The Underpinning

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 …

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 …

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 …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala That gospel parable about the Kingdom of heaven likened to a landowner who hired laborers for his vineyard at different hours of the day (cfr. Matthew 20:1-16) strongly reminds us that we should be contented and thankful for whatever God gives us. We have to be wary of comparing ourselves with …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala Words of Mary to the servants at the wedding in Cana. (cfr. John 2:1-11) While the festive celebration was going on, the mother of Christ noticed that wine was running out. She approached him to inform him of the problem, but her request at first was denied. “Woman, what is that …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala “You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world.” (John 8:23) Words of Christ addressed to those who did not believe him. With these words Christ is telling us that if we do not believe in him, we would be stuck in the world instead of heading …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala It’s a skill and art that we need to develop. We cannot deny that we have different aspects of our life that can be competing and conflicting, and we should just learn how to blend them as best that we could into some meaningful unity and consistency. Our life involves both …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala If we wonder why Christ had to be baptized by St. John the Baptist, the quick answer is that Christ wanted to institute the Sacrament of Baptism, through which we would be recreated from our wounded human nature due to the sin of our first parents to a new man, a …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala There are times when we have to wait, desist from acting at the moment, and hope for a better time that will surely come, although in ways that may not be according to our expectations. We are reminded of this act of prudence in that gospel parable about the good seed …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala The Solemnity of the Lord’s Epiphany reminds us that Christ is meant for all of us, and not just a few, and like the Three Magi, we should make an effort to look for him, that is, to look for God, in everything in our lives — in the people we …