Morning Voice

October 27, 2024. Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Jer 31:7-9; Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6; Heb 5:1-6; Mk10:46-52. “What do you want me to do for you?” A Swahili proverb says: “What the heart desires is medicine to it.” A Romanian proverb adds: “We soon believe what we desire.” Every one of us has his or her personal needs. There are things we all thirst for, and for those thirsts, we can brave all difficulties, undertake all challenges, and allow nothing to stop us until we get what we want. One truth we can not deny is that we all are children of Adam, and so we all thirst for three things: Possessions, Power, and Pleasures. Some people make it worse until it becomes evil when they want possession at all costs, power at all costs, and pleasure at all costs, even if that should cost the life or liberty of others. Faith nourishes and sustains our desire, desire of God, desire to see, and desire of life. Without faith, we travel in unsatisfaction and towards unce

October 20, 2024. Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Is 53:10-11; Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22; Heb4:14-16; Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mk 10:45 An Irish proverb says: “A good servant makes a good master.” A Yemeni proverb adds: “The master of the people is their servant.” Son though he was, the Lord chooses to be a Servant and live and die as a Servant. We are talking about the great kenosis, the abasement of Jesus, the Son of God who became Son of Man, and Servant of God and Men, suffered and died on the Cross for men's salvation. Two expressions will run the whole of our meditation today, Son and Servant. Sons have rights, servants have duties and obligations. In the Bible, the terms "son" and "servant" can have different meanings, depending on the context. In terms of inheritance, a son is an heir to his father's possessions,

October 13, 2024. Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Wis 7:7-11; Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Heb4:12-13; Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27. “You are lacking in one thing…” Mark 10:21 A Portuguese proverb says: “If a rich man ate a snake, they would say it was because of his wisdom.” A Dutch proverb adds: “Wisdom is a good purchase, though we pay dear for it.” Wisdom, in one simple word, is the capacity of discernment and the ability to make the right choice. I asked Uncle Google, our uncle who knows all things, and he gave me this beautiful answer: "Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise." He went further to add that it is the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, an insight or good sense, a judgment, and a generally accepted belief. Today's readings, especially the Gospel and the first reading, invite us to invest in wisdom in our decisions and choices of life. As Christians, this

October 6, 2024. Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Gn 2:18-24; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6; Heb 2:9-11; Mk10:2-16 or 10:2-12. “If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.” 1 Jn 4:12 A Romanian proverb says: “Love is blind, but marriage finds a cure.” A German proverb adds: “Marriage is the opposite of a fever attack; it begins very hot and ends very cold.” Marriage is a noble divine institution. It is the surgent of the society, of life, and so, of any other calling. Through the marital union of husbands and wives, a new life originated opening to a new vocation. Without doubt, after the Holy Eucharist, the Matrimonial Union is the nobless of all Sacraments. It even has greater value in terms of impact on social life than the Sacramental Order of the Presbytery. In the Diocese of Lucena, while celebrating the 74th Foundation Anniversary, this year is dedicated to vocation. In the prayer for the year of vocations, we rea

September 29, 2024. Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Nm 11:25-29; Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14; Jas 5:1-6; Mk9:38-43, 45, 47-48. “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:41) An Estonian proverb says: “Who is good will be rewarded.” A Chinese proverb adds: “Good will be rewarded with good and evil with evil; it is only a matter of time.” There is a very famous psychological theory that is used in education, mostly as a teaching method. It is about rewards and punishment. It is also well known as operant conditioning. Operant conditioning, sometimes called instrumental conditioning or Skinnerian conditioning, is a learning method that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior. Through operant conditioning, behavior that is rewarded is likely to be repeated, while behavior that is punished is prone to happen less. Simply put, it is about provoking the apprentice t

August 25, 2024. Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19,20-21; Eph 5:21-32; Jn 6:60-69. “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68 An Albanian proverb says: “Each husband gets the infidelity he deserves.” A Thai proverb adds: “When you follow the old man, the dog will not bite you.” When saying the Lord’s Prayer, one thing we ask for is that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we firmly voice our fidelity to his will, that is, our faith in him. Nevertheless, one of the most complicated things to keep is that faith. When we go through hardships and tribulations or pass through confusing times, we tend to forget our faith and who our God is. Many people, once life turns bitter, swap their faith with other beliefs, turning away from the Church and running after miracle makers and fortune tellers. I read a very comic, but nice story of someone who came for confess