The Underpinning

By Fr. Roy Cimagala The gospel of Matthew (21:33-43, 45-46) reminds us that Christ wants us to be fruitful and productive, making use of everything that he has given us — our life, our talents and the many other gifts that we have. The gospel also tells us that failing to be fruitful and productive …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala St. Peter said these words to the house of Israel who realized that they had crucified the very Son of God, the Messiah whom they had expected for so long. He proceeded to advise them to do some penance. (cfr. Acts 2:36-41) These words can also be applied to us now. …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala Indeed, Christ always takes the initiative to show himself to us, to come and to be with us. Being both God and man, whose essence is pure love, he will always be with us, showering us with all the goodness and power that he gratuitously shares with us. We should just …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala This is a great challenge for us! Since we are God’s image and likeness, we should also try to assume the very same attitude God has towards sinners, or towards anyone with whom we have some differences and conflicts. And what is this attitude? It’s spelled out clearly in the gospel. …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala That’s what we can gather from the readings of the Mass. (Acts 8:1-8; John 6:35-40) Whatever negative things we can encounter along the way, the good, which is a matter of believing in Christ, if not, identifying ourselves with him, will always prevail, if not soon, then in the end. It’s …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala If we truly identify ourselves with Christ, as we should, then we have to realize that we have to love God and everybody else all the way. And this can go even to the extent of offering our very life, since, as we have been reminded, “There is no greater love …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala We have to be most careful with this danger which can easily afflict especially those who desire to be good, holy and a firm believer of God. The devil, who can appear to be an angel of light, can with a most subtle deception trip us in our pursuit for holiness. …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala We get this happy assurance from the Letter of St. James. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive a crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12) Besides, we are also told that God does not …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala Since God takes care of everything, even in our worst conditions, we have no reason to worry for long and every reason to be happy instead. While we cannot avoid pains and sorrows, we also know, if we truly have God in our heart and we enter into an intimate relation …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala We have to learn the art of how to stay on course in our life so that we do not get distracted, confused, entangled, and lost. For this, we have to be clear about what the real and ultimate purpose of our life is, as well as know how to relate …