Omnipotence Maybe the true meaning of omnipotence is not necessarily in the literal moving of mountains and parting of seas. Maybe it is about building a coalition of diverse stakeholders willing to accompany each other towards a mission. Finding a way to unify different stakeholders with varying needs and wants is one of the most […]
Osmosis “The process of gradual or unconscious assimilation of ideas, knowledge, etc.” Who we choose to stand by reveals a lot about who we are and what we could be. John 19:25-27. Standing by the cross of Jesus [DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 258: SEPTEMBER 15, 2022]
Idolizing someone should not make us that person’s slave When we admire someone, do we become irrational fanatics – losing ourselves, willing to be a slave? Or do we become inspired because of the example set – finding ourselves, invigorated by the new possibilities of what we could be? John 3:13-17. For God sent his […]
Compassion is not just an emotion Not all kinds of misfortune or unfortunate circumstances can trigger compassion. When characters in the gospels or the parables seem to be victims of structures or context beyond one’s personal control, compassion seemed appropriate. When sinners also demonstrate authentic repentance, compassion seemed appropriate too. But when a person had […]
How do we deal with self-worth? For our collective well-being, it is important to have a sober understanding of our self-worth. Too much, we become prideful; too little, we become brittle. The challenge with trying to ascribe value and worth is that we tend to compare. Too much comparison leads to jealousy and envy; too […]
The upright should not need any more incentive We can personally (and internally) determine the level of our humility and authenticity if we do not get envious of rewards and incentives given to the previously lost who have found their way. An initial (yet reasonable) reaction for the upright would be: why would the “sinful” […]
When our senses are overcharged, we fail to see what is beyond The strength of any structure or engineering marvel is not necessarily shown by its exterior. Its strength is based on how well its foundations are built and to which object it is anchored to. The age of social media can easily stimulate our […]
Marites conflates (emotional) reactions with (unreasonable) judgements Gossiping can be such a guilty pleasure. Maybe it is a bit of crab mentality – building one’s ego by pulling others down. Maybe the enjoyment of seeing others’ misery (i.e., schadenfreude) makes us feel that we are a bit better (but we’re really not). On the surface, […]
Being righteous is not being self-righteous Being right does not mean to exclaim to others that we are right. Since rightness and virtues by themselves are already rewards, we don’t necessarily need others to put us into pedestals when we are doing something right. Imagine if St. Joseph, feeling that he was right, rashly separated […]
How are we blessed? Sometimes I wonder how we label some things as blessings. In practical settings, it’s as if being blessed is synonymous with being lucky. “I have a financial windfall, I’m so blessed! (or lucky?)” “I won the first prize in a raffle, God heard my prayer! (or am I just lucky?)” “My […]