The Underpinning

By Fr. Roy Cimagala We should always keep in mind God’s original will for us and do everything we can to fulfill that will of his. We should help one another to be aware of this fundamental condition of our life and to be faithful in effectively living by that condition. We are reminded of …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala Given the rapid developments all over the world, we are faced with the big challenge of how to adapt ourselves to them without getting lost. Definitely, we are in for a very rough ride here, and we should just learn how to manage, not minding so much the unavoidable errors and …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala We are reminded of this duty in the second reading of the Mass. It’s from the Letter of St. James. (2:1-5) There, St. James talks about the discrimination one practices when he treats a rich man with a lot of favor and privilege while asking the poor man to sit by …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala They often go together and we are very much prone to them. Thus, we have to be properly guarded, training ourselves to practice restraint and to be quick to rectify once we fall into them. We are reminded of this phenomenon in that gospel episode where the usual critics of Christ …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala It’s amazing that Christ had to excuse himself from his very busy schedule in order to pray. He is God himself. He should have no need to pray. But as the gospel many times say, he had to go somewhere to talk to the Father. As the gospel narrates, “Jesus departed …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala “Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?’” (Matthew 19:3) This is the opening passage of the gospel in the 19th week in Ordinary Time. It brings out the question of marriage and divorce that now is …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala “The disciples approached Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:1-3) Definitely, these …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi, should spur us to sharpen our understanding and appreciation of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, where Christ himself, both God and man, gives himself completely to us — body, soul, his humanity, and divinity — so we can …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala The gospel reminds us of our duty to give back and pay back what God has given us. We should do our best to at least be more aware of this duty and try to fulfill it in any way we can, although we know that we really cannot fully give …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala That gospel parable about the sower and the seed (cfr. Matthew 13:1-9) somehow reminds us that we have to be the good ground that would readily receive the seed of God and make it grow to its fullness. Only then can we aspire to transform the world the way God wants …