What Remains
For a long time, I believed that my value was tied to my usefulness. I felt most alive when I was consulted, when my opinion mattered, when someone needed my help. Whether in relationships, ministry, or work, I drew a…
Grace in every moment
Fifty Shades of Grey Hits Differently Now
I rewatched Fifty Shades of Grey recently, and surprisingly, I cried. Not because of the romance.Not because of Christian Grey.Not because of the fantasy. I cried because, for the first time, I finally understood Anastasia’s pain. Years ago, when I…
Love that never truly left
“Describe your mom in one word.” Mao to’y pangutana sa staff sa Pinoy Big Brother pag-audition namo sa akong best friend back in 2012. Klaro man siguro nga wala ko nakuha kay wa man gyud ko nigawas sa TV. Pero…
Why Do We Need to Suffer?
What if we were not created simply to be happy? I used to believe that the goal in life was happiness. I see it in parents today—doing everything they can to keep their children from ever feeling bored, frustrated, or…
Why the hesitation?
I didn’t expect healing to reveal itself in something as ordinary as a grocery shelf. Not in prayer alone.Not in long reflections or painful conversations. But in a quiet hesitation over Nutella. I stood there, mentally weighing whether I deserved…
Between Knowing and Showing Up
Last night, I attended the Easter Vigil Mass.There were adult baptisms and confirmations—beautiful, hopeful moments. Families and friends filled the church, celebrating new beginnings. Some of them were seated beside me. At first, I noticed they weren’t participating—no responses, no…
A Sinner Still Praying for Conversion (Part 2)
Fasting is something deeply practiced in our community. We fast as a way of offering sacrifice, believing that when prayer is joined with fasting, our intentions are lifted more sincerely to God. In the Catholic Church, we are required to…
A Sinner Still Praying for Conversion (Part 1)
Last 2024, during the National Social Communications Convention, I met a priest who eventually became a friend. Recently, he invited me to give a recollection to his community. At first, it wasn’t really a serious plan. It began as a…
Learning to Receive Joy
My last article, “Looya Nako Uy,” was written during a moment when I was reflecting on how I sometimes see myself. For a long time, I realized I carried this quiet belief that maybe people would only care for me…
Looya nako uy!
There is a kind of language that grows quietly inside a person who has suffered much.It doesn’t shout.It doesn’t demand.It whispers. It says: For a long time, I lived in that language. Not because I wanted to manipulate people.Not because…
Borrowed Sadness, Offered in Love
It feels strange to admit this:I cry not only because I have lost someone I love,but because I feel the sorrow of those who have lost what they cannot replace. My grief is real, yes.But it is also borrowed. It…
The Courage to Stay with Truth
God reveals not to wound, but to release. There is a particular kind of joy that arrives when something long-awaited finally appears. After twenty-two years of knowing each other—friendship, distance, reconnection, seasons where timing never quite aligned—I thought, this must…