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,…
Author: thekatzpajamas
What Does It Mean To Have Authority? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Mark 1:21-28, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Twice in our Gospel today, Jesus is described as someone with authority. But he did not hold any position in the community like the elders or the scribes. Nor did he have power like the chief priests and the Romans. What does it mean to have authority? “He…
What Is Joy? – Fr. Francis Alvarez, SJ
“And coming to Mary, the angel Gabriel said, ‘Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you’” (Luke 1:28). Those who pray the rosary regularly will easily recognize our Gospel today, the Annunciation, as the first joyful mystery. But I have often wondered if the real mystery lies in how we can consider this whole…
Do You Really Want God As Your Shepherd? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
In our first reading today, God tells us, “I myself will look after and tend my sheep… I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark” (Ezekiel 34:11-12). God is not an absentee lord but a hands-on shepherd who cares for each and every one of us in a…
Are You Really Seeking The Truth? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Matthew 22;15-21, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). This verse has launched many heated discussions and tirades about the relationship between religion and the state. But I do not think Jesus set out to pronounce something definitive about faith and politics…
What About God Are You Not Yet Ready For? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Matthew 16:13-20, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time “He strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ” (Matthew 16:20). In our Gospel today, Simon Peter correctly identifies who Jesus is – he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. But then Jesus forbids Simon Peter and the other disciples to…
Why Let The Bad Mix With The Good? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time “…if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest…” (Matthew 13:29-30). I read our Gospel today, and I remember the spicy surprise that met a Jesuit who transplanted sprigs of basil beside some sili. After a few weeks,…
What Is Happening To The World – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Rising temperatures which cause not just heat waves but alarming weather patterns, terrorist attacks calculated to instill fear and hate, random acts of violence which challenge our faith in humanity, political upheavals which make us ask if we have learned anything at all from history – you can probably add more to this list of…
Can Worship be Mixed with Doubt? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Matthew 28:16-20, Solemnity of the Ascension In our Gospel today, the eleven disciples climb a mountain to meet the risen Jesus, and we read, “When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted” (Matthew 28:17). There was Jesus, flesh and blood proof of the resurrection, showing them that his promises had been fulfilled and that…
What happens when we forgive? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
John 20:19-31, Diving Mercy Sunday “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23). The verse above has often been used to speak about the grace given to priests to absolve sins in the Sacrament of Confession. But I think it can also be read – in a…
HOPE AMIDST DISMAY – Mario Francisco, SJ
Easter Vigil [With all the additional rituals and readings of the Easter Vigil Mass, you all wish for a short homily. Don’t worry, we share the same hope.] Hope is the clear theme of Easter. But it is something so tied up with how we see our situation. Hope is one thing to young…
LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH – Mario Francisco, SJ
Easter Sunday The Easter Vigil readings sweep through the epic panorama of God’s saving work toward its climax in Jesus’ self-offering. They proclaim the victory of hope over dismay with trumpet blasts. In contrast, the following readings during the Easter season give close-ups of that hope in people’s lives accompanied by tender violin strings. [For…
One Lost Sheep 