Matthew 10:26-33, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time “Do not be afraid.” It is easy to be afraid nowadays. Suffering and the risk of death are a mere distance or breath away. In the past few months, we have seen suffering and death swell by the numbers, forms, and scope—eating up life, work, and fellowship in…
Category: Season: Ordinary Time
A Self-giving Heart – Vids Gornez, SJ
Matthew 11:25-30, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Let me begin my reflection by sharing with you the reflection of Pope Benedict XVI on The Heart of God, in the book Benedictus: Day by Day with Pope Benedict XVI.And it reads: The Old Testament speaks of God’s heart twenty-six times. It is regarded…
The Three Inner Rooms – Jomari Manzano, SJ
Matthew 6:7-15, Thursday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time Matthew11:25-30, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus …
How Can You Be Complete? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
“Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). In theory, this can be affirming to perfectionists. It can validate their desire to get everything right – Jesus himself commanded this, and so we must pursue it, right? But in practice, nothing can be more frustrating than seeing your efforts always falling short….
Up Close and Personal – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 5:13-16, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Kuya and I were painfuly, frustratingly shy when we were young. We couldn’t be asked to go to a store to buy something, or to ride a jeep and sit with strangers, or to help out at mom’s botica because we’d have to talk to customers. One Sunday,…
Kapangyarihan – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 6:7-13, Thursday in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time A few years ago, a good friend of mine — let’s call him Mang Manny — he told me a disturbing story. At his workplace, he witnessed a priest shouting at a co-employee, really skinning him alive. I don’t remember the reason why the priest…
Faith Heals – Nemy Que, SJ
Mark 5:21-43, Tuesday in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time The stories of Gospel reading for today are miracle stories. They are also faith stories. Jairus, a synagogue official, asks Jesus to lay his hands on her daughter, who was at the point of death, so that she may get well and live. On their…
Family Priest – Mark Lopez, SJ
Luke 2:22-40, Feast of the Lord’s Presentation Today’s feast reconnects us to our Jewish ancestors in the faith, through their tradition of offering their first-born son to be the priest of the family. How beautiful that would be for us today – a priest in every family. No, not necessarily the ordained kind. But the…
Being Senior – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 2:22-40, The Presentation of Our Lord A very dear uncle in the US emailed me the other day. He asked if I had some reflections about the Feast of the Presentation. He wanted to share it with his church group. Alas, I told him, I myself always had difficulty writing a homily on the Presentation. Because other than what we just read from Luke this evening, the Gospels make no…
How Do We Read Scripture – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Pope Francis invites us to dedicate the third Sunday in Ordinary Time to the Word of God. Accompanied by today’s Gospel, let us try to see how we can study Scripture in a way that also leads us to pray about it and celebrate it. How do we read Scripture? We dive in and look…
And Yet – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 4:12-23; 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time When we were younger Jesuits, we were often asked what it felt to be “called” by God. I turned 54 this month and have been a Jesuit for 30 years; the question has barely come up. Were I ever to be asked again what it feels to be…
Here I Am, Lord – Ro Atilano, SJ
John 1:29-34, 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time “Here I am, Lord; I come to do Your will.” I used to work for the biggest auditing firm in the country. They say it is the dream of every new certified public accountant. For the experience, as the veterans would say. I applied and got accepted and…
One Lost Sheep 