Grassroots Empowerment

Today’s readings felt very challenging for me to distill into one striking theme in a single stride. Even though the theme of God commanding obedience as better than sacrifice stood out in the first reading (1 Samuel 15:16-23), I didn’t want to get myself morally conflicted with the idea of totally exterminating the Amalekites. Nevertheless, […]

The call of Samuel in today’s first reading (1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20) highlights one of the central themes of the First Week of Ordinary Time. It’s a reminder that God continues to call, and the faithful must learn to listen and respond. Only last Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord,

The message of the Christian Gospel is unambiguous about the path that leads us to God: to keep God’s commandments. The Church clarifies that this fidelity is not merely about rules, but about loving our neighbors as ourselves. In a familiar cultural parallel, Toyota’s slogan, “We Make It Easy,” captures something similar to the divine

This Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke (16:19-31), where we have the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man, is well-known. It wakes up many emotions and reactions from different people. You may be one of them. At first glance, it may seem to suggest that wealth is evil or that the rich are destined for

For our reflections today, we anchor our bearing in the delight God takes in us when we live righteousnessly (Ps. 149:4a). We heard some of the lessons from the Responsorial Psalm of today’sHoly Eucharist.  Uniting the thoughts with the first reading from Haggai (1:1-8), something stands out clearly about us. When we anchor our goals

As we celebrate the Holy Eucharist today, the Church reminds us that this sacrament, among other things, is thanksgiving. It is our moment to pause, remember, and thank God for countless blessings. Like Ezra in today’s first reading (Ezra 9:5-9), the Church invites us to turn back to God with grateful hearts; to truly stop

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina is the popular Padre Pio many of us have heard so much about. He was a stigmatist who extraordinarily shed blood on a special day like Good Friday. On his feast day, we remember his deep prayer life, love for the Eucharist, and tender care for souls in confession.  Like Mary,

In today’s Gospel (Luke 8:16-18), Jesus reminded us that the Christian call is to become a light, for ourselves and others. No one lights a lamp to hide it under a bed. It is lit and placed on a stand to illuminate targeted areas. The challenge is before us as Christians to examine how we

Today’s liturgy vividly reflects the role of leadership in our communities and globally, deriving from the crucial second reading from the second letter to Timothy (2 Tim 2:1-8). One clear message we must understand is that leadership is not for everyone; some were born to lead, and others learned to be leaders. Between leadership and

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian. A single mission bound these holy men: to proclaim the Gospel with their words and even more with their lives. Earthly bloodlines did not link them; they were true brothers in Christ, children of God, and heirs to His eternal kingdom. Cornelius, called to shepherd

This weekend, we celebrate one of the vital feasts in the Church that replaces regular Sunday prayers and readings. We call it the Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This solemnity invites us to lift our hearts to Calvary, where Jesus gave His life for our salvation, and reminds us of the discovery

Today’s gospel reading from St. Luke (6:27-38) continued Jesus’ conversation from yesterday. In the passage, Jesus teaches His disciples to rise above ordinary human responses by loving even their enemies and doing good without expecting anything in return.  Those practices are like swimming against the current, but they show our identity as Jesus’ true disciples,