Luke 12:13-21, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time I’ve always been curious about the word “kaek-ekan.” You know—when someone says, “Puro ka na lang kaek-ekan!” It’s a term we often use for things that feel pointless, shallow, over-the-top, or just plain unnecessary. It could be someone being too dramatic, or someone who’s trying too hard to…
Category: Author: Noel Bava, SJ
Simp, Cringe, Woke: The Underrated Heroism of St. Ignatius – Noel Bava, SJ
Luke 14:25-33, Solemnity of St Ignatius of Loyola The Homo Sapiens Superior Today, we are going to discuss six words that Gen Zers, Millennials and Gen Alpha share in the blogosphere. The first one is Sigma—the lone wolf. Someone who doesn’t need approval. He does what he wants and walks his own path. He is…
The True Food – Noel Bava, SJ
Luke 9:11-17, Solemnity of the Feast of Corpus Christi What’s the first thing that you reach out for when you wake up in the morning? How many times do you open your cellphones to check your messages or the latest on social media apps? How much longer do you stay in the rest room with…
To See Is to be Deceived – Noel Bava, SJ
Luke 24:46-53; Solemnity of the Asencion Brothers and sisters, This week, the world caught its breath as Google unveiled Veo 3—a revolutionary AI (artificial intelligence) video model capable of generating hyper-realistic films, documentaries, and even fake news clips with scary accuracy. Imagine these scenarios: seeing a video of a war that never happened. A documentary…
What is Love but Our Mother Persevering? – Noel Bava, SJ
John 15:9-17, Sixth Sunday of Easter Have you ever heard of people who, months, even years after the death of their loved ones, have not been able to resume with their normal lives and regular routines? They leave the rooms of their dearly departed unchanged, put a space on the dining table complete with the…
The Shadow, The Stone, The Scroll and The Scar – Noel Bava, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday Brothers and sisters,Every year, the Catholic Church gives us this Sunday—the Second Sunday of Easter—as Divine Mercy Sunday. And it is befitting that it comes immediately after the First Sunday of Easter because the Gospel today—and all the readings—reveal a Risen Christ who chooses mercy, again and again. While praying…
The Seven Cries of Jesus – Noel Bava, SJ
Isaiah 52:13—53:12; Psalm 31; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1—19:42, Good Friday 1. Opening: The Cry That Pierced Filipino Memory We lost an icon yesterday, the one and only superstar of Philippine television, movies, theater and music—Nora Aunor. No other artist, living or dead could equal her depth of emotion when playing iconic roles. And when…
The Last Supper according to “Sharonians” – Noel Bava, SJ
Exodus 12:1–8, 11–14; Psalm 116:12–13, 15–18; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; John 13:1–15, Holy Thursday of Our Lord’s Passion 1. Introduction: Everyone’s Guilty of a Little ‘Sharon’ Let’s admit it—almost all of us have done a Sharon at least once. After a party, a wedding, or a town fiesta, someone inevitably brings out the Tupperware or plastic bags and starts packing leftovers….
Walk the Road, Flip the Script – Noel Bava, SJ
Luke 22:13-23:56, Palm Sunday We began today’s Mass with palms raised high, welcoming Christ into Jerusalem with hosannas. But we know what lies ahead in the story. By the end of this liturgy, we will walk with Him toward the Cross. The shouts of “Hosanna!” will turn into “Crucify Him!” And that shift—so sudden, so…
When Love and Hate Collide – Noel Bava, SJ
John 8:1-11; 5th Sunday of Lent I have always been intrigued by the lyrics and melody of the song by Def Leppard and how it easily lends itself to our deeper understanding of God’s mercy and compassion. It begins with this line: “You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your…
The Gospel according to Jolina Magdangal – Weng Bava, SJ
Mark 8:27-35, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Long before there was KathNiel or JaDine, the quintessential love team of Philippine Cinema in the 90s was Marvs and Jolen (The millennials would have to Google them to know who they are). And in one particular movie that I and fellow college seminarians lined up at the…
The Parable of the Ten Millenials – Noel Bava, SJ
Matthew 25:1-13, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time To what shall we compare the kingdom of heaven for today’s generation? The kingdom of heaven will be like ten millennials who took their snazzy and glitzy smartphones with them and went out to meet the bridegroom at an undisclosed location. They were all agog over the possibility…
One Lost Sheep 