The Underpinning

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala Again, some wily Pharisees tried to test Christ by asking him whether it was lawful for a husband to divorce his wife. (cfr. Mark 10:1-12) This was when Christ clarified the true nature and purpose of marriage. At that time, divorce was allowed because of the hardness of heart of the …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala  On the occasion of the 173rd founding anniversary of Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), it is fitting to reflect on BPI’s remarkable journey — a legacy of stability, progress and pioneering spirit. BPI has stood as a pillar of economic leadership, shaping the financial landscape and driving growth in our …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala We should never dare to deceive God. In the gospel, there is a part where some leading Jews dared to trap Christ in his speech. (cfr. Mark 12:13-17) They asked if it was lawful to pay census tax to Caesar. Of course, Christ knew what was behind that question. He therefore …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala We have to realize that we have an inherent blindness due to the fact that we have to contend with spiritual and supernatural realities in our life. These realities simply can overwhelm our capacity to see things properly, let alone, understand them. To top it all, we also have to contend …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala Christ was giving his disciples instructions on how they should behave and pray. At one point, he said: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them.” And he proceeded to give them the Lord’s …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) Words of Christ that clearly tell us to simply focus on God in whatever we do, irrespective of the changing circumstances and conditions of our earthly sojourn. Christ reassured …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:40) With these words, Christ told his apostles, and is telling us now, that we have to be wary of our tendency to be exclusivistic in our outlook in life due to the unavoidable differences and conflicts among us, and the fact …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala Let’s always remember that our life is not simply a natural, human life. It is also meant to be supernatural since it is supposed to be a life with God, involved in his work of creation and redemption of mankind, and in the over-all providence he exercises over all his creation. …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala When Christ said, “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 5:20) we have to understand that Christian life will involve the task of going beyond what simply is material and natural in our life. That’s …

  By Fr. Roy Cimagala Yes, we have such tendency, and so we have to be wary of it. We are reminded of this fact of life when after Christ told his apostles about his impending suffering, death and resurrection, the apostles were caught simply discussing about who the greatest among them was. (cfr. Mark 9:30-37) …