Luke 12:13-21 (Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola) What will you build in your life? That’s the question that our simple but profound parable in today’s Gospel asks us. It’s also the perfect question on the day we honor the saint who spent his life wrestling with that question. In a sense, everything in our…
Author: ninangdeb
Snakes and Scorpions – Johnny Go, SJ
Luke 11:1-13, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time This Sunday’s Gospel has much to teach us about prayer, but it’s our Lord’s explanation of his parable of the desperate friend that struck me: “Knock and the door will be opened to you… What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for…
The Problem of Suffering – Mark Lopez, SJ
Luke 11:1-13, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time When he was about 12 years old, one of my nephews told me that he found it problematic to believe in God. “Because if God did exist, then why is there so much suffering in the world?” he said. The question got me unsettled, of course, especially coming…
Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Weyms Sanchez, SJ
Luke 11:1-13, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time We all have had our share of struggles with prayer. Perhaps for many among us, we have often wondered if God really listens to us, if He actually responds to our prayers, or if anything really happens in prayer beyond the silence. Many who have attempted to take…
The Good Innkeeper – Johnny Go, SJ
Luke 10:25-37 (15th Sunday in Ordinary Time) We’ve all heard the Parable of the Good Samaritan before, and of course, its message is loud, clear, and timely: Just like the Good Samaritan, we are each called to help those in great need–even and especially strangers, those of a different race, region, or religion. I can’t…
Will You Attempt to Look with the Eyes of the Heart – Errol Fernandes, SJ
Luke 10:25-37 (15th Sunday in Ordinary Time) The Parable of the Good Samaritan has often been interpreted as one which tells the listener that one’s neighbor is anyone in need of help. While that is true, it is only a small part of the meaning and message of the story. The main point of the…
God’s Promise – Mark Lopez, SJ
Luke 10:1-9, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Towards the end of World War II, my grandparents had to flee from Silay, their hometown on the island of Negros in the Philippines. During the first years of the occupation, Lolo Cardo (my grandfather) was among the few whom the Japanese trusted enough to allow him to…
Less Stuff, More People – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 10:1-9, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Fr Hernando Maceda was one of the most cheerful Jesuits I’ve ever known. He was a small guy, not much taller than I, but he had the biggest smile that I felt went from his face down to his good heart and back! Fr Maceda was from a wealthy…
Bump With Love – Willy Samson, SJ
Luke 7:11-17, Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time People bump into each other everyday. According to one study, at an average of 78 years lifespan, and assuming that we bump three new people daily, at the end of our lifetime, we should have met a total of 80,000 people. Think about it. Just imagine the potential…
Fullness – Jett Villarin, SJ
Luke 7:11-17, Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time “You haven’t lived.” That’s what I say to people when they tell me they’ve never climbed Mount Apo or done the whitewater of Cagayan de Oro. It’s only an expression I know but a line I hope that pauses people (including myself) and makes us ask about what…
Holy Food – Mark Lopez, SJ
Luke 9:11b-17 (Solemnity of Corpus Christi) When was the last time you tasted love in your food? Not during those rushed, 15-minute lunches at the office cafeteria, I’m sure. But maybe on your last visit to your favorite restaurant ? On an auspicious day, perhaps, when the chef felt more inspired than usual and added…
Inhale, Exhale – Ulysess Cabayao, SJ
John 20:19-23 (Solemnity of the Pentecost) One way to think about the Pentecost is to think about how we breathe. One of the biblical metaphors for the Spirit is breath—it is known as ר֫וּחַ (ruach) in Hebrew, πνεῦμα (pneuma) in Greek, and spiritus in Latin. The association of breath with spirit is not unique to…
One Lost Sheep 