Morning Voice

August 6, 2023. Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – A. Readings: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 Pt 1:16-19;Mt 17:1-9. “This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to him.” Mt 17:5 A Chinese proverb says: “One's true nature is revealed in times of difficulty.” And an Akan proverb adds: “You can kill a man's identity on earth but you cannot kill his spirit.” In everyone's life, there are moments and events of singular meaning and importance. These moments and events not only mark our whole lives, but they also sometimes shape our identity and reveal who we are to others. I don't like some imageries, but just for the sake of explanation, may we use this? We are in a world where the homosexuality and LGBT movements are growing and trying to impose themselves. Many families have at least one member, one son or a daughter inclined to this reality. In orthodox and strictly conservative families, those members hide themselves and fear reve...

July 30, 2023. Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: 1 Kg 3:5, 7-12; Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128,129-130; Rom 8:28-30; Mt 13:44-52. “Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” 1 Kg 3:9 A Swahili proverb says: “If you want to eat a pig, choose one which is fat.” And a Greek proverb adds: “A drop of wisdom is better than a sea of gold.” In Manila, Quezon City, and many of the surrounding cities, there is a shopping center that always attracts my attention, not by its size, but by its name: SHOPWISE. And for many items and appliances, it is truly wise to shop there. Not only are the qualities great but you are given a wise and wide variety of choices. You get from national to international brands at a very nice price. In life also, wisdom is needed in every choice and decision we make. To choose without wisdom is to ruin one's whole life. Many have gone to their loss because of wrong discer...

July 23, 2023. Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: Wis 12:13, 16-19; Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16; Rom8:26-27; Mt 13:24-43. “You gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.” Ws 12:19 A Turkish proverb says: “Who sows wheat with the devil will get its chaff.” And an Albanian proverb adds: “A good garden always has weeds.” God's patience with sinners is an expression of his mercy. Because he does not want the sinner to die, he gives him time, hoping he will repent and amend his life from sinfulness. God hates sin in all its forms and facets, but he does not hate the sinner. He patiently gives him time to convert and change his way. God's hatred of sin implies that He loves His people and wants to bless them. Another reason God hates sin is that sin blinds us to the truth. And sin by nature opposes the very nature of God who is fount of all holiness and goodness. Sin is a wound and bruise (Isaiah 1:6), a burden (Psalm 3...

July 16, 2023. Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: Is 55:10-11; Ps 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14; Rom 8:18-23;Mt 13:1-23. “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower. All who come to him will have life forever.” Cf. Acclamation. A Latin proverb says: “Every soil does not bear the same fruit.” And a Tshi proverb adds: “When a yam doesn't grow well, we don't blame it; it is because of the soil.” For a good harvest, many factors are required, among them the quality or receptivity of the soil and the care the sower put for the seed. For a few weeks, with our seminarians, to keep ourselves busy doing something productive, besides the normal spiritual, intellectual, human, and charismatic formation that the Aspirancy program holds, we decided to do some vegetable gardening. For me, that is not something so new. For, years back, when I was in Kenya, I was doing it as well. The most impressive, however, is how it took us time to prepare the soil and the whole gard...

July 9, 2023. Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: Zec 9:9-10; Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14; Rom8:9, 11-13; Mt 11:25-30. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." A Moroccan proverb says: “The weight of the burden is known only by him who carries it.” And a Kenya proverb adds: “A heavy burden does not kill on the day it is carried.” There are times in life when life itself becomes too tough. There are moments we do not know what to do to hold on to life. Things start becoming so hard. In those moments, some people find refuge in vices and addictions. Some others see no other option than to give up, to literally quit, or to commit suicide. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of addiction grew vertiginously. Many people, because of being jobless or confined at home, threw themselves into sexual abuse, pornography, and many other immoralities related to sex. Some others find their refuge in alcoholism and drugs. ...