THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. There are moments when we doubt our faith in God. When we are sinking in hopelessness because of an unexpected tragedy, or when we feel victimized by a chain of unfair circumstances, we ask: "Is there really a God? If there is, does He care for me?"...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. In the Gospel reading today, our Lord Jesus Christ compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed which He considers "the smallest among all seeds" (Mark 4:30-32). Is He belittling the Kingdom of God? Certainly not. For sure, the Kingdom of Heaven is...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. A man once painted the Last Supper in a way that was never before done. In the painting, Jesus and the apostles were gathered around the dinner table which was bare. There was no bread or wine. The Last Supper re-enacts the Israelites' Passover Meal...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Today we celebrate the solemn feast of the Holy Trinity. I remember one priest who addressed his Sunday congregation this way: “My brothers and sisters,the Holy Trinity is a mystery. If we understood it, it would no longer be a mystery. So let us keep...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. The word "sanctity" seems to have vanished in our vocabulary. We still hear someone tell us: "Napaka banal mo!" But this is followed by a wish to remove us from the world of the living: "Sana kunin kana ni Lord." For sure, we all want to be good. But to...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. The solemn feast of the Ascension reminds me of Luli and Oodaaq. Luli is short for “ lulubog-lilitaw ,” the name of an island in Palawan that one can see during low tide but is completely invisible during high tide. When I visited Luli several years...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Media people seem to enjoy broadcasting deaths caused by the pandemic, the lack of hospital facilities for patients, the slow procurement and even slower roll out of vaccines, unmitigated violent crimes, rising unemployment and prices of basic...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus likens himself to the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11-18). We cannot question Jesus's valuation of Himself as a self-sacrificing shepherd. That is indeed who He is. But should we view...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Many of us wrongly think that if we worked hard enough, and if we seized every opportunity that science and technology offer, we would have everything we want in life. This illusion breeds the modern psychological affliction called FOMO — fear of...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. We cannot fully understand the meaning of the resurrection because none of us has died and rose again. But many events in our life can be considered "resurrection experiences." These are unprecedented, unique, totally gratuitous and above all, so life...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Filipino religiosity peaks during Holy Week. If not for the pandemic and the government-imposed restrictions and protocols, many of us would be doing our usual Holy Week observances these coming days. Families would flock to churches for the annual...
THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Many of us are allergic to the word “emptiness” because it seems like a gaping hole in our being. We equate it with loneliness, darkness, and depression. So, when we feel empty, we frantically grasp at anything — food, drink, drugs, entertainment,...
