THAT otherwise amusing story of how the baby of Elizabeth and Zechariah was to be called John instead of Zechariah as their neighbors expected (cfr. Lk 1,57-66) somehow tells us that in our life we have to contend with certain mysteries that often defy common sense, logic, tradition and our other
December 23, 2024
IMAGINE the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, the greatest women of all time, enjoying the greatest dignity, especially Mary! (cfr. Lk 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
December 21, 2024
THAT was how the Archangel Gabriel addressed Mary. And after a few exchanges of words, the very Son of God was conceived in Mary’s womb after she said that famous response: “Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.” (Be it done to me according to your word.) The archangel’s greeting to Mary should
December 20, 2024
Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE) Talamban, Cebu City Email: roycimagala@gmail.com BOTH conceptions came about with clear divine intervention involved. Christ’s conception in the womb of Our Lady was completely virginal. That of John the Baptist involved a natural process though the parents were already in a condition where
December 19, 2024
THAT gospel episode where Joseph thought of separating from Mary because the latter was found already with child in her womb before they lived together (cfr. Mt 1,18-25) teaches us that despite the big sacrifice involved, we should just follow God’s will and ways even if our legitimate human ways have
December 18, 2024
By Fr. Roy Cimagala ON the second day of Misa de Gallo, December 17, the gospel reading (cfr. Mt 1,1-17) talks about the human genealogy of Christ to show that Christ is truly a man while remaining, of course, as God. A question may be raised—if Christ is truly a man, why did his conception
December 17, 2024
AMID all the obvious overload we have today in terms of facts and data, opinions and views, ideologies and philosophies, fiction stories and narratives, rapidly evolving innovations, etc., we cannot deny that the search for truth has become a very challenging task. We certainly should not ignore them. Rather, we should
December 16, 2024
As we enter the 3rd 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. Lk 3,10-18) That’s when John the Baptist told them that while he would baptize them by water,
December 14, 2024
THIS was what Christ once lamented about while preaching to the crowd. “To what shall I compare this generation?” he asked. “It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you
December 13, 2024
THAT should always be the proper condition of our life. In this regard, let us follow the example of Our Lady, the perfect person, who upon being told that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God, simply said, “Fiat mihi secundum tuum,” (Be it done to
December 12, 2024
THE days before Christmas usually see us frenziedly preparing for the birth of Christ. It’s a natural behavior for someone who is very special to all of us. After all, Christ is God who makes himself man to save us, to recover us from our state of alienation from God who
December 11, 2024
WE have to be more keenly aware of this truth of our faith. Our actions can and should have eternal value. And this can happen when everything we do is done with God and for God. It’s when we do things with love for God and in his presence that even
December 10, 2024