By Fr. Roy Cimagala Many reasons can come to mind to answer that question. One is that Christ himself said so. When asked by Peter how many times one should forgive, he stretched to practically infinite times the suggestion of Peter of seven times to 70 times seven. On another occasion, Christ also said that …
The Underpinning
Faith always works wonders
By Fr. Roy Cimagala Indeed! That gospel episode where a centurion begged Christ to cure his dying slave (cfr. Luke 7:1-10) simply shows us that with a strong faith like that of the centurion, miracles can happen. “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof,” …
Incarnating the Beatitudes
By Fr. Roy Cimagala One of the most intriguing teachings of Christ are the Beatitudes. (cfr. Luke 6:20-26) They make us wonder why it is blessed to go through all kinds of suffering here on earth — to be poor, hungry, persecuted, etc. The answer, of course, is that the Beatitudes clearly tell us what to …
Always feel God’s love for us
By Fr. Roy Cimagala It’s amazing that despite the many good things Christ said and did that impressed many people, there were still some leading Jews who doubted him and were fond of asking somewhat are termed as “gotcha” questions. (cfr. Matthew 22:34-40) One of these questions was, “Which commandment in the law is the …
Beware of the secret bondage
By Fr. Roy Cimagala We have to be wary of this spiritual and moral anomaly that, sad to say, is a common affliction these days. It can easily take place when we fail to really give our whole selves to God and to the others, giving an opening for this most deceptive anomaly to enter …
How to know ourselves properly
By Fr. Roy Cimagala That question Christ asked his disciples about who did people say he, as the Son of Man, was should also be addressed to each one of us. And we should just try our best to give the right answer like what St. Peter did. (cfr. Matthew 16:13-20) And the simple reason …
The challenge of sanctifying our skills
By Fr. Roy Cimagala That series of “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites,” (cfr. Matthew 23:13-22) that Christ heaped on some of the leading Jews remind us of the sad and common phenomenon nowadays where we can be doing some good and yet miss the real and ultimate good meant for us. And …
Blending sincerity and discretion
By Fr. Roy Cimagala In the gospel, there is a part where Christ addressed some harsh words at some leading Jews who misled others with their false doctrine and their inconsistency between their words and actions — in other words, their hypocrisy. (cfr. Matthew 23:27-32) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like …
Marriage, divorce and the gender issue
By Fr. Roy Cimagala That part of the gospel where Christ was asked about marriage and divorce and that also talked a little about man being created man and woman (cfr. Matthew 19:3-12) gives us an occasion to clarify certain points that have become today’s hot button issues due to some ideological controversies. We cannot …
Total self-giving needed to enter heaven
By Fr. Roy Cimagala Christ said it in so many words. “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is …