Luke 24:35-48, Third Sunday of Easter “Shall we eat and drink in heaven?” I often ask this question in some of my theology classes. And the almost ready response is “No”. Souls and spirits no longer eat and drink. They just sing God’s praises. Di ba sinabi sa kanta: “Sa langit wala ang beer; that’s…
Category: Season
See – Pope Francis
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday In today’s Gospel, we hear, over and over, the word “see”. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord (Jn 20:20). They tell Thomas: “We have seen the Lord” (v. 25). But the Gospel does not describe how they saw him; it does not describe the risen Jesus. It simply…
How is your Heart doing? – Ro Atilano, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday How is your heart doing? Each of us is called by God to have a heart that is always open and available for others, a heart that is big enough, magnanimous enough, to love God’s people. However, there are times when the door to this heart is closed. There could…
What’s your “Unless” – Johnny Go, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday It’s a well-known story. Thomas misses out on Jesus’ debut appearance to the disciples and hears them make the far-fetched claim that they “have seen the Lord!” It’s not the first time such a claim has been made: There are the women, those early Sunday morning visitors at the tomb probably…
Seriously – John Foley, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday Do you believe in the Resurrection of Our Lord from the dead?? This is a good question to ask, at least so St. Paul says, because if the answer is “no,” then “our faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14-19). But sometimes it is hard to know what the “resurrection”…
Certain – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday I’m sure you’ve seen Caravaggio’s painting entitled, L’incredulitá di San Tommaso, literally, The Incredulity of St. Thomas, or simply, the Doubting Thomas. Thomas is hunched over, his face awfully close to the Risen Christ’s naked chest. One-half of his forefinger is buried in the wound on Jesus’ side. Thomas is…
Between Doubting and Believing – Danny Pilario, CM
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday “The Incredulity of St. Thomas” is a beautiful painting that is inspired by the Gospel reading today. Painted by Caravaggio in 1602, it is one of his more famous works, supposedly copied at least 22 times in the 17th century alone. Originally done for Vincenzo Giustiniani, it is now housed in Sansscouci…
Jesus’ Shalom – Bro Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday Fear is a natural and basic human emotion. Fear plays an important role in human survival because it alerts us of impending dangers or evil, and moves us to avoidance. The science of anatomy would locate the source of this emotion inside our amygdala, a primitive part of our brain…
Easter Fear or Joy – Johnny Go, SJ
John 20:1-9, Easter Sunday 2018 What is remarkable about this Gospel story is the emotion that the women experienced as a result of their discovery of the empty tomb: Fear. I wasn’t expecting that. We are told that the women were so afraid they said nothing to anyone– exactly the opposite of what the angels…
Inequalities – Jett Villarin, SJ
Mark 16:1-7, Easter Sunday 2018 I propose three inequalities for our Easter reflection today. The Easter truth of Christ risen in our midst, living intimately in our lives, reinforces these inequalities. These inequalities are: True > false Light > dark Love > death True > false. We hold this inequality to be true, even if…
Darkness – Mark Aloysius, SJ
John 18:1-19:42, Good Friday In the novel Night, Elie Wiesel recounts his experiences of being in the concentration camps during World War II through the fictional character Eliezer, a pious Orthodox Jewish teenager. In a central event in the novel, Eliezer and the rest of the camp witness the hanging of a child, who dies…
Not All Pain is Gain – Joel Liwanag, SJ
Good Friday In English, there is a famous mantra that goes, “No pain, no gain.” If you want to succeed, you have to work hard. If you’re a student and you want to graduate with flying colors, you have to study well. If you’re an athlete and you want to win in competitions, you have…
One Lost Sheep 