John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday How many days is the Advent season? 23 days. How many days is the Christmas Season? 12. What about the Lenten Season? 40 days. And Easter, which, by the way, many Catholics forget is a Season, too, like Advent, Christmas, and Lent? How long is Easter? 50 days! Easter is the longest…
Category: Author: Arnel Aquino, SJ
Lost then Found – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 20:1-9, Easter Sunday I grew up hearing many superstitions about Good Friday, all from my maternal lola. I will always remember her two most bizarre warnings. First: “Huwag kayong maglalaro sa labas ng bahay at kukunin kayo ng mga Hudyo.” I asked mom what a hudyo was. She said, “Sila ang pumatay kay Hesus!” I had watched black-and-white tv shows about the passion. So, I thought hudyo were the spear-toting, helmet-wearing, shield-protected soldiers who captured Jesus. Mali. Romans pala ‘yon. Incidentally, we weren’t spared on ordinary days either when lola would say, “Huwag kayong magulo! Sige, kukunin kayo ng Muslim!” Funny how…
Dead Wrong – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 8:1-11, Fifth Sunday of Lent A month ago, a friend of mine was coming home from a wake of his friend’s dad. The man committed suicide, which was tragic in itself. But I don’t know which was more tragic: that a father committed suicide, or that none of the priests in the nearby parish…
Triggers – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 4:1-13, First Sunday of Lent In the past couple of months on different occasions, three friends of mine told me that they finally deactivated their Facebook accounts. The latest one was a priest-friend, a very eloquent and dynamic professor of theology at their seminary in the province. “I’ve finally taken myself out of Facebook,” he said. “When it’s the online bickering for and…
Work to Do – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 6:1-6;16-18, Ash Wednesday In Loyola School of Theology, I teach a course called Introduction to Sacramental Theology. We recently finished our lesson on the Eucharist. But something’s still stuck in my head about the Last Supper, that last “Eucharistic celebration” Jesus had with his friends the night before he died. Did you notice that in the Last Supper, Jesus gave communion to Peter and…
Spots – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 6:39-45, 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time I heard a sad story recently. This person’s mom in the province died a few months ago. But when the family approached the parish to arrange for her funeral mass, the parish said it was constrained from accepting her body into the church. The rule was if someone died without having been sacramentally married, mass would not be allowed for his/her mortal remains in the church. Mass could be celebrated wherever…
Thou Shalt Not – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 9:38-40, Wednesday of Week 7 in Ordinary Time The Gospel today reminds me of one time, when I sat with Fr. Bill Kreutz, S.J., over coffee and he asked me, “Arnel, why are our students going to Victory Chapel across the street?” I think Fr. Bill knew the answers to his own question. But,…
”Love” thy Enemy – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 6:27-38, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time In the time of Jesus, the slap most commonly done was a backhanded slap. A backhanded slap was what masters gave slaves, or commanders gave soldiers, or centurions gave Jews. A backhanded slap, therefore, was not only a punishment, but also a reminder of status: “I am master, you’re…
Language of Love – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 8:22-26, Wednesday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time Jesus knew the law very well. He knew it since he was 12. So, he was well aware that he was committing a triple whammy of impurities that day. Whammy #1: he talked to a blind man, whom the law considered unclean. Then, he touched him…
Emptiness – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 5:1-11, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Don’t you find it strange that right after a huge catch of fish, Peter suddenly falls on his knees before Jesus and makes a confession: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man”? You know, sisters and brothers, in almost all the retreatants I have accompanied…
Never Abandoned – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 6:1-6, Wednesday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time We have a dear, dear lady who works for us, Nancy. She’s by far one of the most industrious people I’ve met in my Jesuit life. She’s in her early 30s, shorter and much thinner than I. But she’s a dynamo. She’s always doing chores. Even…
Wide Open – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 4:21-30, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time From back in the Lord’s day up to today, the synagogue remains a consecrated place of prayer—Jews worshipped there, of learning—they studied the Torah there, & of social gathering—they came together to discuss religious matters there, too. Here are some rules in Jewish synagogues today. I quote from the “Laws of Synagogue Etiquette” by a Rabbi Eliezer Wenger. “No running around in the synagogue….
One Lost Sheep 