John 12:20-23, Fifth Sunday of Lent Don’t you find it interesting that just as Jesus says his hour of “glorification” has come, in the very same breath, he talks about grain that dies before it bears fruit, and life that we must lose before we gain it back. “Glorified” means lifting up to a place…
Category: Author
Keeping Score – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 3:14-21, Fourth Sunday of Lent I grew up dreading “the loss of heaven and the pains of hell,” like we say in the act of contrition. My mom and her mom instilled that dread in me, for good or for ill. When I couldn’t finish the rice on my plate, for instance, they would…
Anger – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 2:12-35, Third Sunday of Lent I grew up in an angry home. We lived with my maternal grandparents who were migrants from Ibaan, Batangas, where they were quite poor. Venturing to Davao, my grandfather worked his way up from maglalako ng kulambo to landowner. But that whole arduous climb made him and lola such…
Upside Down – Bros Flores, SJ
John 2:12-35, Third Sunday of Lent The first reading enumerates what we now call the Ten Commandments. Throughout the centuries, these commandments have been codified into a complex compliance checklist of 613 do’s-and-don’ts that have rendered the life of every devout Jew more burdensome and following the Ten Commandments more difficult. The second reading today…
Market – Jett Villarin, SJ
John 2:13-25, Third Sunday of Lent Whether it is wet or dry or about stocks, a market is a place of exchange. Goods and services are traded there and the medium of exchange is usually money. When Jesus makes a scene in the Gospel story today by scourging the market, he does so for one…
Beyond the Darkness – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Mark 9:2-10, Second Sunday of Lent There is this painting by Rubens, Landscape by Moonlight (1635-40), which I think might provide a way in which we could meditate on our readings today. In this painting, Rubens paints the night sky illuminated by the warm light of the moon and innumerable stars. Against this brilliant but…
A Glimpse of Glory – Willy Samson, SJ
Mark 9:2-10, Second Sunday Of Lent When Jesus brought Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor, one of his intentions was to give them a glimpse of his divine glory. Jesus saw the necessity of giving his disciples of something to hold on – a hope in the dark, something to give them strength when…
Fire and Wire – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 11:29-32, Wednesday of the 1st week of Lent There’s a little mantra that neuroscientists believe: “Cells that fire together wire together.” Whenever our body does something, there is a particular network of that fire together, enabling the body to precisely do what it does. You read a book, that’s a particular network of neurons…
Opposites – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 1:12-15, First Sunday of Lent The story of Noah and the flood is not a Genesis original. It’s from a much older Babylonian myth called Atra-Hasis. That’s also the name of the story’s hero. In the myth, the demi-gods grow weary of the mortals they’ve created out of clay. So they plan on destroying…
Abstain, Above All, from the Self – Remmon Barbaza, PhD
In his homily at yesterday’s Ash Wednesday mass, the priest said that fasting does not always have to mean abstaining from meat or other food and drinks. He said we could also consider abstaining from anger, when we are prone to getting angry; restraining ourselves from talking, when we tend to be noisy or dominate…
Unselfie – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18, Ash Wednesday If today’s Gospel were written in 21st-century vernacular, maybe it would say: “When you do righteous deeds…when you give alms…when you pray…when you fast, please…take care not to post it on Facebook, or announce it on your blog, or humble-brag about it. Most of all, take care not to take…
If You Wish – Johnny Go, SJ
Mark 1:40-45, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Today’s reading may be interpreted as yet another healing miracle of our Lord that showcases his compassion for those who are marginalized in society. The worst part about being a leper during Jesus’ time, after all, was not so much the physical affliction as much as the social…
One Lost Sheep 