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EXPLORING the story of Judas reminds us that human weakness is universal. While he is remembered for his ultimate betrayal, his story also teaches us about grace and forgiveness. Both Judas and Peter committed grave mistakes, but the difference was that Peter accepted God’s grace, while Judas allowed shame and despair to consume him.
It is easy to dismiss Judas as either a villain or a victim, but I am struck by the fact that, in many ways, he was just like me.
Judas was a follower of Jesus and a preacher of the Gospel, yet there was a double-mindedness within him. In the end, he abandoned the faith he had once professed.
The apostle Judas — believed by some traditions to be a brother of James and Jesus — began as a fervent follower of Christ. Then, suddenly, he changed. Christ no longer fulfilled his worldly expectations. Like Christ Himself, the Church is always loved by its faithful followers and hated by those who abandon it. That remains true today, regardless of one’s religious affiliation.
Judas did not leave the apostolic community to become a Pharisee or merely a critic of Christ. He left to become a traitor. Such traitors will always find fault or twist the truth to justify their actions. Judas gathered reasons from what he himself had heard and witnessed to rationalize his betrayal. We all know people like that — people who betray not only friends but sometimes even an entire nation.
A Jewish mob once tried to throw Christ off a cliff, but they failed. Soldiers attempted to arrest Him, yet nothing happened. The Pharisees repeatedly tried to trap Him, but to no avail. In the end, it took a friend to betray Him. He escaped all His enemies, but not the treachery of someone close to Him. That is why Jesus declared, “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born!” No such condemnation was directed even at Pilate or Herod.
The lesson for all of us is clear. A corrupt politician — or even one of our own neighbors — can become among the most destructive people on earth. Corruption is not confined to pagans or unbelievers; it is found wherever people abandon their conscience.
“Do not betray another person’s confidence,” the Bible teaches us. Yet Judases can be found everywhere. Just as fire cannot come from snow, those who seek worldly honor cannot truly seek heavenly glory. After all, have you ever seen snow catch fire?
The maladroit politician named Judas betrays voters with beautiful promises while corrupting an entire nation. The peace negotiator or peacemaker named Judas speaks of justice while applying double standards, allowing his own jackals and accomplices to kill and injure innocent countrymen. Even the neighbor who constantly proclaims love for his family while carelessly destroying the environment bears the mark of Judas.
Judas’ sins are not rare. In one way or another, we commit them every day. Whenever someone abandons the ideals of the Church and publicly renounces them, or leaves a religious community only to ridicule it before the world, “night has fallen upon his soul.”
When Julius Caesar was assassinated, it was not merely the blows of his enemies that wounded him most, but the presence of his trusted friend, Brutus. We may never realize it, but we ourselves could be carrying the kiss of Judas upon our lips.
Many times I have voiced people’s longing for guidance and decisive action from the Church as an institution. There are many examples. Allow me to quote the late Rev. Mariano C. Apilado of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, who took an important step many years ago when he said:
“Christian hope does never shield people, much less Christians, from disappointments, hardships and betrayals, nor does it provide neat and ready answers to the world’s problems. Christian hope empowers Christians to take responsibility in the establishment of a government that respects the law and protection of the people and their rights in the struggle for justice and development… Christian hope is not peanuts for it assures us: there is always a future looking forward to it. Without hope, Christian faithfulness is suspect and without foundation. With this hope, we sing, celebrate and work faithfully and courageously, believing, ‘that we shall overcome’!”
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Questions, suggestions, comments? Email me: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter or visit one of my websites www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com./PN
We pray for blessings…
We pray for peace…
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep…
We pray for healing, for prosperity…
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering…
We pray for wisdom…
“Blessings” is a song by American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter Laura Story from her 2011 album Blessings. It was released on February 21, 2011, as the lead single. The song became Story’s first Hot Christian Songs No. 1, staying there for four weeks. It lasted 34 weeks on the overall chart.
