THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Today's gospel reading narrates the story of a father whose two sons abandon him (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32). The younger son goes to his father and says: “I'm going away, so give me my rightful inheritance today.” In his haste, he does not realize the...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Every day, we see wars, calamities, disasters through round-the-clock newsfeeds from the media. Our immediate reaction is fear because they remind us of the shortness of our life. But such a reaction hardly lingers because we have learned how to tune...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. As Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine continues, the possibility of a global war looms on the horizon. The Russians are intent on winning the war. They forget that war has its own law that works in unpredictable ways. Violence is merciless not only...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, said that the unexamined life is not worth living. For him, self-examination leads to self-knowledge, which is a sure way to happiness. Hence his famous dictum: "Know thyself." Many centuries have since passed. ...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Judging from the way the People Power Revolution was celebrated last Feb. 25, it seems that the word EDSA has become a verbal overkill. The quantity of usage has outstripped the quality of discourse. EDSA seems to have lost its power and magic. Many...
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...
