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…
Category: Season: Easter
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…
Where Is God? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
When Jesus dies in the Gospel according to Mark, the centurion at the foot of the cross exclaims, “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” We should not project onto that Roman officer’s words what we believe today about the divinity of Christ: eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,…
Please Activate – Rudolf Horst, SVD
John 20:19-23 As a teenager, I thought Christmas was the climax of all feasts we celebrate. Easter? Okay, Easter-egg hunt gave it a special flavor. But Pentecost? It came and went without anything special to make it exciting. I guess that I was not alone with this feeling. Somehow many, like me, missed the…
Surprise! – Ben Sim, SJ
John 20:19-23, Pentecost In a small town near a South American border, there once lived a young man by the name of Angelo. One day he crossed the border and came back with a donkey carrying sacks of sand. And when the custom inspector asked what he was smuggling in the sand, Angelo quickly replied, “Nothing.” So all the sand was poured…
Patronus – Mark Lopez, SJ
John 20:19-23, Pentecost Today’s recommended reading in relation to Pentecost will not be your usual Church encyclical, or Bible verse, or a quote from a famous Pope or theologian. Today’s recommended reading is none other than the book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (book three of JK Rowling’s seven-part literary phenomenon.) For the…
Spirited – Jett Villarin, SJ
John 20:19-23, Pentecost Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Lord, send your Spirit now more than ever, during this time when the earth stands to be disfigured by our indifference, by our willful disregard for the ancient rhythms of replenishment and renewal of our land. Renew the earth that…
Between Two Miracles – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Luke 1:39-56, Feast of the Visitation Among all the Marian feasts, today is the most ordinary, the least miraculous. There are no angels intruding into quiet spaces; no bodies ascending from earth to heaven. What we see is just two women coming to meet, to talk, to share their joy. Yet, the church chooses to…
Communion – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 28:16-20, Solemnity of the Ascension When I was in graduate studies, I lived with an American Jesuit who was a former US Navy soldier. He had been deployed to missions in Syria and Afghanistan, and was even briefly missioned in Subic. While fixing some lunch one day, he asked, “So, Arnel, how’s the interfaith dialogue with…
Can Worship be Mixed with Doubt? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Matthew 28:16-20, Solemnity of the Ascension In our Gospel today, the eleven disciples climb a mountain to meet the risen Jesus, and we read, “When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted” (Matthew 28:17). There was Jesus, flesh and blood proof of the resurrection, showing them that his promises had been fulfilled and that…
Right-Hand Man – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Matthew 28:16-20, Solemnity of the Ascencion The celebration of the Ascension leaves many a bit flat. It is clear what Good Friday does for us. And Easter Sunday’s benefits are indisputable. But as for the Ascension – “What’s in it for me?”, many ask. Yes, what is the meaning of the “ascension” to heaven of the risen Christ? Is it a…
What Happens when We Lose God – Mark Aloysius, SJ
John 14:15-21, Sixth Sunday of Easter Have you ever had the experience of having something stolen from you? Recently I had the unfortunate experience of being robbed at a place where I have always felt safe. While I was in the changing room of our gym, someone stole a belt from my trousers. Talk about…
One Lost Sheep 