John 18:1-19:42, Good Friday In the novel Night, Elie Wiesel recounts his experiences of being in the concentration camps during World War II through the fictional character Eliezer, a pious Orthodox Jewish teenager. In a central event in the novel, Eliezer and the rest of the camp witness the hanging of a child, who dies…
Month: March 2018
Not All Pain is Gain – Joel Liwanag, SJ
Good Friday In English, there is a famous mantra that goes, “No pain, no gain.” If you want to succeed, you have to work hard. If you’re a student and you want to graduate with flying colors, you have to study well. If you’re an athlete and you want to win in competitions, you have…
A Body Broken for Broken People – Ro Atilano, SJ
John 13:1-15, MaundyThursday This is Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Tonight, we commemorate the evening when Jesus gathered his friends for a meal and washed their feet. Yet it was also the same evening when he was betrayed and denied by his friends whom he shared his last supper with and whose feet he washed….
They Gathered in the Twilight – James Donelan, SJ
John 13:1-15, Maundy Thursday They gathered in the twilight and lit candles. Through the window they could see the moon, large and pale on the horizon. It was the night of Passover – the most important feast on the Jewish calendar. They came together in prayer, their voices muted, their faces outlined by shadows, their…
Egypt – Jett Villarin, SJ
John 13:1-16, Maundy Thursday It must have been a strange and solemn sight for the apostles. Here they were about to do what they had done countless times before: break bread, eat bitter herbs, drink wine, and partake of the lamb in a meal that declared their deliverance from a place of slavery called Egypt….
Rehearsing Love – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Mark 14:1-15/47, Palm Sunday This is the only Sunday in the year when we read two Gospels, one of triumphant entry, the other of crushing defeat. It is as if we are not permitted to linger very long with palms in our hand, celebrating Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. After all, this is not why Jesus…
Where Is God? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
When Jesus dies in the Gospel according to Mark, the centurion at the foot of the cross exclaims, “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” We should not project onto that Roman officer’s words what we believe today about the divinity of Christ: eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,…
Among the Fickle Ground – Johnny Go, SJ
Mark 11:1-10, Palm Sunday The event we recount–and reenact–on Palm Sunday was a highlight of sorts in our Lord’s Public Ministry. Reported in all four gospels, our Lord’s entry to Jerusalem is often prefixed with the adjective “triumphal” to express the exceptional welcome given to Jesus as he arrived in Jerusalem. The welcome must have been overwhelming,…
The Transcript of Our Trial – Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Mark 14:1-15/47, Palm Sunday The biblical accounts of Jesus’ passion and death focus very much on his trial, describing it in length and in detail. And there is a huge irony in how it is described. Jesus is on trial, but the story is written in such a way that, in effect, everyone is on…
Love Never Fails – Jacob Boddicker, SJ
John 12:20-33, Fifth Sunday of Lent “Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we would like to see Jesus.’” We would like to see Jesus. What is Jesus’ response? “The hour has come for the Son of Man…
The Face of God looks like…Japanese anime? – Jody Magtoto, SJ
John 12:22-30, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary One of the methods of prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises is imaginative contemplation. The exercitant is asked to immerse himself into the Gospel scene using the imagination–seeing what the Gospel characters see and feeling feel. In using this method, the exercitant builds a relationship…
Love that Restores – Mark Lopez, SJ
John 12: 20-33, Fifth Sunday of Lent If you’ve ever felt run down, or barren inside, or destroyed, today will be a good day to pray. Today will be a good day for you to try to listen to God telling you. “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the…
One Lost Sheep 