Matthew 4:1-11; First Sunday of Lent In physics, we explain attraction by assigning certain qualities to objects that make them move toward each other. Usually these properties are binary or polar in nature. Thus in electricity, plus attracts minus, and vice versa. In magnetism, north and south. In the nucleus of an atom, protons that…
Category: Evangelist: Matthew
Passport – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 5:17-37, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:20) If heaven were a country, entering it will take more than just fulfilling all visa requirements. Apparently, the scribes and Pharisees did not get this…
All About Freedom – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 5:17:37, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Imagine a former slave of Pharaoh saying: “We’ve recently been freed from eight generations of slave life, thanks to Moses and his awesome God! Before them, we had no idea what freedom felt like. Well, now we’re free! No more slave drivers, whips, or clubs. We have a…
Off-Center – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 4:12-23, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus begins his ministry off-center. Not in his hometown Nazareth nor in the center of religion, Jerusalem. His proclamation of the good news is preceded by bad news. John’s arrest prompts him to move northward to Galilee, “west of the Jordan, the District of the Gentiles”, to a…
John and Maria – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 3:1-12; Second Sunday of Advent The other night, I was astounded to see Maria Ressa appear on the Late Show with StephenColbert. Then, yesterday morning, she appeared on NPR news with veteran journalist JudyWoodruff. And last night, she was on MSNBC news! “How to Stand Up to a Dictator”, the bookshe had written, was…
Awake – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 24:37-44, First Sunday of Advent “Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”…
Look to the Saints – Bert Boholst, SJ
Matthew 5:1-12, Solemnity of All Saints Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. We remember those who followed Christ, despite the trials that came in their lives. The Church declares them as Saints because of their full acceptance of God’s will despite their sufferings while living on earth. We look to them as examples…
Coin – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 26:14-25, Wednesday of Holy Week Thirty pieces of silver. The price of betrayal. This is all it takes to lose our soul. All it takes to lose our hope. To this day, the silver still circulates in our midst. Especially now, as elections draw near. To this day, the fraudsters are still falling over…
More than Enough – Karel San Juan, SJ
Matthew 6:7-15, Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent Our Father. You are our Father, and we are Your children, and thus, we are brothers and sisters. Amid our many differences – in race and religion, in gender, in status in society, in everything that divides us – we are actually one, children of one…
Letting Go – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 10:35-45; 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sisters and brothers, this thing that James and John asks Jesus: “Grant that in your glory, we may sit, one at your right hand, the other at your left,” that sounds familiar. Parang mas maganda sa Pinoy: “Lord, ‘pag hari na kayo ha, baka naman pwedeng second in…
Advocacy Calling – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 1:1-16; 18-23, The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary “How are things in Myanmar?” I asked one of our Myanmarese scholastics over supper the other night. “Oh, Father, the military are still going from village to village, just destroying things.” He was looking at pictures on Facebook the other day, and a village looked…
God our Father, God our Mother – Nemy Que, SJ
Matthew 6:24-34, Saturday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time In our first reading, God, our Father and Mother, assures us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Let’s provide a little context for these very consoling words. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul is addressing a situation…
One Lost Sheep 