Matthew 28:16-20, The Ascension of the Lord You see this in children. Give them balloons and invariably one will slip from a child’s grasp. Then you all turn skyward and look at the balloon go up into the sky. And you all stand there and watch until the balloon is no more. Many things are…
Category: Evangelist: Matthew
WFH – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 28:16-20, The Ascension of our Lord Working from home has been tricky. Of course there’s something to be said about not having to commute, not having to wear office attire, not having to be stuck at work from 9 to 5? What’s not to love about working from home? You’re comfortably attired (sometimes too…
Are All Endings Sad? – Fr Harold Parilla
Matthew 28:16-20, The Ascension of the Lord Are all endings sad? Most of them, I guess. A funeral, for example, is a sad ritual because it signals the end of a person’s earthly life. People left behind, especially those who are close to the person who had died, will move on with a gaping hole…
Christ’s Consolation & Challenge at a Time of COVID – Robbie Paraan, SJ
Easter Vigil 2020, Loyola House of Studies Matthew in our Gospel tonight seems to suggest a sort of Ignatian repetition. He communicates the same message first through the angel of the Lord, and then through the person of the Risen Christ. Like a good son of Ignatius, I chose to focus on this repetitio and…
Stories and Dreams – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Vigil 2020 A toxic wind has been blowing into our world for several months now. This poison has kept us shuttered in our homes and hospitals. Death is in the air. We are afraid. We are anxious about the uncertainty of it all. We can only keep vigil and wait for this…
A Saving Love – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 21:1-11, Palm Sunday I’ve had asthma since I was born and hypertension since I was 23. So, when experts said that people with comorbidity had less chances of surviving Covid-19, that nailed me. And I felt nailed almost every day in the first two weeks of lockdown; nailed on fear, nailed on anxiety, nailed…
Fù bùguò sāndài (富不过三代) – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 17:1-9, 2nd Sunday of Lent A few years ago, two friends of mine took the whole family to a series of workshops about family businesses. That was new to me: families going on workshops about running the business. “It’s very important these days, Fr Arnel,” my friend said. “Because only twelve percent of family…
I Want Some More – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11; 1st Sunday of Lent If we still think that the story of Adam and Eve literally and historically happened, then we run into many problems. First, if the whole human race came from only two parents, do we presume that their children and their grandchildren had physical relations with each other to eventually…
How Can You Be Complete? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
“Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). In theory, this can be affirming to perfectionists. It can validate their desire to get everything right – Jesus himself commanded this, and so we must pursue it, right? But in practice, nothing can be more frustrating than seeing your efforts always falling short….
Up Close and Personal – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 5:13-16, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Kuya and I were painfuly, frustratingly shy when we were young. We couldn’t be asked to go to a store to buy something, or to ride a jeep and sit with strangers, or to help out at mom’s botica because we’d have to talk to customers. One Sunday,…
How Do We Read Scripture – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Pope Francis invites us to dedicate the third Sunday in Ordinary Time to the Word of God. Accompanied by today’s Gospel, let us try to see how we can study Scripture in a way that also leads us to pray about it and celebrate it. How do we read Scripture? We dive in and look…
And Yet – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 4:12-23; 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time When we were younger Jesuits, we were often asked what it felt to be “called” by God. I turned 54 this month and have been a Jesuit for 30 years; the question has barely come up. Were I ever to be asked again what it feels to be…
One Lost Sheep 