John 3:16-18, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Did you see the video showing the Maute savaging St. Mary’s Cathedral in Marawi? We hear about this all the time—ISIS or the Taliban or Al-Qaeda vandalizing holy places out there in the Middle East. But it doesn’t hit as hard and hurt as deeply until you…
Category: Evangelist: John
I am Never Alone – Mark Aloysius, SJ
John 20:19-23, Pentecost How can we begin to talk about the invisible, intangible, impalpable Spirit of God? Perhaps we should begin with a very common expression we might have heard or even used ourselves: I still feel her spirit with me. We use those words to express that inexplicable but very real experience of feeling,…
Please Activate – Rudolf Horst, SVD
John 20:19-23 As a teenager, I thought Christmas was the climax of all feasts we celebrate. Easter? Okay, Easter-egg hunt gave it a special flavor. But Pentecost? It came and went without anything special to make it exciting. I guess that I was not alone with this feeling. Somehow many, like me, missed the…
Surprise! – Ben Sim, SJ
John 20:19-23, Pentecost In a small town near a South American border, there once lived a young man by the name of Angelo. One day he crossed the border and came back with a donkey carrying sacks of sand. And when the custom inspector asked what he was smuggling in the sand, Angelo quickly replied, “Nothing.” So all the sand was poured…
Patronus – Mark Lopez, SJ
John 20:19-23, Pentecost Today’s recommended reading in relation to Pentecost will not be your usual Church encyclical, or Bible verse, or a quote from a famous Pope or theologian. Today’s recommended reading is none other than the book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (book three of JK Rowling’s seven-part literary phenomenon.) For the…
Spirited – Jett Villarin, SJ
John 20:19-23, Pentecost Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Lord, send your Spirit now more than ever, during this time when the earth stands to be disfigured by our indifference, by our willful disregard for the ancient rhythms of replenishment and renewal of our land. Renew the earth that…
What Happens when We Lose God – Mark Aloysius, SJ
John 14:15-21, Sixth Sunday of Easter Have you ever had the experience of having something stolen from you? Recently I had the unfortunate experience of being robbed at a place where I have always felt safe. While I was in the changing room of our gym, someone stole a belt from my trousers. Talk about…
Love and Kindness – Jason Dy, SJ
John 14:15-21, Sixth Sunday of Easter Our Gospel today reminds us to keep Christ’s commandment to love each other (John 14:14). To love one another is not only a command to be obeyed. It is rather a way of life that characterizes the existence of those who profess their faith in God’s self-giving love through…
At Home 2 – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 14:21-26, Monday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide In my life as a Jesuit, people who peek into my room gasp and say, “Yikes, ‘oc-oc’ ka (obsessive-compulsive)! Abnormal!” I don’t have much stuff in my room. I can’t think straight when there’s “stuff” I don’t really need. So there’s a very short shelf-life of…
At Home – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 14:21-26, Monday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide Many years ago, when a small group of Jesuit batchmates gathered in a cheerful, informal reunion, one said thoughtfully: “Ngayong tumatanda na tayo, hindi naman talaga tayo nagbago. We’ve just become more at home with ourselves.” I found that interesting. I guess you could say, “Well,…
Coming Home – Joel Liwanag, SJ
John 14:1-12, Fifth Sunday of Easter Among the many emotional needs of human beings, one of the most fundamental is the need to belong. As persons, we inherently desire to be part of something larger than ourselves. We first experience this in the womb of our mothers, our home for nine months. There we have…
Living Stones – Rudolf Horst, SVD
John 14:1-12, Fifth Sunday of Easter On this Fifth Sunday of Easter Jesus reminds that that we are called to continue his work and to achieve even greater things than he accomplished during his earthly ministry. He built his Church with growth in mind, generation after generation, founded on him and the Apostles. In today’s…
One Lost Sheep 