Mark 1:40-45, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Have you ever been moved with pity so deeply that you felt it in your guts, na sobra kang awang-awa na parang hinalukay ang bituka mo? The last time I felt very deep pity was last Monday. I was waiting for a cab down in Barangka. I decided…
Category: Author
What Does It Mean To Have Authority? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Mark 1:21-28, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Twice in our Gospel today, Jesus is described as someone with authority. But he did not hold any position in the community like the elders or the scribes. Nor did he have power like the chief priests and the Romans. What does it mean to have authority? “He…
Where Does It Come From? – Johnny Go, SJ
Today’s Gospel is about the first–and lasting–impression that our Lord makes on people. And the impression that he makes on the people he interacts with–the lasting impression he leaves them with–is summarized by one recurring word: “Authority.” It’s funny because I would have expected a different kind of first or lasting impression. Perhaps holiness or kindness?…
Voices – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 1:21-28, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time The Jesuits are in charge of chaplaincy in Philippine General Hospital and I had the opportunity to go on a month-long summer exposure there many years ago. I will never forget that day when I was assigned to the children’s ward. Late one afternoon, they rolled a bed…
Related – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 10:13-16, Feast of the Santo Niño On the first week of the new year, I went home to Davao to visit with my dad for a week. One day, I decided to walk from the Jesuit Residence to San Pedro Cathedral. My mom used to love hearing mass there. The church is a good…
The Who – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 1:35-42, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Do you know that we have students in Loyola School of Theology who are in their late 40s and 50s? One is even in her early 60s. Lay people. Some of them have retired early. Some are still working part-time. But they’ve all decided to either do an…
The Endangered Art of Listening – Johnny Go, SJ
John 1:35-42, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time In the First Reading today, we have the somewhat charming story of young Samuel who mistakes God’s voice calling to him as coming from his master Eli. After being roused a third time from his sleep, Eli realizes it must be the Lord and directs Samuel to answer, “Speak,…
Gifts and Givers – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 2:1-12, Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord On this Feast of the Epiphany, we remember the visit of the magi–those astrologers (how many they were, we don’t know) who read the stars and were among the first to lay their eyes on Jesus. They were not exactly kings, but they were certainly wise enough to…
The Most Precious Gift – Rogel Abais, SJ
Matthew 2:1-12; Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord Celebrating the Christmas season has become synonymous with gifts and gift-giving. When this season is fast approaching and as it unfolds, we all get caught up in a frenzy of thinking what to give to whom and what we will receive from whom! Gift-giving has become…
God in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time – Nono Alfonso, SJ
Matthew 2:1-12, Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord Before the age of the Metro Manila Film Fest, and before the holiday releases of Star Wars or The Avengers, my favorite Christmas movie was and remains to be The Fourth Wise Man. The movie stars the great Martin Sheen and asserts that in fact there…
Star – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 2:1-12, The Epiphany of the Lord In this age of GPS (global positioning satellites), we seldom turn to the stars anymore to lead us to where we are going. Admittedly, our smartphone is enough of a locational tool to get us to where we are headed, assuming our destination is just here on earth….
Hope – Jett Villarin, SJ
Christmas Eve In climate science, we are often asked how is it that we can predict next year or the next decade or even the next century when we cannot even forecast what will happen tomorrow? The short answer is: climate is not weather, not the day-to-day variation of hot and cold, wet and dry….
One Lost Sheep 