Not So Secular Podcast with Mon Reyes

In this episode, Mon goes straight to the point and elaborates more on what the Catholic Church has to say about marriage and why it's important to our life in the family and society. Humanae Vitae 8: https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html   CCC 1603: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c3a7.htm#1603   Gaudium Et Spes 47: https://w...

Elections Day just happened in the Philippines and social media is full of... feelings. Some are "good" and some are "bad." In this episode, Mon talks about how we might view and respond to these emotions. He reads from the Bible, particularly the Psalms, to look at some examples of people being open and vulnerable to God with their thoughts and emotions. The hope is that this...

In this episodes, Mon reads and comments on an excerpt from an article published by CBCP News recently on how Philippines led in the world's most number of baptisms for 2019 and 2020. He then takes this opportunity to talk about some of the other elements of the Christian life that we ought to actively incorporate more daily alongside baptizing our children. These are evangelization (or evange...

What comes to mind when you hear the word, "conservative"? Does it have something to do with what a person wears or how a person dates? Does it make you think of a particular stance on a political or social issue? In this episode, Mon is joined by Jay Aruga of The Jay Aruga Show. They talk about what conservatism is, the clash of propaganda and story in modern shows and movies, the tradi...

During the Holy Week, you might have seen a meme or two on social media mentioning how during the time of Jesus, the people chose Barabbas the thief over the Savior. This is then followed by a remark saying something along the lines of "2000 years later, we still choose the robbers." These memes are a bit old already but it might be popping up again since (1) it was Holy Week and (2) it&...

In this episode, Mon shares a talk he gave at Youth Home Taft during Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. As of the time this is published, we find ourselves in the high point of Lent which is Holy Week. All the same, the message of being open to hearing God's word in our lives is one that remains. Here, Mon talks about the three "voices" that we ought to be more attentive to today....

Healing and hurt. These two experiences might be more connected than you think. Of course, we know that we wouldn't need to heal if we weren't hurt in the past. But it is also true that the process of healing has moments where it hurts, too. In this episode, Mon expounds on this further. He talks about two kinds of hurts (unnecessary hurts and necessary hurts) and how that relates to the h...

Face-to-face classes, face-to-face work, face-to-face outings, these are some of the things we have been preparing for as the cases are going down and the restrictions are being lifted. But one more thing that we ought to prepare for (if you're Catholic) are face-to-face Masses—which is really how it's meant to be celebrated! In this episode, Mon share his insights on "Online Masses&q...

Bread, forgiveness, and temptation. These are the things that Jesus brings up in the latter half of the prayer he taught us. What do we mean when we say these things? What are we asking for exactly? In this episode, Mon leads us through the final installment of this series, the last lines of the Our Father. Here he explores the relational, social, and spiritual dimensions of these petitions and wh...

Kingdom, kingdom, kingdom... If you pay close attention to Jesus' teachings in the Bible, you'll notice that he mentions this word A LOT. Around 50+ times in Matthew, around 20 times in Mark, and around 40+ times in Luke. When he first started his ministry, this was what he proclaimed! Many of his parables begin with something along the lines of "The kingdom of God is like..." Th...

What is Jesus' favorite way of referring to God? Answer: He calls him Father. And he invites us to do the same! In this episode, Mon talks about the first two lines of the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in heaven, holy be your name." How might we understand and appreciate this better? Mon also dives deeper into what we mean when we call something or someone, "holy." Here, w...

The "Our Father." Majority of Filipinos (especially those who come from Catholic schools) have heard and recited this prayer countless of times. But let's admit it, it can be so easy to let these memorized words slip off of our tongue without us really taking them to heart. In this time of Lent, Mon begins this 4-part series of reflection and study through the parts of the Lord's...

The Pharisees are often painted as the villains in Jesus' story, but this oversimplification and lack of understanding could lead us to serious error: one of those errors being that we end up becoming like them. In this episode, Mon talks about this and how this comes out today in a specific area of our lives called politics. We might be fighting for something that we think is good, but who ar...

