By Fr. Roy Cimagala On the Solemnity of All Saints, celebrated on November 1, we are reminded that we all are actually called to become saints for the simple reason that we are meant to be God’s image and likeness, sharers of his life and of his nature as God wants us to be. To …
The Underpinning
Let’s learn to stand up to suffering
By Fr. Roy Cimagala Since suffering in one form or another is inevitable in our life here on earth, we should know how to handle it such that we can and should even derive something good from it. The secret, of course, is to go through any suffering with Christ. Only then can our suffering …
We are never alone
By Fr. Roy Cimagala “Behold, the hour cometh, and it is now come, that you shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” (John 16:32) These words of Christ should remind us of what to expect when we …
Always give God priority
By Fr. Roy Cimagala We can never overemphasize this need. When our relation with God is not strong, deep and abiding, there would be no other way than for us to get into some trouble sooner or later. We have to be wary of the clear and present danger of letting something else to replace …
Christ wants us to be productive
By Fr. Roy Cimagala The gospel of Matthew (21:33-43, 45-46) reminds us that Christ wants us to be fruitful and productive, making use of everything that he has given us — our life, our talents and the many other gifts that we have. The gospel also tells us that failing to be fruitful and productive …
‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation’
By Fr. Roy Cimagala St. Peter said these words to the house of Israel who realized that they had crucified the very Son of God, the Messiah whom they had expected for so long. He proceeded to advise them to do some penance. (cfr. Acts 2:36-41) These words can also be applied to us now. …
Christ always takes the initiative
By Fr. Roy Cimagala Indeed, Christ always takes the initiative to show himself to us, to come and to be with us. Being both God and man, whose essence is pure love, he will always be with us, showering us with all the goodness and power that he gratuitously shares with us. We should just …
Assuming God’s attitude toward sinners
By Fr. Roy Cimagala This is a great challenge for us! Since we are God’s image and likeness, we should also try to assume the very same attitude God has towards sinners, or towards anyone with whom we have some differences and conflicts. And what is this attitude? It’s spelled out clearly in the gospel. …
Despite contradictions, just do a lot of good
By Fr. Roy Cimagala That’s what we can gather from the readings of the Mass. (Acts 8:1-8; John 6:35-40) Whatever negative things we can encounter along the way, the good, which is a matter of believing in Christ, if not, identifying ourselves with him, will always prevail, if not soon, then in the end. It’s …
The radicality of Christian love
By Fr. Roy Cimagala If we truly identify ourselves with Christ, as we should, then we have to realize that we have to love God and everybody else all the way. And this can go even to the extent of offering our very life, since, as we have been reminded, “There is no greater love …