Luke 1:5-25, Monday after the Fourth Sunday of Advent The chamber called the Holy of Holies was a perfect cube, 15 feet in length, width, and height, symbolizing divine perfection, I suppose. It was the innermost room in the Temple of Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant reposed. To get to the inner sanctum,…
Category: Author: Arnel Aquino, SJ
Life Interrupted – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 1:18-24, Fourth Sunday of Advent There’s painfully little written about Joseph in the Gospels. We know he was a carpenter, but this from a very passing comment by people who were trying to make out his son, Jesus, when he finally returned to his hometown. “Isn’t this the son of the carpenter?” they said….
Our Family Tree – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 1:1-17, Saturday before Fourth Sunday of Advent Long, long ago, in kingdoms far, far away, a genealogy was the typical way of starting a book, especially the story of a great man. In his Gospel, Matthew shows that the Messiah was a descendant of King David, just as the prophets had foretold. Question: Was Jesus’…
Watchful – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 24:37-44, First Sunday of Advent I grew up in Davao with my mom and lola constantly referring to the end of the world. After an earthquake, or news of a typhoon in Manila, or a big fire, they’d sermonize, “Ayan, malapit na ang end of the world. Galit na ang Diyos sa mga kasalanan ng…
Who Is King? – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 23:35-43, Solemnity of Christ the King Neuropsychologist, Dr. James Fallon has studied the neuropathology of dictators. In a brief summary, he says in Psychology Today: “So, what binds dictators across history and geography? What traits do they share? They are usually charming, charismatic, intelligent. They brim with self-confidence and independence, and exude sexual energy….
Breathe – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 21:5-19a, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time This past week was a tough riddle for many of us, Jesuits. The other night, some brothers and I got together. We all wondered: “Are we the ones missing something here? Have we been standing for the wrong principles all this time?” Because no sooner did the Supreme…
Climb – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 19:1-10, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Ah, Zacchaeus, one of my favorites. I wonder why (!) You should hear the Gospel in Tagalog. “Pumasok si Jesus sa Jerico…May isang tao roong ang pangalan ay Zaqueo, pinuno ng mga maniningil ng buwis at napakayaman. Sinisikap niyang makita si Jesus, ngunit sa dami ng tao, hindi…
Repentance – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 18:9-14a, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time When priests hear confessions, once in a while there will be someone who would come in and say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, my last confession was this-and-that. These are my sins. Father, I was very angry with someone because…” and what follows would be a litany…
The Answer to our Prayers – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 18:1-8, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time I’ve been praying to God to work on my younger brother, to make him more responsible than he’s been all his life. Dad is 80 now, but he’s still “lawyering”. He says he loves working. But I know that he’s carrying Jonathan and his family on his shoulders…
Righteous – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 11:42-46, Wednesday of Week 28 in Ordinary Time I’m sure you’ve noticed in the Gospels that Jesus was much kinder to prostitutes and tax collectors than to Pharisees and teachers of the law. I don’t believe for one second that Jesus condoned prostitutes and tax collectors. He precisely tried to turn them around when he…
Signs – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 11:29-32, Monday of 28th Week in Ordinary Time I have a few good friends who at some point in their lives prayed a particular novena. And while they did, they hoped to be given a sign at the end of nine days whether God’s answer to their petition was a “yes” or a “no”….
No Such Thing as Too Much Thanks – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 17:11-19, 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time In the time of Jesus, when a so-called leper claimed to have been healed, religious law required him to submit himself to the examination of a priest. The priest would start observing the person’s sores, note their size, shape, and color. Through many weeks, months sometimes, the patient made…
One Lost Sheep 