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…
Category: Evangelist: John
Listen to the Light – John Foley, SJ
John 3:14-21; Fourth Sunday of Lent Ignoring God cannot be a good thing. We all know that. But the readings on this Fourth Lenten Sunday drive the point home. The First Reading says the people of Judah “added infidelity to infidelity,” worshipping false gods, polluting the sacred temple, vigorously ignoring the real God. Read the…
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…
Why so Angry? – John Foley, SJ
John 2:13-25, Third Sunday of Lent Ready for a shocking picture of Jesus? The gentle savior has turned violent. This Sunday he erupts into unrestrained anger when he sees people vending oxen, sheep, and doves right within the temple, sees money-changers doing business within God’s own house! Not only is this unlike the Jesus we…
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…
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,…
Called by Name – John Foley, SJ
John 1:35-42, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time We now begin what the Church calls “Ordinary Time.” Christmas season is over, and we begin to see Jesus at work. We begin with a significant story, found in the First Reading for Sunday. A young man named Samuel is sleeping in the temple, as he was allowed…
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….
Listen Well – John Foley, SJ
Luke 1:26:38, Fourth Sunday of Advent An angel appears with a startling announcement to an otherwise insignificant housewife. Mary responds, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.” Is there a way to understand her heart as she utters these words, so dramatically significant to the human race? Let us take an “inside…
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…
One Lost Sheep 