The Underpinning

By Roy Cimagala We cannot deny that we too can somehow share the disbelief of the Jews when Christ declared himself as the “Bread of Life.” We can echo in ourselves their reaction: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (cfr. John 6:51-58) It is once again the time to enliven our …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala “For the one whom God sent speaks the Words of God.” (John 3:34) With these words of Christ, we are made to understand that Christ is the Word of God who would lead us to eternal life. The immediate conclusion that we can derive from these words is that we should …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16) We should make these words of Christ reverberate always in our mind and heart. No matter what happens in our life, we should …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala In the Gospel of St. Mark, we are told about a parable (Mark 12:1-12) where a man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenant farmers. The servants whom he sent to collect his portion of the harvest were treated badly and some were even killed. Finally, he sent his son, …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala That’s what the story of the blind man, Bartimaeus, teaches us. (cfr. Mark 10:46-52) As the gospel narrates, when he heard that Christ was passing by, he immediately called for Christ. In spite of being told by Christ’s disciples not to disturb Christ, he just went on calling for Christ. And …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala The gospel (cfr. Mark 11:11-16) shows us Christ showing two apparently contrasting qualities of anger and mercy. When he got hungry and saw a fig tree that did not have any fruit, he got angry and addressed the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And the tree, …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala What a very good deal Christ is giving us! When Peter told him, “We have given up everything and followed you,” Christ immediately reassured him — and us — “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala That’s what Christ told those Jews who could not believe that he was the Son of God. “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy,” those Jews said. “You, a man, are making yourself God.” (John 10:33) That’s when Christ told them directly, “Is it not written …

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 The parable about the ungrateful tenants (cfr. Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46) somehow reminds us about the importance of being thankful by reciprocating what we receive from God and from others. It keeps our relation with them alive and vibrant. Taking this duty for granted would actually alienate us from them, and thus …