Curbside Stories

Photo from here . The parable of the fish and loaves is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Its message is simple--sharing. I am from the Philippines and I am very much aware that ever since the government announced the stay-at-home order because of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people have become poorer and that majority worry about their daily living. I currently live in the US and I can see the contrast between the effects of the order between a third world country and the US. I didn't worry for my family here in as much as I worried about my family and friends back in the  Philippines because we still have our jobs and we still can provide for our family. For that I am grateful. It hurts me to watch in the news that food and resources that are supposed to be for the people, land in the hands of corrupt government officials. I feel angry about a lot of people's deliberate disregard for authority and guidelines to prevent the spread of the disease. How...

I have a friend who had a relationship with a Muslim guy. My friend is Roman Catholic. Their relationship was good but when my friend had to go back to the Philippines for a vacation, her then-boyfriend married another Muslim woman because the guy's parents doesn't approve of her. It was a fixed marriage, a norm in where the guy lives. My friend told me that one of the factors why she did not expect the relationship to last is because she is of a different religion. Although the guy didn't ask her to change her religion, it was obvious on the part of the parents... it was a requirement. Would you change religion for love? Does religion ever matter for a relationship to pursue and to last? Can't we just all respect each other's beliefs?