John 3: 14-21, 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) When I was formator in San Jose Seminary, we had seminarians from a college seminary in the province, run by very traditional priests. The priests themselves were trained in Europe by a group of clerics we Pinoys would call katoliko-sarado-de-candado; Roman Catholics of the strict persuasion….
Category: Author: Arnel Aquino, SJ
Sanitize – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 1:40-45; 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time If Jesus was a devout Jew, an dhe was—why did he obey some rules but violated others? He observed feasts and fasts. He attended synagogue and taught there every day. He prayed a whole lot. And in today’s Gospel, he even told the leper to go to the…
Dependent – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 10:-13-16; Feast of the Santo Niño As soon as dad turned 80, which was seven years ago, I’ve been flying home to Davao first thing every January to visit him and my family. Thank you, God, that dad is still with us. He’s relatively healthy. His blood chemistry is better than mine, kuya’s or…
God naman – Arnel Aquino SJ
Christmas Day 2023 Could God have been entirely luminous, mystical, and otherworldly in his coming into our world? He could’ve, couldn’t he? I mean, he created everything from absolutely nothing. He unleashed plagues, parted the Red Sea, rained fire down from heaven to clobber King Ahab’s false gods. He sent for a flaming chariot that…
Immeasurable – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 1:18-25, Simbanggabi Alam n’yo po, lahat ng naging kakilala kong karpintero, tahimik. I can still name all of them: Manong Imo, who lived with us for a long time; Mang Rudy, when I was in the Novitiate, Mang Remy and Kuya Teodor, fantastic craftsmen in San Jose Seminary. And today, we have Kuya Loloy…
Grounded – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 1:1-8. Second Sunday of Advent From 1968 to the 1990s, archaeologists dug up several purification pools around wherethe Temple of Jerusalem once stood. Mikvoth, they were called, the precursors of our holy waterfonts today. For the Jews, the Temple was the holiest place on earth. You didn’t just waltz into itlike you and I…
Cornerstone – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 21:33-43, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time You know how difficult it is to enter Ateneo, right? It’s legendary now. These past months, there’s been a regular turnover of new guards at the gates. So, all faces are unfamiliar to them including ours, campus residents. So, whether we’re in a car or on foot, we…
The “F” word – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 18:21-35; 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Peter’s question was a typical question Jews would ask rabbis. Something like the following: “Rabbi, on a Sabbath, how many steps may I do to feed my donkey, so I don’t violate the Sabbath rest? Rabbi, how many days after my wife’s childbirth is she considered impure? If…
Floaters or Gloaters – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 18:15-20, 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time When was the last time you received feedback, sisters and brothers? Was it from family or friend, or from officialdom? How did you take it? Was it a bitter pill, but swallow, you did anyway, because it was true and necessary? Or was it so one-sided and unfair,…
Ouch! – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 16:21-27; 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time My friend told me this story when she came for a visit last month. There’s this professor; famous, published, often quoted, but feared. He’s that type who knows he’s good. But he has ways of reminding you that he is, ‘yung ganong klase. And you know how people…
Crumbs – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 15:21-28; 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Many of us, Catholics, take it for granted that because Jesus was (and still is) both human and divine, God must have wired his brain to perfection, right? Every year, I have students who start out their course in Christology thinking that Jesus didn’t have to be taught…
Wheat over Weeds- Arnel Aquino SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time In his last two years on earth, Jesus left the life of fixing and building things so he could fix and build people instead. As a skilled carpenter, he could assess a project before even driving the first nail in. So, Jesus must’ve foreseen right from the start,…
One Lost Sheep 