Luke 34:13-35, Third Sunday of Easter Frustration had overwhelmed Cleopas and his unnamed companion And frustrations are the result of expectations. We become frustrated, or discouraged, because the reality of what happens doesn’t measure up to what we were expecting. This is true for small things – as when an unforeseen traffic jam threatens to…
Month: April 2017
What happens when we forgive? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
John 20:19-31, Diving Mercy Sunday “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23). The verse above has often been used to speak about the grace given to priests to absolve sins in the Sacrament of Confession. But I think it can also be read – in a…
Divine Mercy- Ernald Andal, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday A week after the glorious solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord, we celebrate today Divine Mercy Sunday. But for quite a number of us, we go about this day with unexpressed questions in our troubled hearts: How can a merciful God allow the tragic loss of lives in another…
Epitaph – Willy Samson, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday Epitaphs are words honoring the deceased, most commonly inscribed on a tombstone or plaque. Most of the epitaphs are quotes from holy texts like the Bible. In the Philippines, the most common epitaphs are R.I.P (Rest in Peace) and S.L.N. (Suma-Langit Nawa). But in Manila North Cemetery, a funny…
My Lord and My God – Rudolf Horst, SVD
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday Today is a very special day. It is not only the Second Sunday of Easter, meaning, we continue to celebrate Easter and so the Resurrection of Christ, it is also the Sunday of the Divine Mercy. Every year we hear on this Sunday the story about Thomas. We call him…
HOPE AMIDST DISMAY – Mario Francisco, SJ
Easter Vigil [With all the additional rituals and readings of the Easter Vigil Mass, you all wish for a short homily. Don’t worry, we share the same hope.] Hope is the clear theme of Easter. But it is something so tied up with how we see our situation. Hope is one thing to young…
LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH – Mario Francisco, SJ
Easter Sunday The Easter Vigil readings sweep through the epic panorama of God’s saving work toward its climax in Jesus’ self-offering. They proclaim the victory of hope over dismay with trumpet blasts. In contrast, the following readings during the Easter season give close-ups of that hope in people’s lives accompanied by tender violin strings. [For…
From Death to Life – Pat Nogoy, SJ
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Sunday It was supposed to be an ordinary visit. Getting up, preparing spices, washing up, and a slow walk to the tomb comprised a routine that might help heal a broken heart. It had been done before. Many times. Parents, cousins, friends, lovers. And now a beloved teacher. Shattered once more, she might…
Free Again! – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Sunday 2017 Aren’t you glad that the purple linen covers here at the altar are now gone? In the past, churches covered the crucifix and the saints only after Holy Thursday mass. Recently, however, the covers go up much earlier, for some strange reason that probably only liturgists know. Personally, I’ve found…
Horror Vacui – Johnny Go, SJ
John 20:1-9, Easter Vigil Two great mysteries bookend our Lord’s lives–and they feel so different from each other. At the beginning, of course, is the birth of our Lord, which we celebrate at Christmas, and in the end, we have his resurrection, which we commemorate today as Easter. The Christmas narrative seems to happen in…
Stay in Us – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Vigil “Stay with us, Lord, for it is almost evening.” This was the insistent invitation that the two disciples journeying to Emmaus on the evening of that very first Easter addressed to their companion who had talked to them in a way that their hearts were on fire. Weighed down with sadness,…
Surplus – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Vigil Fasten your seatbelts. I have some particle physics stuff to tell you. I know physics can be difficult but don’t worry. One graduate physics professor advised us once: if you don’t know the answer to the question, just say “energy”. Let’s try this. What keeps the sun shining? (Energy) Why is…
One Lost Sheep 