Laura Story married her partner Martin; two years later he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Story learned that despite his life-threatening illness, they saw how God never intended for people to provide for themselves and that instead of walking alone they would need to rely on Jesus’s help. Blessings was written to describe how God will allow things that are not immediately understood to happen, but from a different perspective they are a means of spiritual growth. The song is also about how sometimes material possessions are not what God wants for believers, and it lends the idea about how character, along with what is in someone’s heart, is ultimately more important.
The song inspired me to write this column. At my age I think about all my blessings. Blessings are really not only money… .
Blessings in the Bible suggest an intimate relationship between the blesser and the blessed. A blessing from God marks an intimate relationship between God and man, serving as proof that he finds himself in God’s favor.
The phrase ‘blessings be upon you’ is correct and usable in written English. It is a traditional phrase often used in religious texts, and can also be used as a standard blessing phrase in casual conversations. For example, you might say, “May blessings be upon you and your family” when wishing a friend well.
Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
The wonderful gift that Christ gave us is too wonderful to keep to ourselves. We can touch the lives of others this Thanksgiving by sharing the love of Jesus through a meal, a place at our table, and giving selflessly. Politics(Right)
I am blessed because I am living in the Philippines together with my family. No doubts. No fears!
"OPM Con Generations 2026" promised a meeting of artists from different corners of Original Pilipino Music. Curious to see how that idea would play out, we joined the thousands who packed the Smart Araneta Coliseum on July 11.
The answer came not from any single performance but from the audience itself.
Parents sat beside teenagers. Friends arrived wearing the colors and symbols of their favorite groups. Light sticks filled the arena while phones were raised throughout the night. Different fandoms shared the same space, and when a familiar song began, age and musical preference seemed to matter less.
That, more than anything, became the defining image of the evening.
XONARA followed with "Tabi." Not being familiar with the group beforehand, we found ourselves watching the crowd as much as the performance. One member, Eurekah, appeared to have a particularly strong following, with fans repeatedly calling her name between songs. The cheers grew louder when the group announced that a new album would be released this August.
KAIA came next in coordinated outfits that prompted one concertgoer near us to describe their look as having "fairy vibes." Comparisons with BINI may continue online, but inside Araneta those discussions seemed secondary. The audience responded warmly, especially when Sam Concepcion joined the group for "Walkie Talkie." Several fans nearby also noticed that the singer appeared noticeably more muscular than they remembered.
G22 continued the showcase of rising female acts and earned appreciative reactions from the audience around us.
"Ang gaganda nila," one woman said.
"Their harmonies are fine, too," her companion added.
SunKissed Lola, joined by rapper Kiyo, demonstrated how quickly their songs have become part of the listening habits of Filipino audiences. The band barely needed to carry some choruses themselves as fans across the arena sang along.
Flow G brought a different kind of spectacle, arriving beside a customized car before launching into "Dripstar" and "Rapstar."
Skusta Clee kept the energy moving with guest appearances from Yuri Dope and South Border's Jay Durias before later sharing the stage with Flow G. During one moment between songs, he told the audience, "Masaya na ako." He didn't have to elaborate. The response from the crowd showed that the feeling was shared.
Then came Ben&Ben, whose set produced some of the evening's loudest reactions.
Their performance with Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down's "Tadhana" became one of the night's most memorable collaborations.
A concertgoer seated beside us offered a simple observation.
"Yung mga sigaw ng fans, alam mong sila talaga pinunta nila."
Whether that was literally the case for everyone in the arena is impossible to know, but Ben&Ben clearly drew a crowd that knew every word.
Closing the evening was SB19, whose appearance highlighted how far Filipino artists have traveled beyond local stages.
The biggest reaction came when Bamboo joined them for "Tatsulok." It was a collaboration that perfectly suited the theme of the night, bringing together artists associated with different periods of Filipino music while showing that their audiences could meet in the middle.
