PAN DE LA SEMANA

31 st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) October 30, 2011 “We too, give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.” (2 nd Reading, 1Thess 2:7-9.13) We all have heard about so-called “self-fulfilling prophecies,” or the Rosenthal effect. Basically, it shows just how powerful even human utterance is. A seemingly innocuous word, when uttered irresponsibly, goes a long way and affects the hearer, along with the bearer. Gentle and kind words uplift both utterer and listener. Harsh words hurt the person inside out. Curse words, as we all know, can more than just dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. They can be very real put-downs that affect body and soul, and tear as much at the flesh, as at the heart, of anyone against whom they are directed. I am, by this world’s class-conscious standards, basically what you might call a “hillbilly.” I was born in th...

30 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) October 23, 2011 If there is anyone who lived to the letter what we prayed for at the beginning of this Mass, it is St. Paul. He, among so many others, “received the word in great affliction” (2 nd reading). But he was not alone. He writes today to the Thessalonians, whom he commends for “becoming imitators of him and of the Lord.” St. Paul and the Thessalonians are not alone either. Even from among my readers, I do know, as I know deep in my heart, that a number of you suffered, and still suffer, for standing strong in defense of what Holy Mother Church, in obedience to the Lord, teaches! I refer specially to your ardent opposition to the RH bill. I know that you know. Please know that I know, too, and that, with St. Paul, with all the members of the “cloud of witnesses,” I care, as God cares, as God loves, as God would have you do. Today, our opening prayer should not fail to touch everyone’s heart: “Strengthen our faith, hope, and lov...

29 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) October 16, 2011 Many have expressed their grief over the recent loss of Steve Jobs – for good reasons, for personal reasons, for reasons that may sound to some as right, and to some others as wrong, or at least, inappropriate, as simply a fruit of media hype. But whether we grieve personally or not, or whether or not we simply join the media bandwagon, there is no denying the fact that the man has more than just a few contributions to current, contemporary culture, and its love affair with technology. Like I said in last week’s reflection, whilst I admire him for this and many reasons more, not excluding his visionary approach to running his business empire, I am not about to canonize him and put him on the level of the men, and the leaders, and visionaries that I truly admire more than I admire Steve Jobs. The man has brought us gadgets that are objectively useful to millions all over the world. Quite apart from his obviously narcissistic ...

28 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) October 9, 2011 I write at a time when the whole world, so used to Apple products, (including me), is mourning the loss of more than just an icon of leadership, management, and technological wizardry and artistry all rolled into one. Steve Jobs has died, after leaving an irreplaceable legacy and impact to hundreds of millions of people all over the world … for generations to come! It has been said that Steve Jobs knew what people needed before they even wanted it. He had a keen eye for human nature, capable as he was to strike a marriage between humanity and technology, coming out with products that both pleased the gizmo addicted postmodern world, and the same world hungry and bereft of a technology with a soul! Hopeless technologically-challenged baby boomers like me (Jobs was exactly my age!), who were not quite at home with the digital 1’s and 0’s of “threatening” machines churned out by IBM and their contemporaries, suddenly regained the...