Luke 15:1-32, Fourth Sunday of Lent To Jews, a pig is the dirtiest, most impure animal on the face of the earth; no animal disgusts them more. Many Jews don’t even say chazir, their word for pig. They replace it with davar acher—which literally means, “the other thing.” They don’t want to defile their mouths…
Category: Evangelist
Overboard – Jett Villarin, SJ
Luke 15:1-32 (Fourth Sunday of Lent) Two planetary scientists from Caltech recently proposed the existence of a ninth planet in our solar system. They inferred its presence from the particular wobble of six other objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. Yet to be seen, Planet X with a mass of 10 earths is supposed to…
God Allows – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 13:1-9 (Third Sunday of Lent) My sisters and brothers, in today’s gospel, the Jews were very distressed over two recent tragedies that took the lives of God-fearing people. First, Pilate had massacred some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices at the temple. That’s what the Jews meant when they said Pilate “mingled the Galileans’…
Promise – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 9:28b-36, Second Sunday of Lent When I was a novice in Novaliches, I happily looked forward to life in Loyola House. Then when I was in Loyola House, I did my best even if I wasn’t enjoying Philosophy because I was looking forward to regency. I loved regency and wish it lasted longer. But…
More – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 4:1-13, First Sunday of Lent Mang Rod, our gardener, told me a story about his former boss—a tremendously wealthy and single matron who went to daily mass and was active in the parish. “Pero wala pong nagtatagal na kasambahay o driver kay senyora,” Mang Rod said. “Walang kasing talim ang dila, Father.” He remembered…
Tempting Conditions – Ulysses Cabayao, SJ
Luke 4:1-13 (First Sunday of Lent) Some of us today would probably prefer a Valentine’s Day homily than endure another Lenten exhortation. But there is a pertinent theme in today’s Gospel that might resonate with the affairs of the heart. In the Gospel, the Devil prefaces his attempts to beguile Jesus with a seemingly innocuous…
Indelible – Jett Villarin SJ
Luke 4:1-13 (First Sunday of Lent) Is there a way to relate Lent to Valentine’s day today? After all, the word “lent” is embedded right there in va“lent”ine. 🙂 Could there be a connection? Anyhow, we can begin with the three temptations in the Gospel today. The taunt of the dark side is simple. The…
Nothing Without God – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18, Ash Wednesday 2016 For most of her life, my mom used to run a small botica in a marketplace. It was our bread and butter for many years. One morning, I woke up to the scariest sound I ever heard in my life: the sound of mom wailing. Our botica had burned…
Rend Your Hearts – Bros Flores, SJ
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18 (Ash Wednesday) I hated Ash Wednesday while I was growing up. As soon as I was marked with the ash on my forehead, I felt bound to give up a lot of conveniences. I felt compelled to fulfill the Lenten practices: abstinence from meat on Fridays, giving up my favorite stuff during…
Trusting in Mercy – Danny Huang, SJ
Luke 5:1-11 (Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time) For the past 8 years, I have been privileged to enjoy a spectacular view from my office. As I sit before my computer, all I need to do is glance a bit towards my left, and outside my window, usually looming against a sky of brilliant Roman blue,…
Love knows No Bounds – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 4:21-30, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Remember the first time Pope Francis celebrated Holy Thursday mass as pope? He went to a juvenile detention center in Rebibbia, outside Rome, and washed the feet of 12 people, two of whom were women—one of whom was a Muslim. Many of us Filipinos were touched by the…
Invisible Jars – Arnel Aquino SJ
John 2:1-11, Feast of the Sto Nino I’ve prayed over this gospel many times, over many years. But only recently did I seriously realize that the water Jesus turned into wine was not drinking water. It was water for ceremonial washing. Now, in a gospel like John which is exceedingly symbolic, the word “water” typically…
One Lost Sheep 