John 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38, Laetare Sunday Imagine how the blind man must’ve felt when he was able to see for the very first time. You and I, born with normal eyes, we were eased into the sights of the world. The older we grew, themore we saw. But this man who had never seen…
Category: Season: Lent
Power that Redeems – Chester Yacub, SJ
Matthew 20:17-28; Wednesday in the second week of Lent Let me begin this homily with something I have been teaching at the Ateneo college. And no, it is not theology or philosophy. Since the first semester, I have been teaching Global Politics. This semester, I am teaching International Political Economy. Our classes examine how power…
Insane – Arnel Aquino, SJ
John 4:5-42; Third Sunday of Lent I don’t know if you also did this back when you were a kid. But I remember, I would go and repeatedly open the refrigerator three, four times in one afternoon, on the off chance that there was something new in there I could eat, even when I knew…
Gardens – Mark Aloysius, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11; First Sunday of Lent Much of Manila has changed since I left more than a decade ago. Along Katipunan there are far more high rise buildings. The site where a former school used to stand is now a sosyal (fancy) shopping mall. We also have the second largest parking lot in Manila, otherwise…
Magnets – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent Magnets are fascinating objects. The natural ones (like magnetite) have electrons spinning about all in the same direction, giving rise to force fields that either attract or repel other objects. We even give labels such as “poles” (north or south) to explain that like poles repel while opposite poles…
The Seven Cries of Jesus – Noel Bava, SJ
Isaiah 52:13—53:12; Psalm 31; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1—19:42, Good Friday 1. Opening: The Cry That Pierced Filipino Memory We lost an icon yesterday, the one and only superstar of Philippine television, movies, theater and music—Nora Aunor. No other artist, living or dead could equal her depth of emotion when playing iconic roles. And when…
The Last Supper according to “Sharonians” – Noel Bava, SJ
Exodus 12:1–8, 11–14; Psalm 116:12–13, 15–18; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; John 13:1–15, Holy Thursday of Our Lord’s Passion 1. Introduction: Everyone’s Guilty of a Little ‘Sharon’ Let’s admit it—almost all of us have done a Sharon at least once. After a party, a wedding, or a town fiesta, someone inevitably brings out the Tupperware or plastic bags and starts packing leftovers….
A Meditation on Mundane Things During the Paschal Triduum – Noel Bava, SJ
Please consider using this excellent guided reflection prepared by Fr Weng Bava SJ for each day of the Paschal Triduum. This is for personal and group mediation on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord through the mundane and often unnoticed tiny details in Gospel narratives. A Reader-Friendly Prayer and Reflection Guide Introduction The…
When Love and Hate Collide – Noel Bava, SJ
John 8:1-11; 5th Sunday of Lent I have always been intrigued by the lyrics and melody of the song by Def Leppard and how it easily lends itself to our deeper understanding of God’s mercy and compassion. It begins with this line: “You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your…
When the Manna Stops – Jordy Orbe, SJ
Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 In today’s first reading, there’s a detail that’s easy to overlook: “The manna ceased.” For 40 years, God fed the Israelites in the wilderness with manna—daily bread from heaven. It was how they survived. But once they enter the Promised Land and eat the produce of…
Chance – Jett Villarin, SJ
Luke 13:1-9, Third Sunday of Lent I once missed the last bus to Davao from CDO that was scheduled to leave 12midnight. Arriving about 15 minutes past departure, there I was trying to figure out how on earth I was going to get to Davao where I was supposed to speak the next morning. Along…
Due Process – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 16:19-31, Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent The rich man, also called Dives, “dined sumptuously each day.” He had all the chances to help Lazarus who would’ve “gladly eaten of the scraps that fell from the table.” Would’ve. Ibig sabihin, dedma talaga si Dives. Hindi man lang namigay kahit kaunti. Well, both of…
One Lost Sheep 