John 13:1-16, Maundy Thursday It must have been a strange and solemn sight for the apostles. Here they were about to do what they had done countless times before: break bread, eat bitter herbs, drink wine, and partake of the lamb in a meal that declared their deliverance from a place of slavery called Egypt….
Category: Author
Rehearsing Love – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Mark 14:1-15/47, Palm Sunday This is the only Sunday in the year when we read two Gospels, one of triumphant entry, the other of crushing defeat. It is as if we are not permitted to linger very long with palms in our hand, celebrating Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. After all, this is not why Jesus…
Where Is God? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
When Jesus dies in the Gospel according to Mark, the centurion at the foot of the cross exclaims, “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” We should not project onto that Roman officer’s words what we believe today about the divinity of Christ: eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,…
Among the Fickle Ground – Johnny Go, SJ
Mark 11:1-10, Palm Sunday The event we recount–and reenact–on Palm Sunday was a highlight of sorts in our Lord’s Public Ministry. Reported in all four gospels, our Lord’s entry to Jerusalem is often prefixed with the adjective “triumphal” to express the exceptional welcome given to Jesus as he arrived in Jerusalem. The welcome must have been overwhelming,…
Love that Restores – Mark Lopez, SJ
John 12: 20-33, Fifth Sunday of Lent If you’ve ever felt run down, or barren inside, or destroyed, today will be a good day to pray. Today will be a good day for you to try to listen to God telling you. “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the…
Suffering – Arnel Aquino, SJ
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…
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…
One Lost Sheep 