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Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will wash the feet of drug surrenders and policemen during a Holy Week ritual, in what could be a gesture to peace amidst the rising drug-related killings in the country…
When he thought of separating from Mary because she was found to be with child before they were married, he immediately changed his mind when he was told in a dream the real score of Mary’s pregnancy. The lesson we can get here is that all our duties and responsibilities of our state in life, whether we are married or single, father, mother, son, daughter, worker, etc., are a way to cooperate in God’s continuing and redemptive providence over us. Whether we are prominent in society or just an ordinary guy, each one of us is called by God, i.e., is given a vocation and has a mission to carry out in this life.
Pope Francis returned to a practice he developed during the Year of Mercy: making a Friday-afternoon visit to people in need of or deserving special care.
CIRIACO SANTIAGO III MANILA— A Catholic priest urged President Rodrigo Duterte not to forget the poor and marginalized, particularly his campaign promise to provide housing for the informal settlers. “But unfortunately, the NHA (National Housing Authority) has been foot-dragging in its job,” Montallana said over Manila archdiocese-run Radio Veritas on Friday. Thousands of families from Metro Manila have earlier occupied more than 5,000 government housing units in Pandi, Bulacan and the City of San Jose del Monte without permission of authorities.
5th Sunday of Lent, Year A (John 11:1-45) – April 2, 2017 When some major TV networks featured an Abu Sayaf footage a few years ago, there was much outrage and furor—as well as approval.
5th Sunday of Lent, Year A (John 11:1-45) – April 2, 2017 Deeply rooted in the heart of every human being lie the aspirations to be happy and live for ever. But these aspirations are continuo…
Pope Francis issued a message ahead of the 2018 World Meeting of Families (WMOF), saying couples and families should root their relationships in the love of God, which then propels them to joyfully…
5:17) HUMAN life is sacred from its very beginning whereas from God it originally comes through His procreative gift to one’s parents and to God it eventually returns for salvation or condemnation in the realm of the eternal. So it is that as God is the Giver of life, it belongs to God to take life away for one reason or another in the realm of Divine Providence. But the said sacred rule in general accepts the particularity of defending one’s own life. So it is that the act of self-defense has a double effect, viz., the primary intention is to save one’s own life from death through the killing of the aggressor. Preserving one’s own life is the intention but taking the life of the would-be killer is but a recourse. “Preserving the common good of society requires rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm. For his reason, the traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, ECCE Pub. 2266) So it is that Death Penalty is not altogether taboo—absolutely outlawed, unconditionally anathema. But neither it is altogether affirmed—endorsed, recommended, much less promoted. The above citation proffers the key provisions for the enactment and consequent observance of the Law on the imposition of death as a penalty: it is for the preservation of the common good of the society as a whole. It is for disabling mortal aggressors to cause terminal harm to others. It is both the right and obligation of public authority to penalize perpetrators of inherently grave misdeeds premised on the inherent gravity of the crimes committed or perpetrated against individuals, groups thereof or society in general.
And recently, some of our respected congressmen indiscriminately removed several of colleagues from their committee posts because they openly voted against death penalty. But the fact that we cannot come together for a united stand against immorality and injustice shows how alarming our present situation is. This Lenten season, as part of our fasting and prayer, whether we are in favor or against death penalty and EJK, whether we are pro-Duterte or pro-Robredo, consider the possibility of setting aside your personal views, and seek what is true and fair.
In line with the Church in the Philippines’ celebration of the “Year of the Parish as Communion of Communities,”
