Matthew 18:1-5, Feast of the Sto Niño Like many of you, I flew home to Davao for a few days during the holidays to spend time with my dad. I hadn’t done that for a long time, to be with family for my birthday. My biggest thanks to God was that even as I turned…
Category: Evangelist: Matthew
One King and a Convoy of Tourists – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 2:1-12, Solemnity of the Epiphany Finding out that the three kings were neither three nor royalty was not quite as traumatic as that other life-changing discovery about Santa Claus. But to whomever thought of coming up with the three kings–what were you thinking? For years, we staged Nativity plays that religiously featured them with…
Christ Born in Us – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Matthew 1:18-24, Fourth Sunday of Advent The Old Testament is full of prophecies. But what exactly do they all mean? Reading the Old Testament carefully, we discover that not all prophecies were fulfilled, that many prophecies were dreams of the prophet. But one fact is certain: The Old Testament tells the history of salvation…
Life Interrupted – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 1:18-24, Fourth Sunday of Advent There’s painfully little written about Joseph in the Gospels. We know he was a carpenter, but this from a very passing comment by people who were trying to make out his son, Jesus, when he finally returned to his hometown. “Isn’t this the son of the carpenter?” they said….
Our Family Tree – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 1:1-17, Saturday before Fourth Sunday of Advent Long, long ago, in kingdoms far, far away, a genealogy was the typical way of starting a book, especially the story of a great man. In his Gospel, Matthew shows that the Messiah was a descendant of King David, just as the prophets had foretold. Question: Was Jesus’…
Choosing Joy – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 11:2-11, Third Sunday of Advent I don’t know if you noticed it, but that’s a pretty strange exchange of messages between our Lord and John the Baptist. First of all, John the Baptist requests his disciples to ask our Lord a bizarre question. Thrown into prison for denouncing the sins of Herod Antipas, John…
Of Waiting, Doubting…and Rejoicing! – Bros Flores, SJ
Matthew 11:2-11, Third Sunday of Advent The late Fr. Donelan, SJ writes… “Waiting is a mystery – a natural sacrament of life – there is a meaning hidden in all the times we have to wait. It must be an important mystery because there is so much waiting in our lives.” Waiting is such a…
Look and Listen – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Matthew 11:2-11, Third Sunday of Advent We just heard the word “joy”, in one form or another, six times. Isn’t this a naive, childish thing to do in today’s world? After all, the world is still flooded with evil, pain and tears. Every day the news reports about death in Iraq and Syria, violence in…
A Shoot Springs – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Matthew 3:1-12, Second Sunday of Advent I. I wonder if some of you have made it to the Caravaggio exhibition here at the National Gallery. There is a painting there, on loan from the National Gallery of Ireland, that has an interesting Jesuit connection. The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio hung for many years in…
Wake-Up Call – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Matthew 3:1-12, Second Sunday of Advent Oh my God – what a Gospel! Like a lion roaring in the wilderness, so John the Baptist castigates those who came to him, especially the religious leaders. Are we not looking forward to Christmas, sing Christmas songs, put up a Belen with a cute Baby Jesus? And then…
Addiction – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 3:1-12, Second Sunday of Advent What might God be telling us these days? Perhaps he is saying something to us through the populism that we see on the rise, the popular disenchantment with the established order, and the growing disconnection between the powerless and those who have been known to wield economic and…
Un-busy-ing – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Matthew 24:37-44, First Sunday of Advent I. Have you ever heard the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by the Russian composer Rachmaninov? This rhapsody begins with a tune that I am sure all of you have heard, Caprice 24 by Paganini. In this first part of the rhapsody, we hear such a vibrant…
One Lost Sheep 