Word Alive When I studied at the SVD theological seminary in Tagaytay, we had an exceptionally bright seminarian. In class when the professor was lecturing, he would make sketches on his notebook, seemingly unmindful of what the mentor was saying. When examinations came, he would get a perfect or...
WORD ALIVE Sometime ago, a news item in Divisoria, Manila, related about how burglars broke into a shop. This would not have raised eyebrows at all since the incident took place in a notorious place. What made it amusing was that it happened to a company that manufactures burglar-proof glass...
WORD ALIVE Once a politician organized a group of businessmen to talk about world hunger and how to remedy it. “Millions of people in the world are starving. They eat barely once a day,” he said. The guests were dismayed, however, seeing a sumptuous dinner served with overflowing laureate menus...
WORD ALIVE Once there was an elderly monk who prayed many years for a vision to strengthen his faith, but it never came. He had almost given up hope when, one day, a vision of Jesus appeared. The monk was overjoyed. But then, right in the middle of the apparition, the monastery bell rang,...
WORD ALIVE One Sunday morning after saying Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Kamuning, Quezon City run by SVD confreres, a couple approached me. "Father, we're from this parish," they greeted. “We’re lay missionaries working in Papua New Guinea and we're presently on vacation." Then...
WORD ALIVE In the gospel of this 27th Sunday (Matthew 21,33-43), we read Jesus' parable how the heir of the vineyard was badly treated by the tenants. * * * The parable refers to the servants as the earlier prophets sent by the vineyard owner (God) to collect the harvest. But they were not...
WORD ALIVE A man died and went to heaven. At the Pearly Gate, St. Peter welcomed him then gave a tour around. As they were entering a big hall, the man recoiled with fear, seeing so many tongues hanging inside. “St. Peter, how weird this place is! Why are there so many tongues hanging?” the man...
WORD ALIVE One woman said to another: “You know what? My neighbor is always criticizing her husband. But look at me. My husband is irresponsible, lazy and a drunkard; but have I ever said anything bad about him?” (Look who’s talking!). In the gospel of this 23rd Sunday, Jesus says, “If your...
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...
