Matthew 26:14-27:66, Palm Sunday Holy Week brings into focus that paradoxical interplay between noise and silence that make up the drama of human tragedy. The Gospel read every Palm Sunday provides the overview of the final moments of the life of Jesus that we are by now familiar with. He is cheered on by the…
Category: Evangelist: Matthew
Skin Deep – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 7:1-9, Second Sunday of Lent Many things can be said about the event of the Transfiguration of our Lord. It is literally Jesus’ “brief shining moment”–when his divinity, just for that moment, shines through. It astonishes his select disciples, but before they knew it, the moment was gone. In his letter to the Philippians,…
A Glimpse of our Glory – Willy Samson, SJ
Matthew 7:1-9, Second Sunday of Lent When Jesus brought Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor, one of his intentions was to give them a glimpse of His divine glory. Jesus saw the necessity of giving his disciples something to hold on – a hope in the dark, something to give them strength when darkness…
Up the Mountain- Rudolf Horst, SVD
Since my childhood I liked mountain climbing. No, actually I didn’t like the climbing because it can be hard, tiring, and exhausting. I liked the moment when after the tiring climbing I reach the top and can enjoy the breathtaking view. One of the great experiences I had was when I climbed with a pilgrim…
Look Forward – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 7:1-9, Second Sunday of Lent We have a really nice chapel in the recently completed infirmary at Loyola House. The 6pm daily mass over there is open to anyone who wishes to attend mass with our Lolo Jesuits, as we call them. It can be quite a moving experience. We see the old Jesuits…
Struggling with Temptation – Rogel Abais, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11: First Sunday of Lent A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. – C.S. Lewis,…
Time-Tested Bait – Willy Samson, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent Today is the first Sunday of Lent. We continue our 40 days of prayerful reflection and consideration of our struggles against the power of evil in our daily life. Like Jesus, we have our own bouts with evil and his temptations. With contrite heart, we do have our failures against…
The Devil Leaves No Stone Unturned – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent In the desert our Lord Jesus undergoes three temptations. One of them seems out of place. One doesn’t seem to belong with the other two. Can you tell which one? Let’s review the three temptation. In the first temptation, our Lord is tempted to sate his hunger–a hunger that…
Thou Shalt Not – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent A pilgrimage to the Holy Land brings us always to Jericho. The busses stop at the foot of a high mountain with a Greek Orthodox Monastery halfway up carved in the rock. But the people leaving the busses usually don’t look up to the monastery and the mountain but…
Anti-Power – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent The temptations in the desert reveal to us three very big powers at play in our lives and in the world today. As with many things diabolical, their pull to the dark side is quite subtle and surreptitious. On the surface, the promises offered by these temptations are not…
More! – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent Many, many Roman-Catholics still take it for granted that the Adam and Eve story literally happened as it is narrated in Genesis. But if that were the case, we would run into many problems. First, if the whole human race issued from only two parents, then we would have…
My Private Room – Willy Samson, SJ
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18, Ash Wednesday A confused disciple went to his master and begged for enlightenment. And the master said, “Go and sit in your room, and your room will teach you everything.” Today we officially begin the Season of Lent. For most of us, Lent is a time TO REMEMBER how Jesus, the Son…
One Lost Sheep 