John 1:1-18, Christmas Day 2020 There will be no Christmas this year. Mayroon nga bang pasko ngayong taon? Before you censure and brand me as heretical, please hear me out. You and I know that the question is very real to many people. Mayroon nga bang pasko para kay Florentino Gregorio, asawa ng pinatay na…
Month: December 2020
Homeward – Jett Villarin, SJ
Luke 1:67-69, 9th day of Misa de Gallo (24th December 2020) We saw the “Christmas star” three nights ago. This sighting was not easy. The “star”, the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, was quite elusive for most of the time we were there at the rooftop of the Jesuit Residence. The sky was overcast. And…
Falling Upward – Jomari Manzano, SJ
Luke 1:26-38, Fourth Sunday of Advent In 2011, Fr Richard Rohr, OFM published his book with a catchy title—”Falling Upward.” It talks about directions taken at the two major stages in life or what Carl Jung calls the “two halves of life.” Let us take Mary and Elizabeth as representing the two stages or halves…
Our True North – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 1:6-8; 19-28, Third Sunday of Advent My rector is one of the kindest Jesuits I’ve ever lived with and one of the most outdoorsy senior citizens I know. Fr. Riyo loves hiking and climbing mountains. He can name more mountains in the Philippines than I ever studied in Araling Panlipunan 500 years ago! I…
A Stranger in Need – Pat Nogoy, SJ
John 1:6-8, 19-28; Third Sunday of Advent It was on the second day of walking that I began to feel the heavy burden of begging. Our humble pleas for leftover food were served with polite rejections. Even harder to accept were the gentle refusals of our requests to be sheltered for a night despite the…
Closeness to Mary – Jomari Manzano, SJ
Luke 1:26-38, Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary A majority of art representations we have of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) is of the vulnerable and frail stereotype of a woman taking care of the child Jesus. But let us not forget that she can also be viewed as a woman of incredible strength and…
Waiting for What or Whom? – Kit Bautista, SJ
Mark 1:1-8, Second Sunday of Advent When I was a child, my father would accompany me and my brothers (all 8 of us), during the Christmas break, to certain streets in old Manila called Escolta and Rosario, in the old downtown district of Binondo. One year, I remember my father leading us to this brightly-lit…
One Lost Sheep 