The precious lesson learned from the Visitation

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.

Opinion: Our tendency to be impertinent By Father Rory Cimagala (Cebu City)

YES, WE have such a tendency, and so we have to be wary of it. We are reminded of this fact of life when after Christ told his apostles about his impending suffering, death and resurrection, the apostles were caught simply discussing who the greatest among them was. (cfr. Mk 9,30-37) That’s when he told them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” And taking a child, he told them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.” This is how we can counter our tendency to be impertinent.

Opinion: Beware of false prophets and false Christs by Fr. Roy Cimagala (Cebu)

WE ARE reminded of this warning in that gospel episode where St. John the Baptist told his disciples to ask Christ if he truly was the “who is to come, or should we look for another?” (cfr. Lk 7,19)

Opinion: Turning Evil into Good by Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

THERE IS is a fascinating book entitled “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday.  The book teaches us how we can draw good things from everything even in seemingly bad situations.

Opinion: The Virtue of Prudence by Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

HOW DO we become more prudent?  By being more wise.  But how do we acquire wisdom?  Wisdom is rooted in values.  The term “values” is derived from the word valuable, or anything that is precious or important to us.  When you ask a person, what are your values? It is tantamount to asking what you hold important in your life. 

Opinion: The Philippines current food production By Jeoffrey Maitem (Davao City)

THE PHILIPPINES, a Southeast Asian agricultural country, used to be one of the leading producers of rice across the region. Even other neighboring countries like Vietnam came to the Philippines before to learn about methods used by Filipino farmers.

Opinion: The Virtue of Patience by Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

PATIENCE IS a virtue under fortitude.  We’ve defined fortitude as the human virtue that controls the negative emotions of despair, fear and anger in pursuing a difficult good even to the extent of facing dangers to our life.  

Opinion: Dealing with our sinfulness By Fr. Roy Cimagala (Cebu City)

THE STORY of Zaccheus in the gospel (cfr. Lk 19, 1-10) offers us a precious lesson on how to properly deal with the unavoidable human condition of our sinfulness. And that is, no matter how big, ugly and plenty our sins are, God’s mercy is always available. We should not waste time rutting in guilt feelings, sadness and depression because these would only make things worse.

Opinion: Toughness amid unavoidable scandals By Fr. Roy Cimagala

YES, WE have to be tough, with the toughness of charity, amid the unavoidable scandals in the world. Christ already warned us about this. “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,” he said. (Lk 17,1) We should just be prepared for this condition in our life.

Opinion: The Virtue of Meekness By Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

TO COUNTER the capital sin of anger, we need to talk about its antidote.  There are two beatitudes that confront the deadly sin of anger: meekness and its product, peacemaking.

Opinion: The Virtue of Loyalty By Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

LOYALTY is fulfilling a promise made by way of oath, or allegiance to a person or institution.  It is under the virtue of justice.  For loyalty to be virtuous, it must serve what is good.  Blind loyalty is not a virtue but a vice.

Opinion: Give without expecting any return By Fr. Roy Cimagala (Cebu)

CHRIST somehow makes us understand that we have to learn to give ourselves to others without expecting any return by telling a host who invited him to invite those who would be unable to return the invitation. (cfr. Lk 14,12-14)

Opinion: The Theological Virtue of Faith by Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

FAITH IS a very rich virtue.  Much like the virtue of charity it has many definitions.  Faith in God means to believe, to trust and to obey Him.  St. Thomas Aquinas calls faith the door to spiritual life.  It is the door to our relationship with God. 

Opinion: Be always guided by faith By Fr. Roy Cimagala (Cebu)

IN THE gospel, there is a part where Christ lamented about the lack of faith of the people. “This generation is an evil generation,” he said. “It seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” (Lk 11,29)

Opinion: Virtue of Generosity by Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

THE VIRTUE of generosity is giving to another person something of yours as an act of freewill.  It is giving something usually monetary not out of obligation but out of goodness of one’s heart.

Opinion: Loving without measure by Fr. Roy Cimagala (Cebu)

THAT’S how love should be if it is true. That is to say, if it is the love that flows from the same love which is the very essence of God and that is also meant for us, since we are God’s image and likeness. We are reminded of this truth of our faith in that gospel episode where Christ was asked what God’s greatest commandment is. That is to say, what God really wants us to do and ultimately to be. (cfr. Lk 10,25-37)

Opinion: The Virtue of Forgiveness by Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

“LIVING A life of unforgiveness is like driving your car with your parking brake on.  It causes you to slow down and lose your momentum.  And you end up tired and worn-out.”  (John Mason) Holding a grudge is like having a termite inside you.

Opinion: Charity should animate our zeal by Fr. Roy Cimagala (Cebu)

WE should see to it that our zeal to do the things of God is always animated by charity. Without charity, that zeal would do us more harm than good. It would be a zeal that defeats the purpose of serving God.

Opinion: The One Thing Necessary by Engr. Carlos Cornejo (Cebu)

IN the corporate setting, the one thing necessary is the most important office task of the day. When we get to do it, we could say that our day was purposeful and meaningful.  Prioritizing and accomplishing the important tasks of the day is one of the main ingredients in time management.  

Opinion: We have to give good examples always by Fr. Roy Cimagala (Cebu)

“NO one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8,16)  These are words of Christ that clearly tell us that we have to always give good examples to others. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we should always keep in mind that we have a serious duty to give good examples to others.