cf. (Mk 9,2-10). The...
WORD ALIVE A man was worrying too much over his problems, sleepless at night from insomnia. Upon the advice of a friend, he tried the old remedy of counting sheep while getting some sleep. He went to bed and closed his eyes, but when the first sheep came along, it stumbled and fell. Would someone...
WORD ALIVE In today’s gospel, Jesus declares: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” When he talked of persecutions, he was referring to the persecutions his disciples had suffered at the hands of the Jews and the Romans in proclaiming his teachings. Today, the persecutions...
WORD ALIVE The old mentality wherein the laity were expected just to say "amen" and to "pray, pay and obey" has long been over. As a result of the numerous charismatic seminars, some lay people I know, who attended such renewal activities, now preached in streets and restaurants. Entering...
WORLD ALIVE Some of you might have seen the movie “Survive,” based on a book entitled “Last Survivors of the Andes Mountains.” The true story relates about how 16 out of 45 passengers, mostly rugby players from Uruguay, survived a plane crash in the freezing Andes Mountains for 70 days. * ...
WORD ALIVE 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!” Taken aback, the priest said, “Her sister? Who is she?” “Of...
WORD ALIVE 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 the feast of the...
WORD ALIVE Today, Ascension Sunday, we commemorate the end of the Lord's public ministry in this world. “Mission accomplished,” Jesus would say. It does not mean that he is no longer with us or went into “retirement.” The evangelist Matthew writes Jesus’ declaration: "I am with you always...
WORD ALIVE There’s a poignant story told when a destructive earthquake hit Turkey in December 1988. After the earthquake, 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...
WORD ALIVE A reader, Ronald Ricamata, e-mailed me during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying “In this difficult time, our priests, nuns and seminarians are also frontliners. “Our spiritual frontliners fight against unseen enemy. They must be acknowledged and appreciated, too.” * * * I agree...
