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…
Breaking the Rules – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37; Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Imagine that we’re the bunch of slaves God has rescued from Egypt. After 430 years of slavery, we’re free! From our great-grandparents down to our apos, we knew no other life except the life of a slave. The Egyptians cursed and swore at us with…
The Real Influencers – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 5:13-16, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world.” When Jesus said thesewords, I imagine, he must’ve been gazing at his friends for a while and felt very proud of them.Like the way, you parents, sometimes find yourselves just looking at your kids and…
Blessed – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 5:1-12a, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time To be alive is to be fed at varying frequencies. Take breathing. We need to bring in fresh air every few seconds or so. We cannot skip breathing for longer than several minutes. After an hour or so, we need to drink water. After a quarter of a…
Galilee – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 4:12-17, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time The first time I went to Disneyland, I was a young adult. This was in the mid-80s. There were the usual rides but the one that has been memorable is the refrain of the song, “It’s a small world after all”. It’s a world of laughter, a world…
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten – Munching de Guzman, SJ
Matthew 18:1-5,10; Feast of the Sto Niño “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” What’s with Children that heaven is promised to them? Years ago, I read a book titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum. It’s about a writer…
Nudge – Bros Flores, SJ
Matthew 2:1-12; Solemnity of the Epiphany Over the years, many of us have learned that New Year’s resolutions rarely last. Instead of making bigger promises, people of our age are turning to something simpler—a nudge word. Psychology helps explain why this works: a word can gently gather our attention, shape our choices, and orient how…
The Pursuit of Happiness – Mon Bautista, SJ
Luke 2: 16-21, Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God Today, the first day of the New Year, reminds me of this young Singaporean doctor. His name was Dr Richard Teo. By the age of 30, he already had everything he wanted in terms of money, material riches, professional success and achievements. Initially, he was…
One Lost Sheep 