WORD ALIVE The 34th Sunday is the feast of Christ the King. When Jesus was crucified, a crude, wooden sign (caratola) was nailed over his head with the inscription INRI, which in Latin means “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.” In English, “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.” Is Christ really...
WORD ALIVE In this Sunday gospel, Jesus says, “No servant can serve two masters – ‘God and mammon’ that is, wealth as an evil influence.” (Lk 16,13). It is because in practical life, money is important. A witty guy once said: “Peo-ple say, ‘Money is the root of all evils,’ but they...
WORD ALIVE It's been related that while Father (later Bishop) Fulton Sheen was giving a public lecture, explaining Jonah and his mission, a heckler from the audience harrased him to the point of being disrespectful. The young fellow expressed cynical doubt whether God could make Jonah live...
WORD ALIVE Palm Sunday is called “Domingo de Ramos” or Mahal na Araw. It’s the start of Holy Week, in local parlance, “Mahal na Araw.” “Mahal” does not mean nag-mahal ang halaga ng gasolina at mga bilihin. (‘Mahal’ does not mean the price of gasoline and commodities rose...
WORD ALIVE There’s an amusing story in today’s gospel on the adulterous woman. When Jesus said in defense of the woman against her accusers: “He who has no sin among you let him cast the first stone,” there was a cold silence. The silence was broken when a stone was thrown in the...
WORD ALIVE 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, but the president’s decision...
WORD ALIVE 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 this 3rd...
WORD ALIVE 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, madam, this…this is...
WORD ALIVE 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 the moment you start...
WORD ALIVE Everybody wants to be happy. But happiness is a very elusive thing. And the reason is we don’t agree on what it means to be happy. Some maintain that you can be happy if you have lots of money, including ill-gotten. Others believe in the saying, “Eat, drink and be merry for...
WORD ALIVE SVD priestly ordination. Five deacons of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), class “Koinonia” will be ordained priests on Feb. 8 at 9 in the morning at the Divine Word Seminary Chapel, Tagaytay City. The five SVD deacons are allFilipinos: Rev. Jeyvee Vagilidad, missionary to...
WORD ALIVE There’s one feast in the Catholic Church’s calendar which is not very well known. That is the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple which is celebrated every Feb. 2. According to the ancient Jewish tradition, a child is never given to parents by...
