Mark 13:33-37, 1st Sunday of Advent Watch is the last word in the Gospel today. Reflecting on this, I usually let my mind wander and go wherever it leads me. There is the distraction of the Night’s Watch of Game of Thrones. And so I watch. I let YouTube deflect my thoughts for a while,…
Category: Author
Do You Really Want God As Your Shepherd? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
In our first reading today, God tells us, “I myself will look after and tend my sheep… I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark” (Ezekiel 34:11-12). God is not an absentee lord but a hands-on shepherd who cares for each and every one of us in a…
So much for Christ the King – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 25:31-46, Feast of Christ the King Back in 2004, I visited the Jesuit school for the disabled in Cambodia. From the moment I stepped out of the airport in Phnom Penh, I noticed that every major road and every other street corner displayed the picture of one man. My companions informed me that a…
Nevertheless and However – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 25:31-46, Feast of Christ the King The Gospel today is not just about the “end of the world.” Although many of us priests love to jump on “end of the world” scenarios to hurry people off to confession in preparation for Advent. But the Lord’s message today is not just about the end of…
Talent – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 25:14-30, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Just a few days ago, I had a conversation with a young guidance counselor. He works in an exclusive school for kids from wealthy families. These families own whole industries that earn millions by the day. The young man is assigned to eight- and nine-year-old boys in the…
Running on Empty – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 25:1-13, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Do you feel like you’ve been running on empty? “Running on empty” is a phrase we use to refer to people on the brink of exhaustion–be it physical or emotional. It’s a reference to automobiles running so dangerously low on fuel that it might just stop running any moment now. It basically…
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…
Neither a Crammer nor a Borrower be – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 25:1-13, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time In biblical times, weddings were a huge celebration in the entire village. After the wedding rite in the synagogue, the new couple is paraded back to the house. Tradition dictated that you took the longest, most roundabout route home, so that the whole town could cheer its newest…
Practice what they Preach – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 23:1-12, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time In today’s Gospel our Lord criticizes the excesses and shortcomings of the Pharisees, but virtually tells us to practice what they preach. It’s surprising advice since it’s a subversion of the usual adage that we should “practice what we preach.” It’s also surprising because this is usually our…
A Discerning Heart – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 23:1-12, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Did you read about the 83 year-old old Chinese mother, Mrs. Huang, who killed her 46 year-old disabled son, Li? Li was born prematurely, in severe mental and physical disability. He could neither walk nor talk, and his condition worsened with age. From the day he was born…
Plastic – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 23:1-12, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Remember Archimedes? He was the guy who was asked to solve this problem of knowing whether a crown was made of true gold or not. (How timely indeed during this time of fake news and alternative facts. In truth, how do we know when gold is not gold?)…
Falling Short of the Greatest Commandment – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 22:34-40, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Singer/songwriter Howie Day has a couple of great lines in his 2003 hit, “Collide”: Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Never mind the rest of the song–which, of course, is a love song–but I think those two lines capture something pretty…
One Lost Sheep 