Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Feast of the Immaculate Conception Can we still be holy?  how do we go back to the holiness that once was? The answer is we couldn't.  But God initiated everything.  It is God's own doing that we go back along the path of holiness.  All it takes is for us to thank God for everything: for the Immaculate Conception and for his son Jesus. God wishes us to be freed from any stain of sin.  God wishes us to be like him in holiness.  That's is the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, even a tinge of holiness, unblemished state can heal the darkness of our lives.  We just need to go to that direction. Could we still be holy?  The answer is "yes!" Even the little things we do, sanctifying all things redounds to proclaiming God's greater glory and honor.  We could do the following: 1. Fill ourselves with holy things each day.  Only our adherence to Jesus can make us holy.  He causes us to be holy through the sacraments and throug...

How could Andrew and Peter immediately leave everything behind to follow Jesus, and so too with James and John?  If Jesus were to call us, would our response be the same? It takes a while to say "yes" to Jesus and to follow him.  We would need an important component - a lively faith - the ability to leave everything behind for Jesus.  But how could we have a lively faith unless we are fully convinced who Jesus is for us?  St. Paul said, "If you confess Jesus is Lord, you are already saved."  But at the second paragraph, St. Paul wrote, "But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound.  Faith is the response, but before faith is listening, or being preached to by the One who sent. An...

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the blessing of the housing project of the St. Joseph the Worker Foundation by his holiness Pope Paul VI Brothers and sisters:  Let us not forget: of all housing projects only two are blessed by the pope; one of them is this housing project we now come to know as the St. Joseph the Worker foundation.  This is a truly rare opportunity where his holiness, Pope Paul VI gave his message, not only to the residents but also to the rest of the world.  It is important to rekindle the past and to relish the very words he said when he blessed this institution, among them are the following: 1. "The aim of our journey to Asia is spiritual order: to proclaim the infinite riches of Christ - the grace this seed of the Word should grow and multiply in our hearts and in the lives of men in the course of pilgrimage here on earth and share it with the poor their hopes and joys."  Brothers and sisters, your existence in this vicinity...

Dear Jo and Mar, I feel a certain admiration especially from couple who in a span of 25 years are totally sincere in aligning themselves with God and in enlivening and animating their faith. Jo and Mar, you gave me your preferred readings for your 25th Wedding anniversary.  I think that the readings you chose contain the blueprint of your marriage for the next 25 years.  You have started out correctly; but the next is yet to come and the keys for success in your marriage could probably contain the following:    1. The perfection of the love you have for one another and the love you bestow upon your children is the same love Christ has for you.  Keep the flame of God's love in your hearts.    2. On the more practical side, this love entails genuine communion to make it work - being one heart and one mind.  You all belong to Christ, why should there be disunity in the family?    3. Bear in mind the next 25 years till eternity in ...

Thursday, 28th Week in ordinary time, Gospel: Luke 11:47-54 Can we redefine "strictness"?  I would not even dare to venture its negative connotations. Let us aim to redefine the true meaning of strictness according to the gospel passage for the day, because if so, the Jesus would be a strict Messiah, reprimanding the pharisees who became lax in their practice of the faith: 1. A true, positive strict person is not a hypocrite who believes in righteousness but does exactly the opposite.  Truth is always his guide as he journey through the path of righteousness.  2. True strictness is guided by the wisdom of God.  He is capable of discerning if the work he's doing is his own or he is becoming an instrument of the evil one. 3.  True strictness leads people to real freedom of self, not groping in the dark but living in the light.  A strict person continues to enjoying the light of God and leads others to the light.  If people brand us as too str...

As the beads of the rosary are connected to one unbreakable bond, there are three things that connect me with the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary: 1. The Rosary connects our family together - i t has kept us together all these years and throughout eternity.  How true is the saying, "The Family that prays together stays together."   Whether living here or abroad, or with each respective families, I deeply feel that we are as united as when were staying under one roof.  Even now when our mother has gone up to heaven, the more that union is real; all because of the Most Holy Rosary 2. It connects us with Christ – the mysteries of the rosary are profound, it helps us attune ourselves with Jesus 24 hours a day.  Through the Rosary, we also become like the Beloved. 3. It connect us with the Church – We understand our role in the Church to realize the mystery of salvation; our lives become the story of salvation itself. Mama mary, lead us to your son, Jesus.

Friday, 26th week in ordinary time,  Luke 10:13-16 Jesus was hurt not because people didn't listen to him but because they didn't recognize the saving presence of the Lord.  There was no change of heart. There is a reason for God in this world.  Without God we are nothing.  Without Him, there would be no goodness in this world.  Without God, the world would come to an end because of the evilness in people's hearts. So, be somebody for God. Increase His goodness; and keep this world going by preserving and developing creation, respecting the processes of life, and share that life to others.

Back in Rome, in the catacombs, Christians of early years would decorate the tombs with paintings of flowers to symbolize heaven.  In the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the huge ceiling is adorned with golden roses.   In the feast of the Assumption of Mary, her missing body was replaced with a garden of flowers in her tomb, according to the classic film produced by Fr. Peyton's Family Rosary Crusade. We are paying tribute to Mother of the Lord the whole month of May by offering flowers to her.  We let our young children, the source of our joy, to offers flowers of different kinds as a sign of our devotion to her.  Mary is the fragrant offering like a flower to her cousin Elizabeth.  She and her offspring are the symbols of heaven reaching out to save us.  She is the life bestowed by the Holy Spirit to the barren and the outcast.  She is the hope and joy of every Christian on the way to heaven.  Her son Jesus is the main source of our happine...

As we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, what I realized is this: that after Christ's mission on earth, and after the story of God the Father's creation, the Spirit molds everything toward its proper completion. The birth of the Church and its mission on earth is the continuation of what God the Father and the Son have started. It is also upon us right now to understand, live out, give witness, make present and share with others God's gift of the Spirit. The Spirit enables us to see the truth and to understand it. Till now what we have are trickles of truth. But as it comes in, we are slowly led to a firm realization of who we are and what our mission is, and how to stay focused and faithful to that mission entrusted to us by Christ. The Spirit gives us strength to live out and give witness to God's will day by day, minute by minute, second by second. Now we are not afraid,like the apostles whose fear subsided. The Spirit guides us day by day to do what is good and p...

This is the homily delivered on the occasion of the Thanksgiving mass of the Silver Jubilarians of UST Engineering, Batch 85 last February 27, 2010 at the UST Chapel. Fr. Rolando dela Rosa, rector of UST, Fr. Franklin Beltran, regent of the UST Faculty of Engineering, the dean and professors of the UST faculty of Engineering, My batchmates, the Engineering Class of 1985, all alumni of UST Faculty of Engineering, dear guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Let me begin my sharing with the gospel for this Sunday of the 2nd week of Lent. Jesus was transfigured. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ From then on, the apostles knew that the man whom they were following was no ordinary man; rather, he was God’s only begotten son; the Messiah who would lead the people back to God. The message of the transfiguration is th...