The Underpinning

By Fr. Roy Cimagala Imagine the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, the greatest women of all time, enjoying the greatest dignity, especially Mary! (cfr. Luke 1:39-45) The exchange of greetings between the two can only reflect the highest honor and privilege any human being can enjoy. Mary, already aware of being the mother of the …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala This is what we can learn from Christ who once said: “This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” (Matthew 13:13) He continued: “Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala As we enter the Third Sunday of Advent, we are reminded of how the people to whom John the Baptist preached started asking what they should do to be worthy of being baptized. (cfr. Luke 3:10-18) That’s when John the Baptist told them that, while he would baptize them by water, …

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 December 8 this year, usually marking the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, is also the Second Sunday of Advent, which takes precedence over the Marian solemnity. This happy coincidence, through the gospel reading of the day (cfr. Luke 3:1-6), somehow reminds us that through the merits of Christ’s redemptive …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala That’s the usual line many people use when they want to justify their reaction and even their attitude and behavior of anger, if not of hatred or despair, toward a certain person or event. They usually say that they were mistreated, misunderstood or prejudged, etc., and so they feel they are entitled …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala It’s the season of Advent again and with it, we make another beginning of the liturgical year. If we truly understand the significance of the liturgy in our life, we know that we really should prepare ourselves seriously for this new beginning, having it clear in our mind what the ultimate …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala This is, of course, a challenge for all of us. We have to learn how to remain childlike in spirit even as we age and mature, and gain a lot of experience in life. We have to remember that only when we have this spiritual childhood that we can expect God …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala Words of Christ in response to Pilate’s question, “Art thou the king of the Jews?” (John 18:33). That was when Christ clarified who he really was, and yet the poor Pilate and many of the Jews of that time could not get it. These words are part of the gospel reading …

By Fr. Roy Cimagala In the gospel, there is a part where Christ drove out the demons from a possessed man but was accused by some leading Jews of driving out demons by the prince of demons, an obviously self-contradicting reasoning. (cfr. Matthew 9:32-38) On this occasion, Christ did not waste time defending himself. He …