John 10:1-10; Fourth Sunday of Easter Let me begin my homily by asking a pointed question: “What news is certain to unsettle us and make us forget, albeit momentarily, who we are in our relationship with God, the Good Shepherd?” The oil crisis? Maybe. The controversy surrounding our politicians? Could be. The latest chismis of…
Unstrange – Jett Villarin, SJ
John 10:1-10; Fourth Sunday of Easter The universe is about 93 billion lightyears wide. If the universe were as big as this wall behind me, our solar system would be smaller than an atom. That’s how small and insignificant we are, physically. Makes you wonder how we in our microscopic smallness could even grasp or…
Over and Over Again – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 24:13-25, Third Sunday of Easter Do you know what I noticed about my good friends who are either married couples or best friends? Many times, when we get together and chat, one suddenly tells the other, “Pssst, kwento mo kay Father ‘yung nangyari sa ‘yo kahapon,” or “Kwento mo kung sinong nakita natin sa…
Roll Back the Stone – Nemy Que, SJ
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Sunday I have always wondered how we would be if Jesus had not risen from the dead. I imagine that the disciples of our Lord would have gone back to their old way of life. All the excitement would have faded after a few days. They would have continued waiting for the…
Emptiness – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 28 1:10, Easter Vigil Emptiness is often not a good word for us, is it, sisters and brothers? Emptiness is not exactly where we want to stay for too long, if at all. Emptiness is scary. It evokes loneliness, separation, loss. When I came here for college, my mom in Davao couldn’t enter my…
Train – Jett Villarin, SJ
John 11, Fifth Sunday of Lent The artist David Medalla once asked me, “Father, why do we go on living if we know we’re going to die.” I don’t remember what my answer was, except to suggest that life is like riding a train. We don’t just get off the train even if we could,…
Beyond Black and White – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38, Laetare Sunday Imagine how the blind man must’ve felt when he was able to see for the very first time. You and I, born with normal eyes, we were eased into the sights of the world. The older we grew, themore we saw. But this man who had never seen…
Power that Redeems – Chester Yacub, SJ
Matthew 20:17-28; Wednesday in the second week of Lent Let me begin this homily with something I have been teaching at the Ateneo college. And no, it is not theology or philosophy. Since the first semester, I have been teaching Global Politics. This semester, I am teaching International Political Economy. Our classes examine how power…
Insane – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 4:5-42; Third Sunday of Lent I don’t know if you also did this back when you were a kid. But I remember, I would go and repeatedly open the refrigerator three, four times in one afternoon, on the off chance that there was something new in there I could eat, even when I knew…
Harmony, Wholeness, Integrity – Bros Flores, SJ
Matthew 23:1-12, Tuesday of the 2nd week of Lent We have friends who are almost invisible in gatherings. When asked for an opinion, they would smile politely and say very little. Even when gently nudged, they shrug and pass. They are softspoken, non-confrontational, and harmless. But online? They are entirely different persons. Their posts trigger…
Gardens – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11; First Sunday of Lent Much of Manila has changed since I left more than a decade ago. Along Katipunan there are far more high rise buildings. The site where a former school used to stand is now a sosyal (fancy) shopping mall. We also have the second largest parking lot in Manila, otherwise…
Magnets – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent Magnets are fascinating objects. The natural ones (like magnetite) have electrons spinning about all in the same direction, giving rise to force fields that either attract or repel other objects. We even give labels such as “poles” (north or south) to explain that like poles repel while opposite poles…
One Lost Sheep 