This Sunday’s gospel is one of my favorites. All of us have been in Peter’s situation at one point or another in our lives. We have experienced moments when we felt pushed around by the winds and waves of daily life. Moments when we were affected by life’s storms such as stress at work, marriage
When I used to watch a lot of T.V, I would sometimes watch old sitcoms. One of them was “The Facts of Life”. The show’s theme song began with “You take the good, you take bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life”. Life is filled with ups and downs,
BY: AMBROSE MILTON BENNETT Your attitude will always determine your altitude as you can be whatever you want to be in America. While many in other parts of the world are hindered by conditions beyond their control having the right attitude can still make all the difference in a person living a moral en- lightened
In the past Catholics would refer to the Mass as the “Holy Sacrifice of the Mass”. This particular saying would lead some to accuse Catholics as “Re-Sacrificing Christ”. Till today some say, “Why do Catholics celebrate the mass? Isn’t Jesus’ Sacrifice on Calvary enough to save and sanctify us? Do they just remember Jesus’ death?”.
This summer I’m teaching an Introduction to the Bible course for our youth at St. Jude Parish. Our students often ask questions like, “How do I interpret the Bible?” “How do we understand the Creation story along with Evolution?” “Do we have to believe everything literally from the Bible?” I shared a method with them
We recently celebrated the memorial of St. Justin Martyr. The word Martyr comes from the Greek word martus, which literally means witness. A martyr is someone who suffers for his or her beliefs. Like many Christians in the early centuries, St. Justin was killed because of the faith. When I lived in Rome, I often
We recently celebrated the feast of St. Isidore the Farmer (San Isidro Labrador), patron of Saipan. He is likewise the patron of farmers, day laborers, and agriculture in general. St. Isidore was known for his daily devotion to morning mass, encountering Jesus in the Eucharist. However, his devotion would often irritate his fellow workers. They
I had a classmate in college who was a Protestant (Southern Baptist), but who was slowly converting to Catholicism. One of his obstacles though was our Catholic understanding of Saints and Relics. Whenever he saw Catholics praying in front of statues or venerating Relics, he thought they were believers in magic and superstition. He would
I recently had dinner with some friends at a restaurant. Sitting across from us was a mother and her four children. When they were about ready to leave, the mother said, “Okay kids, let’s go”. Three of her kids immediately got up and headed for the door. One child however, stayed glued to his seat
“Volumus Iseum Videre” is the Episcopal Motto of Bishop Ryan Jimenez. It translates to “We would like or we desire to see Jesus”. Who of us would not want to see and encounter the Risen Lord? This Sunday’s gospel describes the Sacrament of the Eucharist/Mass, as the best way to see and encounter the risen