(A Reflection at the Start of Advent) The peace greeting (Sign of Peace or "Peace be with you") is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful words we say and gestures we make to one another, though very briefly (less than 30 seconds), at Mass. The greeting is full of meaning and is addressed, not only to those within the range of our arms, if we are offering a handshake or a hug, or within the range of our sight in front, at our back and at both sides of us, if we are signifying

Some time ago, I attended a party supposed to be a farewell party for a friend going back to his home country for good. I did not expect that it was also meant to be an occasion to give awards to some people for things they had done for the organizers of the gathering. Giving of awards occurs all the time in our culture. Awards are given for a variety of reasons, some for reasons that are truly significant, some for even trivial ones. There are awards given for someone's cont

I was old enough when the first international beauty pageant, Miss Universe, was held in 1952. The first winner, a stunning Finnish beauty, soon married a rich Filipino. Another Miss Universe winner, from Colombia, also married another wealthy Filipino businessman. The fascination for the Miss Universe title and the prizes, fame and glory it entails attracts many beautiful women worldwide to aspire for the much-coveted title. The country itself produced three Miss Universe w

(On the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe) In my childhood,  an image of Cristo Rey (Christ, the King), sitting on a throne regal and majestic, occupied central place in our old ancestral house. It was encased in a glass-covered cove to protect it from dust. Flowers surrounded it. When the house was demolished and a new one built, my parents also had the same Cristo Rey enthroned by our parish priest at a prominent spot where it was the first thing visi

The Thanksgiving Mass we had at St. Columba coincided with the feast day of St. Cecilia, a martyr in the early years (3rd century) of the Church. This made me recall that when we went to Rome some years ago, we visited the catacombs of St. Callixtus. There we saw a sculpture of St. Cecilia at the exact spot where she was initially buried. Her body was found uncorrupted centuries later, and it was transferred to the church in Trastevere in Rome. St. Cecilia is revered as the p

When my father finally retired from his teaching job after more than 50 years, he decided to expand his backyard chicken raising and added a couple of turkeys to breed and multiply. The turkeys indeed bred and multiplied fast. It was amazing to behold the beauty of the fowls when they spread their tails into beautiful fans while strutting around, and making cockling sounds whenever we tried to approach their chicks. For our meals our family often had chicken in abundance, but

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor 15:51) (A Hard Look and Reflection on Life and Death - - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. "But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever." (Daniel 12:2-3) The Stoics, ancient

Time was when a man woke up in a beautiful garden and found himself face to face with the One who brought him from nothingness. It was the first good news he knew. Then the man found himself incomplete in spite of the myriad of animals and plants, and flowers and trees around him in the garden. So the One who brought him up from nothingness put him to sleep and when he woke up, the One presented him with a woman, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. She was to be his compani

When one wakes up in the morning still in familiar surroundings, at the exact same place where he lay down to sleep the previous night, he realizes happily that he is still alive. Somewhere some people were not granted to wake up that morning, which most probably they did not expect nor want. And if one said a prayer or some similar "Good Night" consigning himself to the great love and mercy of God as he sleeps, the first act one is expected to take after realizing he is stil

If there is one artist's depiction that stands out regarding the nature of the relationship between Jesus and His Mother Mary, it is the "Pieta" by Michelangelo, shown here. The original sculpture is enshrined at the Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Mary holding the dead Body of Jesus after being taken down from the cross is only one of the many sorrows of Mary foretold by the prophet Simeon at the Presentation of Jesus in the temple: “Behold, this child is set for the fall an