Matthew 17:1-9, The Transfiguration of Our Lord The Transfiguration of our Lord was–quite literally–“a brief shining moment.” It was that one fleeting moment when Jesus’ divinity–normally hidden during his earthly life–shone through, but only for one fleeting moment. One moment Jesus’ face was bright like the sun, and his clothes white as light as he…
Author: ninangdeb
White – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 17:1-9, The Transfiguration of Our Lord Ever wonder what the color of God might be? Judging from the Gospel today, which tells the story of the transfiguration, it is probably “white as light.” “Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured…
The Weeds in Us – Willy Samson, SJ
Matthew 13:36-43, Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Today, we begin a new month. It’s August! It’s good to stop again in prayer, bend our knees and ask God to bless our new month. =) May God bless us with his overflowing graces, and continue our ministry of blessing those in need. And…
A Spirituality at Crossroads – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Luke 14:25-33, Solemnity of St Ignatius de Loyola Here in this parish we are well acquainted with the conversion story of Ignatius. Each year we rehearse how a cannonball shattered his leg and his dreams of serving as a knight; how he recuperated for months on end in pain and boredom; how he then began…
Losing It – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 13:44-46, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time We have two very similar mini-parables in today’s Gospel reading, and the one thing they have in common is that their characters both find something and lose something. In the first one, a person digs up a valuable treasure in some field, and what does he do? He…
Searching for the Right Fuel – Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Matthew 13:44-52, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sometimes everything can seem right on the surface while, deep down, nothing is right at all. We see this, for example, in the famous parable in the gospels about the Prodigal Son and his older brother. By every outward appearance the Older Brother is doing everything right: He’s…
Pippin, the Jesuits and the Pearl of Great Price – Mark Lopez, SJ
Matthew 13:44-52, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time One of the musicals I loved listening to as I was growing up was “Pippin.” This was about the quest of a young prince, son of King Charlemegne, to find the meaning of his life. (To be clear, I’m not yet THAT old. It’s just that this musical…
Hopeful Imagining – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Matthew 13:24-30, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time When I was a teenager, our English teacher wore a t-shirt that amused me immensely. On it was written the caption, the older I get, the better I was! I remember him using the t-shirt to both educate us about tenses and also about life. As time passes,…
Listen to the Groaning – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul uses an intriguing description to refer to the sound of the Spirit praying in us: “The Spirit himself intercedes with “inexpressible groanings.” There’s a reason why the Apostle didn’t liken it to something more conventional and even appealing. Like why…
Thinking Small – Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time A year ago, I was at a religious education conference which had as its keynote speaker Maya Angelou, a black woman of considerable talent and remarkable graciousness. Among the many things she shared was this story: “When I was six years old,” she said, “one summer day on…
Forgive the Weeds – John Foley, SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time In this week’s Gospel story, the servants ask whether they should pull out weeds that have been woven in with the wheat. “No,” the Master says. “If you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest.” This parable…
The Heart of the Gospel – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Matthew 13:-19; 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time In the film Inception, a team of skilled thieves, who steal corporate secrets through entering the dreams of others, are given the task of planting an idea in the mind of an heir of a major corporation. The idea that they are tasked to plant is to dissolve…
One Lost Sheep 