The Underpinning

By Fr. Roy Cimagala That lamentation of Christ because some people did not ask for forgiveness for their sins in spite of the many blessings given to them (cfr. Matthew 11:20-24) should strongly remind us that no matter how sinful and helplessly wretched we feel we are, God is always eager to forgive us if …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala In that gospel parable describing the Kingdom of Heaven as a treasure buried in a field and as a merchant searching for fine pearls for which the main characters would be willing to sell everything they had just to get that treasure and those fine pearls (cfr. Matthew 13:44-46), we are …

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 …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala What lesson can we learn from that rather amusing gospel episode of the two sisters, Martha and Mary, welcoming Christ to their home? (cfr. Luke 10:38-42) Martha was doing well in busying herself welcoming their special guest. But when she complained about her sister, Mary, who seemed to be doing nothing …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala If Christ is the pattern of our humanity, then we have to be ready to carry his cross which is his ultimate expression of love for us. To carry his cross is the ultimate way we can identify ourselves with Christ as we should. We should not be afraid of the …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala It’s interesting to note that despite the heavy and tight schedule Christ had during his public life, he always managed to find time to take care of the formation of his disciples. In fact, he invested a lot of time in training them. St. Mark, in his gospel, noted that “in …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala Given the fact that we in this world will always have to contend with complicated situations, challenges, difficulties, trials, and the like, we need to follow what Christ advised his disciples once: “Be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) In this way, we can manage to go through …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala This is what Christ is proposing to us. It is quite intriguing, but to be sure it is what truly is proper to us. We need to somehow lose ourselves to win what is truly necessary for us. We cannot deny that we are notorious for sticking to our own will …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala When Christ summoned his 12 apostles, sending them out two by two and giving them authority over unclean spirits, he clearly told them also to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick — no food, no sack, no money in their belts, etc. (cfr. Mark 6:7-13) The instruction may …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala In that gospel parable describing the kingdom of heaven as a treasure buried in a field and as a merchant searching for fine pearls for which the main characters would be willing to sell everything they had just to get that treasure and those fine pearls (cfr. Matthew 13:44-46), we are …