A DOSE OF GOD TODAY

Remember, to be Catholic is to be universal, not narrow-minded. It is to have a heart wide enough to recognize that the person in front of me, even when different from me, also stands under the mercy of God. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

The Greek word for faith is pistis, which literary means: TRUST. Meaning, when he talks about faith, Jesus means first of all, to trust God without reservation. When he said to people he healed: “Your faith has saved you”, Jesus is saying that they have found new chance in life because they have surrendered in complete trust to God as made known through Jesus. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

This is why the Assumption is also about our hope. Mary shows us where God desires to bring humanity. Our life is not moving toward nothingness. Our struggles are not meaningless. Our bodies, our relationships, our acts of kindness, our sacrifices, and even the hidden tears we shed are held within God’s saving love. Mary did not escape human suffering. She went through it with faith. She allowed God to work through her joys and sorrows. And because she remained open to God, her life became a place where salvation entered human history. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

Faithfulness can mean putting down the phone and listening to your spouse. It can mean keeping confidence when a friend has entrusted you with something vulnerable. It means refusing an affair even when nobody would know. It means asking forgiveness when pride tells us to remain silent. Thus, all of these remind us now that true intimacy grows where people feel safe enough to give themselves and faithful enough to remain. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

Forgiveness does not mean saying that what happened was acceptable. It does not erase accountability. Neither does forgiveness require us to return immediately to an unsafe or abusive relationship. There are wounds that need time, truth, justice and proper boundaries. But forgiveness means that I will no longer allow what you did to determine the kind of person I will become. I refuse to let your anger make me angry forever. I refuse to let your betrayal turn me into a bitter person. I refuse to allow yesterday’s wound to control tomorrow. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

Jesus says, “go to the person.” This is fraternal correction. Its purpose is not humiliation but reconciliation. Jesus even says, “If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.” The goal then, is to win back a brother or sister, and not to win an argument. This is where healthy feedback becomes important in our relationships. Sometimes we need people courageous enough to tell us, “What you did hurt me,” “Your words were inappropriate,” or “There is something you need to reconsider.” Such conversations can be uncomfortable, but they can also become moments of grace. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

When we are given authority, there is always the temptation to prove that we are important. We want to be heard, obeyed and recognized. Yet, some of the strongest people I have encountered are those who do not need to constantly prove their importance. They know who they are, and because of this, they can listen, serve and even bend down for others. This is the wisdom behind humility which our readings today try to reveal. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

There are people whose generosity we never forget. Not because they gave us something expensive, but because we knew that what they gave came sincerely from the heart. It may have been a meal shared when they themselves had little, a friend who stayed when everybody else had gone, a parent quietly sacrificing for the family, or someone who helped without announcing it to others. There is something different about this kind of generosity. It does not make us feel indebted. It makes us feel seen and loved. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

I remember waking up one morning to a text message from one of our lay leaders, “Kaburit ninyo magsayo oi, diin man mo?.” In English, “You said you would be early. Where are you?” It was six in the morning. I immediately panicked. Did I forget a Mass? Did I oversleep? I checked my schedule. Nothing. My Mass that day was still in the afternoon. Then panic turned into irritation. “How dare she!” I thought. I felt disrespected. I was the priest. I was the Parish Administrator. At that moment, I could already imagine several ways of replying and none of them would have been pastoral. Read the full reflection on A Dose of God Today.

Today, many of us are also standing inside our own "boats." Some remain inside the boat of fear because they are afraid of failing again. Others stay inside the boat of resentment because forgiving seems too difficult. Some remain in unhealthy relationships simply because they fear being alone. Others refuse to serve because they feel inadequate. Some young people hesitate to pursue the vocation God is placing in their hearts because the future appears uncertain. But today, the Lord continues to say, "Come." This invitation is not simply to leave our comfort zone. It is to move closer to Jesus. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

Because for us Filipinos, deep behind the words: “Bahala na” is “Nasa Dios ang Awa, Nasa tao ang gawa, i.e. “to be merciful is God’s, ours is just to do our part.” Meaning, “Bahala na” is actually more than just an expression of resignation to fate but moreso an articulation of our faith & trust in God. It is not about “depende sa tadhana o kapalaran” (all depends on fate) but more so about “ipapasa-Dios ko na ang lahat” (entrusting everything now all to God). Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

So they asked Jesus privately, "Why could we not drive it out?" Jesus answered with honesty, "Because of your little faith." In another account of the same event, He adds, "This kind comes out only through prayer." The disciples slowly forgot where their strength came from. And sometimes we do the same. When things are going well, we depend more on ourselves than on God. We become so confident in our experience, our talents, our achievements, or even our position that prayer quietly disappears from our daily life. We become busy doing God's work without spending time with God Himself. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

It has been a few years now since I volunteered in the Prelature of Marawi. When I first arrived, I thought I was bringing something to the people. I thought I was bringing my theological training, my youthful energy, my missionary idealism, my carefully prepared homilies, and perhaps even my own sense of generosity. But the truth is, Marawi has given me far more than I could ever give back. The Prelature is both an existential and geographical periphery. It is a place where one quickly realizes that ministry is not only about preaching. It is about crossing rivers, sitting with grieving families, laughing with lay leaders, drinking coffee after a difficult morning, listening to the stories of poor people, and learning to be humbled by one’s own limitations. Read the full reflection on A Dose of God Today.

A person who is on denial refuses to acknowledge the truth. This is how we deny our mistakes. We blame others for our failures. We justify our anger, our pride, or our selfishness. Sometimes we even convince ourselves that nothing needs to change. It is much like a sick person refusing treatment because he insists nothing is wrong. Yet, Jesus is not asking for that. Before we can deny ourselves, we must first know ourselves. We need the humility to recognize both our strengths and weaknesses, our virtues and our sins. Only then can we freely choose love over selfishness. That is the denial Jesus speaks of. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

There are encounters that do not merely change our circumstances, rather, they change us. They change the way we think, the way we love, the way we look at others, and even the direction of our lives. This is what the Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to reflect upon today. A true encounter with God never leaves a person the same. Read the full homily on A Dose of God Today.

Crossing Borders with Mercy

The Hunger Only God Can Satisfy