Mark 9:2-10, Second Sunday of Lent There is this painting by Rubens, Landscape by Moonlight (1635-40), which I think might provide a way in which we could meditate on our readings today. In this painting, Rubens paints the night sky illuminated by the warm light of the moon and innumerable stars. Against this brilliant but…
Month: February 2018
A Glimpse of Glory – Willy Samson, SJ
Mark 9:2-10, Second Sunday Of Lent When Jesus brought Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor, one of his intentions was to give them a glimpse of his divine glory. Jesus saw the necessity of giving his disciples of something to hold on – a hope in the dark, something to give them strength when…
Light from Light – John Foley, SJ
Mark 9:2-10, Second Sunday of Lent Probably I have told you this story before, but it bears on Sunday’s readings. The incident happened a long time ago, just before I was ordained. For some reason which I cannot remember I had been chosen, as yet unordained, to give the Easter Vigil homily at the hugely…
Fire and Wire – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 11:29-32, Wednesday of the 1st week of Lent There’s a little mantra that neuroscientists believe: “Cells that fire together wire together.” Whenever our body does something, there is a particular network of that fire together, enabling the body to precisely do what it does. You read a book, that’s a particular network of neurons…
Opposites – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 1:12-15, First Sunday of Lent The story of Noah and the flood is not a Genesis original. It’s from a much older Babylonian myth called Atra-Hasis. That’s also the name of the story’s hero. In the myth, the demi-gods grow weary of the mortals they’ve created out of clay. So they plan on destroying…
What is Lent? – John Foley, SJ
Mark 1:12-15, First Sunday of Lent What is Lent? Ash Wednesday was a few days ago, starting the Lenten countdown toward Holy Week and Easter, but maybe some of us are not completely clear as to why these weeks of preparation are there in the first place. One opinion is that Lent is a time…
Be a Dog – Harvey Mateo, SJ
Lunar New Year Mass, Xavier School Chinese animal zodiac signs have always been part of the fun of our Lunar New Year celebrations. We are all familiar with its 12-year cycle but not everybody is aware that it is actually part of a bigger 60 year cycle, nor is it well known that each birth…
Abstain, Above All, from the Self – Remmon Barbaza, PhD
In his homily at yesterday’s Ash Wednesday mass, the priest said that fasting does not always have to mean abstaining from meat or other food and drinks. He said we could also consider abstaining from anger, when we are prone to getting angry; restraining ourselves from talking, when we tend to be noisy or dominate…
Finding your Bearings – Jody Magtoto, SJ
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18, Ash Wednesday Having a GPS on my smartphone has saved me many a times, especially when traveling to an unfamiliar place. When I said mass for the Maria Auxiliatrice sisters near Meguro, they were surprised that I was able to navigate through the unlabeled streets and snaking alleys of their place. I…
Why do we sacrifice for Lent – Arnel Aquino, SJ
This is a an annual repost of a bonus Lenten Special. Just want to share what my SD sent me on understanding why we sacrifice during Lent : My personal thoughts on taking on some measure of asceticism during Lent, Deb, is that all throughout the year, we protect ourselves from being vulnerable. And rightly…
Unselfie – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18, Ash Wednesday If today’s Gospel were written in 21st-century vernacular, maybe it would say: “When you do righteous deeds…when you give alms…when you pray…when you fast, please…take care not to post it on Facebook, or announce it on your blog, or humble-brag about it. Most of all, take care not to take…
If You Wish – Johnny Go, SJ
Mark 1:40-45, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Today’s reading may be interpreted as yet another healing miracle of our Lord that showcases his compassion for those who are marginalized in society. The worst part about being a leper during Jesus’ time, after all, was not so much the physical affliction as much as the social…
One Lost Sheep 