The ancient systems of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Traditional Indian Medicine (TIM), or Ayurveda, tackle the whole human person. Key to both systems and their focus is the person and not the disease. Both systems begin with a model of all organic and inorganic matter, including the human person,…
On Pentecost Sunday, the Church celebrates not only the descent of the Holy Spirit but also the birth of the Church as a sent community. The passage from the Gospel of John 20:19–23 captures a moment of profound transition – between the resurrection and the mission of the Church. It…
Pentecost, like Easter, has a solemn vigil liturgy. This liturgy includes a large number of Old and New Testament readings foreshadowing the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. They highlight His role as unifier of all nations in the Church (Genesis 11:1-9), as God dwelling with His people…
In today’s Gospel, we change gears. Over the past several weeks, the Gospels have come from Jesus’ Last Supper discourse. Now, we instead have a passage taken from the ending of the Gospel according to John, and, in particular, we have the conversation between Jesus and Peter. While there are…
I received my formation to the priesthood in the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Newark, in New Jersey, in the United States. One of the characteristics of this Seminary was its internationality. Men from all over the world, with different cultures and backgrounds, different ages, and educational levels, with different family…
In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us in a special way into a quiet, secluded place to sit beside Him as He speaks intimately with His Father, about us. So often in the Gospels, we see our Lord go off to pray alone: climbing a mountain in the early morning or…
Today’s first reading gives us a glimpse into the charism of St. Paul — a man led by the Spirit. His words remain straightforward and honest. They remain confident and unafraid. “But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there, I do…
The Sunday of Pentecost is almost here. It is the day we celebrate the memory of the first time the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus Christ as a Church. The corporate endowment of the Holy Spirit seals together the various tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations into one…
God’s blessings and call are an invitation to witness, communicate, and live the Word. On May 28 this past week, I stood in a hall at Harvard University. There, I received the Outstanding Dean’s Capstone Award for my digital media tech design project, EnKrist. When they called my name, something…
We are at the end of May, a month traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Philippines, this is the month of daily offerings of flowers to Mary, which concludes today with special prayers and a grand, faith-filled procession known as ‘santacruzan’. This procession features young women dressed…