John 10:1-10, Fourth Sunday Of Easter Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. One of the images that Jesus used to describe himself is that of a Good Shepherd, a shepherd who knows his sheep and is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. In Psalm 23,…
Category: Season: Easter
Voice – Jett Villarin, SJ
John 10:1-10, Fourth Sunday of Easter It is harder to listen nowadays. The plethora of channels out there adds to the difficulty. Ironically, instead of being more connected in a wired and flatter world, we find all kinds of disconnection. Nowhere is this seen more readily than in the proliferation of the echo chamber, which…
Flight Distance – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 10:1-10, Fourth Sunday of Easter In our novitiate in Novaliches, we take care of a flock of sheep. I counted 27 the last time. They graze on the grounds all morning. After lunch, they’re herded back into their pen. Many years ago, it was cows and turkeys that roamed the place. But because our…
Eat! – Rudolf Horst, SVD
John 10:1-10, Fourth Sunday Of Easter This Sunday is often called the “Good Shepherd Sunday”. We have recited the much loved Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd” and in the Gospel, Jesus speaks about himself as shepherd and about us as his sheep whom he loves so much and for whom he cares so…
Epitaph – Willy Samson, SJ
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday Epitaphs are words honoring the deceased, most commonly inscribed on a tombstone or plaque. Most of the epitaphs are quotes from holy texts like the Bible. In the Philippines, the most common epitaphs are R.I.P (Rest in Peace) and S.L.N. (Suma-Langit Nawa). But in Manila North Cemetery, a funny…
My Lord and My God – Rudolf Horst, SVD
John 20:19-31, Divine Mercy Sunday Today is a very special day. It is not only the Second Sunday of Easter, meaning, we continue to celebrate Easter and so the Resurrection of Christ, it is also the Sunday of the Divine Mercy. Every year we hear on this Sunday the story about Thomas. We call him…
HOPE AMIDST DISMAY – Mario Francisco, SJ
Easter Vigil [With all the additional rituals and readings of the Easter Vigil Mass, you all wish for a short homily. Don’t worry, we share the same hope.] Hope is the clear theme of Easter. But it is something so tied up with how we see our situation. Hope is one thing to young…
LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH – Mario Francisco, SJ
Easter Sunday The Easter Vigil readings sweep through the epic panorama of God’s saving work toward its climax in Jesus’ self-offering. They proclaim the victory of hope over dismay with trumpet blasts. In contrast, the following readings during the Easter season give close-ups of that hope in people’s lives accompanied by tender violin strings. [For…
From Death to Life – Pat Nogoy, SJ
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Sunday It was supposed to be an ordinary visit. Getting up, preparing spices, washing up, and a slow walk to the tomb comprised a routine that might help heal a broken heart. It had been done before. Many times. Parents, cousins, friends, lovers. And now a beloved teacher. Shattered once more, she might…
Free Again! – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Sunday 2017 Aren’t you glad that the purple linen covers here at the altar are now gone? In the past, churches covered the crucifix and the saints only after Holy Thursday mass. Recently, however, the covers go up much earlier, for some strange reason that probably only liturgists know. Personally, I’ve found…
Horror Vacui – Johnny Go, SJ
John 20:1-9, Easter Vigil Two great mysteries bookend our Lord’s lives–and they feel so different from each other. At the beginning, of course, is the birth of our Lord, which we celebrate at Christmas, and in the end, we have his resurrection, which we commemorate today as Easter. The Christmas narrative seems to happen in…
Stay in Us – Rudolf Horst, SVD
Matthew 28:1-10, Easter Vigil “Stay with us, Lord, for it is almost evening.” This was the insistent invitation that the two disciples journeying to Emmaus on the evening of that very first Easter addressed to their companion who had talked to them in a way that their hearts were on fire. Weighed down with sadness,…