Luke 19:1-10, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time He’s someone some people would–even in this endangered age of political correctness–call “vertically challenged.” There are, of course, every sort of psychological theories that claims how his type tends to over-compensate. But for Zacchaeus, it really was all just a job. Corruption and extortion were an occupational hazard;…
Month: October 2016
Climb – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 19:1-10, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Ah, Zacchaeus, one of my favorites. I wonder why (!) You should hear the Gospel in Tagalog. “Pumasok si Jesus sa Jerico…May isang tao roong ang pangalan ay Zaqueo, pinuno ng mga maniningil ng buwis at napakayaman. Sinisikap niyang makita si Jesus, ngunit sa dami ng tao, hindi…
Wearing the Right Attire – Willy Samson, SJ
Luke 18:9-14a, 30th Sunday In Ordinary Time Our Gospel today is a continuation of last Sunday’s Gospel where Jesus gave us some basic instructions on prayer. Last Sunday, we were reminded on the importance of praying always and not losing our hearts (Luke 18:1-8). But today, Jesus wants us to recognize the necessity of having…
What does it mean to be humble? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Luke 18:9-14a, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time In our Gospel today, a Pharisee and a tax collector go to the temple to worship God. What do we need so that we can worship? It is the hollow in a cylindrical piece of wood that makes it a flute and enables it to produce music. In…
Which One Are You? – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Luke 18:9-14a, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time When Jesus tells a parable, the persons in the story are usually nameless. That means Jesus wants us to identify with one of these persons, asking ourselves: Which person of the story am I? Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son. In the end we are confronted…
Repentance – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 18:9-14a, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time When priests hear confessions, once in a while there will be someone who would come in and say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, my last confession was this-and-that. These are my sins. Father, I was very angry with someone because…” and what follows would be a litany…
Persistence – Rogel Abais, SJ
Luke 18:1-8, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time …the just man justices; Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces; –As kingfishers catch fire Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ Hopkins in this beautiful poem reminds us of how a just man must act. It is God’s grace that he receives and which manifests itself in his everyday…
The Power of Prayer – Mark Lopez, SJ
Luke 18:1-8, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time There was once a young mother who came to a Jesuit priest for spiritual direction. In the beginning, the Jesuit asked her “What is your deepest desire ? What are you really praying for ?” (In short, why have you come for spiritual direction?) And so this young…
Silence is an Endangered Species – Johnny Go, SJ
Luke 18:1-8, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time There was a time in my life when prayer felt like second nature. Whenever I was stuck in traffic, I would simply shut the world out and quietly say my rosary. Not only did I get the chance to pray for people who asked for prayers, but I…
Why bug God? – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Luke 18: 1-18, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time I have often heard people say that they don’t want to trouble God with their petty needs and concerns. After all, he has more important things to attend to, like running the universe. Just about three weeks ago, a lady told me, “Father, isn’t it that God…
The Answer to our Prayers – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 18:1-8, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time I’ve been praying to God to work on my younger brother, to make him more responsible than he’s been all his life. Dad is 80 now, but he’s still “lawyering”. He says he loves working. But I know that he’s carrying Jonathan and his family on his shoulders…
Righteous – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 11:42-46, Wednesday of Week 28 in Ordinary Time I’m sure you’ve noticed in the Gospels that Jesus was much kinder to prostitutes and tax collectors than to Pharisees and teachers of the law. I don’t believe for one second that Jesus condoned prostitutes and tax collectors. He precisely tried to turn them around when he…
One Lost Sheep 