Matthew 15:21-28, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time First, let’s explain the most troublesome spot in the Gospel where Jesus seemed to have referred to the Canaanite woman as a “dog.” According to some scholars, Matthew’s community back in the day had two voices, like two schools of thought: the particularist and the universalist. Christians with…
Category: Evangelist: Matthew
Forgive from the Heart -Munching de Guzman, SJ
Matthew 18:21 – 19:1, Thursday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time There is a great story about two Tibetian monks who belonged to a group which does not allow them to have any interaction with women. Once, both of them were on a journey and they came to an overflowing river. They noticed a young…
You are the Light of the World – Joel Liwanag, SJ
Matthew 18:15-20, Homily for the Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu Missioning Mass Have you ever been in a room that’s completely dark, as in pitch black? You and I know that our eyes are actually very good in the sense that they adjust to the dark easily after some time. For instance, when…
Finding God in the Gentle and Ordinary – Fr Harold Parilla
Matthew 14:22-33, 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time One can define life as a journey of constant, restless seeking. As children, we spent our days looking for food, games and playmates. As we grew older, we shifted our search to friends, grades and achievement. As young adults, we looked for appropriate careers…
Of Mustard Seeds and Mountain Walls – Pat Falguera, SJ
Matthew 17:14-20, Feast of St Dominic If there is one edge-of-your seat documentary I would both encourage but still dissuade you from watching, it would be the one produced by National Geographic entitled ‘Free Solo’. It is a riveting and compelling narrative of Alex Honnold, the first man to climb – free solo – Yosemite…
Faith and Courage – Pat Falguera, SJ
Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14, Feast of St Jean-Marie Vianney A couple of days ago, a word war started trending on twitter involving AOC and Damien of Molokai. @AOC refers to the initials of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who, at the age of 29, was the youngest woman ever to be elected into the US congress back in 2018….
Rock Bottom – Ro Atilano, SJ
Matthew 14:22-36, Monday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time As of today, there are around 18 million confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide and almost 700,000 of them have lost their lives. In the Philippines, there are around 98,000 cases and nearly 2,000 have died. This pandemic has affected the world like nobody could have ever imagined….
Where There’s a Will – Munching de Guzman, SJ
Matthew 14:13-21, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time William Shakespeare once said, “If there is a good will, there is a great way.” This saying is commonly known to us as “ Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” . . . Pag gusto, hahanap ng paraan; pag ayaw, maraming dahilan. Obviously, the disciples were not…
Barometer – Mon Bautista, SJ
Matthew 13:47-53, Thursday in Week 17 of Ordinary Time My dear friends, most of us would surely be familiar with Padre Faura Street in downtown Manila. But not too many of us may likely be familiar with Padre Faura, the man and the Jesuit priest. Fr Federico Faura SJ was an excellent scientist. In 1878, he…
Of Hearts and Desires – Fr Harold Parilla
Matthew 13:44-52, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Reflecting on the Readings for today, I think we can bring them together under the word “desire”. The First Reading, for instance, talks about God asking Solomon what it is that he wants, and Solomon responding that he desires an understanding heart. The story ends with God granting…
Patient Trust – Karel San Juan, SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time The message of the Gospel today seems difficult and demanding. We need to live with the “weeds” in our lives. In the so-called “fields” of our hearts, and of our lives, God has sown good seeds, and they grow to be good, productive wheat. But in these same…
Kingdom of God – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Many years ago, I asked my maternal grandfather what it was like during the Japanese occupation. I don’t remember now what he said. I do remember, though, what I felt after he said it. He was very brief but very resentful, enough to stop me from ever asking…
One Lost Sheep 