In his devotionals, Inspirasi Hidup (Life’s Inspiration), A. J. Soenarja, SJ, points out the fact that Moses was a not leader of an army that obeyed and admired him. On the contrary, they never stopped expressing their dissatisfaction and disobedience to him. So, here lies the secret that made Mos...

Every week I meet this father and his son in the locker room at the YMCA where Santy and I go swimming.  The father is in his late 50s and the son, in his late 20s; and both are mentally challenged. But this is what I always notice: They are always talking to each other. […]...

Last week while I was reading on our patio, I noticed something on a small plant that we had in our side yard: a bee swarm!  Hundreds or perhaps thousands of bees were hanging on that little plant.  I was surprised because a couple of days before, I didn’t see them there.  I guessed...

God can do anything; there is nothing that He cannot do.  But our reading on Mark 6:5 says differently, “He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them.”  At the time, Jesus Our Lord was visiting His hometown Nazareth and as usual, He wanted...

Recently I read a study about the relationship between gratitude and longevity that involved thousands of participants over a long period of time.  It showed that those who experienced gratitude tend to live longer than those who did not experience gratitude. Further, the study showed that thos...

This week two people that I knew from my middle school years passed away: a classmate and a classmate’s mother.  My classmate reportedly did not even know that she was sick until it was too late.  Within months she succumbed to her disease and died.  The mother of my classmate fell ...

Oom Anton Tan told me a story that made me chuckled.  The other day while he was at a donut shop, he spotted an old lady.  Wanting to be friendly as he walked by her, he greeted her, “Good morning.”  The old lady looked up and warmly reciprocated the friendly gesture by exclaiming...

There are times when we think how much better and manageable life would be if we had known what was to come.  If we had known that something awful was to happen, we would have at least been more prepared.  But I am not sure that I agree with this logic all the time.  Yes, […]...

The story in the Book of Esther takes place during the dark period of Israel. Because of their disobedience to God, they no longer live in the Promised Land; instead, they live in a foreign land, Media Persia, now the country of Iran.  In this book we can read how God uses Mordecai and his [&he...

In the Bible we can only find one incident in which a father cried over his son.  It’s King David, who cried over the death of his son, Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33).  He wished it were he who had died in stead of his son.  It’s an expression of regret for not doing more to […]...