Reflection on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time by Fr. Earl Valdez

Reflection on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Fr Earl Valdez

We most often define the identity of the Triune God through the terms that surround it: One Divinity, Three Persons.

Reflection for Pentecost Sunday by Fr. Earl Valdez Photo from Classical Iconography Institute Where do talents come from and how do they define success in life? I don’t think that there’s an easy answer to this, especially since it concerns the debate over nature versus nurture. Of course, the best formula for success would be having it “in one’s genes” which comes with the best opportunities or chances of unlocking and honing those potentials. However, that’s not often the c

The first reading and the gospel for today seemed to be that day for the disciples. After forty days of being with the Resurrected Lord, it was time for Him to ascend and return to the Father.

Every Easter season, I always look forward to the readings that recall the experiences of the Apostles and the first Church communities.

It is in the God of Israel and the tradition that was formed around this conception that one sees a personal God.

I believe that the most important moment in this resurrection episode wasn't the words spoken by the Lord as they were walking.

I’m always struck by the fact that every Palm Sunday, we get two gospel readings. Before the faithful process toward the church with their palms raised, we recall the entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem, in which people welcome him as the king, as if he is the VIP, the promised one that the prophets have foretold. We can imagine the joyful atmosphere, as if the crowd has found what the people of Israel have longed for.

Last week, I had the time to watch “Eulogy,” one of the episodes of the most recent season of the British TV series Black Mirror.

How do we feel when someone stares at us? While we are curious about others and that we look at them on random instances, it sometimes feels uncomfortable when somebody stares back at us suddenly.

The encounter with the Samaritan woman with Christ may have been this same moment.

In our Gospel reading today, Our Lord recognized this concern that perhaps were nagging his disciples. Perhaps they were asking whether it was worth it, or what was the point of all this.

As we begin the season of Lent, maybe that’s something that we ought to remember, that we live with others, and that we are loved and guided until the end.

The late Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ, in one of my first philosophy classes, goes back to two important figures when he talked about the use of philosophical reflection in relation to life.

This may sound like an ironic opinion considering that I publish my material on a Catholic website, but I look with a tinge of skepticism over the notion of a “Catholic influencer.”

Reflection by Fr. Earl Valdez for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Icon of the Sermon on the Mount | Photo from The Whole Counsel of God Part of our language and worldview as Filipino Catholics is our recognition of the many things that we receive in life as “blessings.” Whether it’s money, property, an opportunity, or mere luck, there is this innate recognition that we do not really deserve some things and yet we get to receive them in our lives. And in a way, there is an

Magbagong buhay ka na. We often hear this when other people, especially those whom we know, tell us to change our ways for our own good.

It seems that the Christmas season truly ends on the Feast of the Sto. Nino, which many churches and communities celebrate anytime between the second and the last Sunday of January (although there are some who still extend it to the presentation of the Lord, on the Feast of Candles or the Candelaria).

If we look at the liturgical calendar for the Christmas season, we see a chronological succession. We first celebrate the Lord’s birth on Christmas Day, then remember that he belongs to a family in the following Sunday.