Easter Vigil 2007 Once upon a time, there was a garden, a beautiful garden. God was in the garden. A man and a woman were in the garden with God. They spent most of their days working the earth, tending the garden. There were days the ants would get the peanuts they had planted and…
Category: Author
Unlocked – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 16:1-7, Easter Vigil May binili ako sa Riverbanks nung isang araw. Nung palabas na ako kasama ng medyo makapal na mga tao, napansin ko na naman na isang glass door lang yung nakabukas. Yung kaparis niya, nakasara. Matagal ko na yun gustong itanong sa may-ari. Kung bakit ba magpapalagay ng dalawang swinging glass…
Goodness – Jett Villarin SJ
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion Lectionary: 40 Good Friday 2015 Somehow, somewhere there is goodness to be found in the ruins of today. In searching for that goodness, let us be honest. It is not easy to find goodness in the terrible things of today. It is not easy to draw clarity from…
Egypt – Jett Villarin SJ
Holy Thursday, 24 March 2016 Cenacle Retreat House 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…
Transform – Arnel Aquino SJ
Luke 22:14-23:56, Palm Sunday I’m one of 10 Jesuits assigned to San Jose Seminary. This is the time of the year when we evaluate applicants from all over the country. In every batch of young men we evaluate, at least three or four have fathers who are drug addicts. Now I’m used to hearing young…
Returning Home – Willy Samson, SJ
6 December 2015 Luke 3:1-6 (Second Sunday of Advent) Durian! Love it or hate it! Durian fruit is well known for its obtrusive odour but heavenly taste. The smell of durian brings out different reactions ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust. People who dislike durian describe its smell as “a combination of pig-shit, turpentine…
A Theory of Divine Mercy – Johnny Go, SJ
FOR 13 MARCH 2016 John 8:1-11 (Fifth Sunday of Lent) Today we are presented with what I consider one of the defining moments in the public ministry of our Lord. A woman caught in the act of adultery is dragged into the temple square to stand in shame and in full view of a blood-thirsty…
A Different Perspective – Jojo Magadia, SJ
FOR 13 MARCH 2016 John 8:1-11 (Fifth Sunday of Lent) Is the glass half-empty or half-full? A scientist might remind you that the glass is actually completely full, with atoms of both water and air. A philosopher might ask, “But are we sure the glass is real?” And a lawyer might say, “We can agree…
Worth More than Two Cents to Me – Arnel Aquino, SJ
This is a bonus Lenten Special. Just want to share what my SD sent me on understanding why we sacrifice during Lent : My personal thoughts on taking on some measure of asceticism during Lent, Deb, is that all throughout the year, we protect ourselves from being vulnerable. And rightly so because we don’t wish…
So Who’s the Prodigal One? – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 15:1-32, Fourth Sunday of Lent To Jews, a pig is the dirtiest, most impure animal on the face of the earth; no animal disgusts them more. Many Jews don’t even say chazir, their word for pig. They replace it with davar acher—which literally means, “the other thing.” They don’t want to defile their mouths…
Overboard – Jett Villarin, SJ
Luke 15:1-32 (Fourth Sunday of Lent) Two planetary scientists from Caltech recently proposed the existence of a ninth planet in our solar system. They inferred its presence from the particular wobble of six other objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. Yet to be seen, Planet X with a mass of 10 earths is supposed to…
God Allows – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 13:1-9 (Third Sunday of Lent) My sisters and brothers, in today’s gospel, the Jews were very distressed over two recent tragedies that took the lives of God-fearing people. First, Pilate had massacred some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices at the temple. That’s what the Jews meant when they said Pilate “mingled the Galileans’…
One Lost Sheep 