By then, the meaning behind the word "Generations" had become clear. The concert was not simply about older artists passing the torch to younger performers. It reflected an OPM scene that has expanded across genres, from P-pop and folk-pop to hip-hop, alternative music and contemporary pop.
It was also reflected in the crowd.
For organizer Puregold, that sense of connection was at the heart of the event.
Three editions in, OPM Con has become a gathering point for artists at different stages of their careers and audiences with different musical tastes.
Diesel braced for big-time oil price jump | ||
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Brace yourselves for a steep increase in fuel expenses next week as the squeeze on global middle distillate inventories and renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East threaten to push domestic diesel prices up by nearly ₱5 per liter. Read more |
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The phrase “life is a roller coaster” is a popular metaphor describing a life full of unpredictable highs (success, joy, excitement) and lows (challenges, heartbreak, disappointment). It highlights that while you cannot always control the sudden twists and turns, you ultimately choose how you react to the ride.
Life is also like a roller-coaster ride, everyone has different experiences and views about how to live and what to do; there are many ups and downs in life, many people scream and yell about the life events and live this journey whereas many gladly accept the fact and live it fully.
Yes, nowadays, for many of us life is indeed an emotional roller coaster. All over the world. Political instability, wars, terror attacks, climate change with extreme natural disasters, questionable global economical situations, illnesses or diseases… .
A day starts with a traffic jam and continues with terrible conditions at the workplace. The crab mentality seems to have become nothing unusual now. In any case: everyone for himself. Each one by himself/herself/itself alone is quite nice, but together…? Do we have a problem? So what! It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Well, sweet words might be easy to say; nice things are easy to buy; but good people are different to find. Life ends, when you stop dreaming; hope ends, when you stop believing; friendship stops, when you stop sharing. A good friend of mine sent me this quotation. I commented back: So very true and very well said!
Our life is borrowed – from God. No rental charges are collected from us. Many of us have forgotten this and live life to the fullest. Our life is equal to a book from a library that lends one. But how insatiable and unbearable are we in disdainful acting towards life and therefore to ourselves?
Life seems to be nothing, just being ready to riddle one with bullets. Life seems to be nothing, just being broken through indifference and unreliable and immoral behavior. Life seems to be nothing for those people who don’t understand cries from the heart of other people around them – cries for their hearts and families, for justice and for many other things.
Life with all its ups and downs, is just a loan, but for many of our fellow creatures it just seems to be nonsense to be littered like a dump. And, if people try to survive, especially during these days, and if they just experienced (once more!) indifference, arrogance, ignorance or cheating by whomever – they will give up!
I can assure you that every one of us can at first help in prayers and in reading the bible. “Proverbs” is the probably most down-to-earth book in the bible. Its teachings prepare you for daily life, the street and the market place, but not for the schoolroom. The book offers warm pieces of advice you get; practical guidance for making your way on earth. Proverbs covers any kinds of questions you might have right now. Anybody can relate to the generalities of Proverbs, because this book simply tells how life works most of the time.
While writing this piece, I observed that more and more people struggle through life: tired, hopeless, experiencing their rock-bottoms, believing in fallacious “people” around them. I also observed a lot of people living a thief life, as if it it has been giving them without limitation.
“Life is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. But it’s your choice to scream or enjoy the ride.” That quote is great because it makes it so easy to visualize what it is saying.
Yes, life is indeed like being on a roller coaster. We can’t control the ups and downs of the track, but we do have a choice on how we will feel about the ride. We can scream and hate it or we can throw our hands up in the air with a big smile on our face and yell out joy at the thrill of the ride!
It’s not always easy to be mindful that we actually do have a choice, especially when the downward track of the coaster causes us to feel pain inside. But the reality is that we control our thoughts and our thoughts control our emotions and feelings. So we have to use the power of our thoughts to help us stop screaming in pain and fear and start yelling in joy and excitement. We have to force our thoughts to think of the positive possibilities that lie ahead.
