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,…
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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….
How Can This Be? – Johnny Go, SJ
Luke 1:26-38, Fourth Sunday of Advent When the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her about God’s invitation, Mary asked one question: “How can this be?” When you think about it, it’s a perfectly normal and understandable question. First of all, it was an angel that visited her! We have no idea what form the angel assumed…
Light from Light – Mark Aloysius, SJ
John 1:6-8; 19-28, 2nd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) Have you ever looked at the moon and wondered at its beauty? Its shape transforming from a crescent to a disc as it dances across the sky, through the changing of the seasons. Luminously golden as it may appear to us who behold it, we know…
Roadblocks – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 1:1-8, Second Sunday of Advent The following stories were told by friends directly involved in the situations I’m about to share with you. So they’re not fake news. A very devout woman ran frantically to a priest-friend of mine one day. She was coming from a troubling confession with another priest. After several years…
Watch – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 13:33-37, 1st Sunday of Advent Yesterday I found myself wandering through a familiar street in a foreign country. The familiarity was comforting, but it was also wrapped in some sort of nostalgia. You see, I was sauntering through one of the alleys of Taipei’s famous Zhongxiao Dunhua shopping area, and the place felt quite familiar because I had spent…
Wandering, Wondering, Waiting – Bros Flores, SJ
Mark 13:33-37, 1st Sunday of Advent We wait. Everyday, we wait. We wait for the alarm clock to shake us out of our stupor. We wait for breakfast. We wait for meetings and classes—to begin and end. We wait for lunch to be served. Wait to end our day. We wait for our rides back…
Watch – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 13:33-37, 1st Sunday of Advent Last Friday, while I waited for my Augustinian friar friend outside San Agustin Church, I overheard a conversation between a visitor and the manang running a food stall in the premises. In thick Visayan accent, the lady said, “Excuse me po, katedral po ito?” “Hindi po,” manang replied. “San…
One Lost Sheep 