Welcome to the first episode of the year... in February. Mon is back and he's here to talk about the story of Jonah. You might know him as the guy who gets eaten by a whale (it was more of a big fish really) but there is more to his story than we often talk or hear about. This Old Testament story is actually very funny and profound—filled with exaggeration, inversions, and a depth that goes be...

Two kings? Weren't there three? Yes, you read that right. In this episode, we will talk about the two kings—not the three who gave the gifts to Joseph and Mary, but the two who are contrasted in the Christmas story. Let's talk about King Herod, and King Jesus. Mon shares with us a brief background and history on Herod, and he reflects on the importance how the rule of Herod differs from th...

How do you perceive yourself now? How could you perceive yourself better? Is self-esteem any different from confidence? Where does human dignity fit into all of this? In this episode, Mon explores the answers to these questions. The hope is that in the process, this gives us insight into how we ought to treat ourselves and one another. Along the way, he also talks about the sacredness of life, rig...

A common go-to response of people trying to encourage someone goes along the lines of, "you are enough," and "you just have to believe in yourself." But is that always true, though? Is it always helpful? These are some of the questions that Mon opens in a talk he gave recently which is featured in this episode. He discusses the meaning of the word, repentance. He shares with us...

Lean in and listen to the story of Bernz Caasi. He is someone who was raised Catholic, then he decided to covert to Protestantism, then decided to convert back to Catholicism. In this episode, he shares about his experience of that, as well as his insights into the state of most lay people here in the Philippines wherein we are going through what he refers to as "a crisis in catechesis."...

Have you ever tried to read the Bible? Did you ever finish? This text has influenced Christians and non-Christians all over the world, over the centuries. This tells the story of God and his people. A lot of people agree that this is important, however not as many really get to read it. In this episode, Mon shares 3 things to consider to help us read the Bible better. What are those 3 things? It i...

Why do I have to tell God something he already knows? The thing about prayer is that it can be so easy to misunderstand and difficult to actually do on a regular basis. Even the Bible likens prayer to a battle or a wrestling match. In this episode, Mon shares some of his insights and learnings on the subject. Why do we pray? What is prayer? And does God need it? He discusses how prayer is God'...

Politics! It's not always easy (or fun) to talk about but if it matters to people, then it is worth discussing. This is something that might have been part of your conversations and encounters with people lately  whether online on social media or in person with friends and family. With the upcoming 2022 elections, things are getting even more heated up. Join Mon as he shares some of his insigh...

Joining us in this episode is Jerome Si from Fishcracker Faith. Here, he and Mon talk about how some of our difficult questions can lead to deeper faith instead of further from it. They also discuss one of the sentiments often brought up by some who would identify as agnostic or an atheist: Does our faith really contradict with science? Along the way, they pass by Genesis, Biblical writing styles,...

Virtue is just as much about saying No as it is about saying Yes. If you want to fully give your Yes to the right thing, then you have to learn how (and when) to give your No to the wrong things. Join Mon as he shares a brief reflection about this often unrecognized truth. Music by Kayel Marcelo PASSAGES / REFERENCES / RESOURCES Tobit 10:7-9 Matthew 5:37 Find all of Mon's links here: ⁠ ⁠https:...

Acts 2 tells the story of the Holy Spirit's descent during Pentecost. The apostles were waiting in expectation after Jesus had just resurrected from the tomb and ascended to heaven. They had been told by him that when the Holy Spirit comes, they will become witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. During the celebration, when crowds of Jews were present in Je...

One of the things you might observe in the Gospels is that in early parts of Jesus' ministry, he would admonish the people he healed and those who followed him to not tell others about who he is. This seems counterintuitive for someone who's starting a movement, right? But all this is intentional. It was a strategic move to both get the foreign Roman rulers off his scent (who could have me...