Luke 4:21-30, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time From back in the Lord’s day up to today, the synagogue remains a consecrated place of prayer—Jews worshipped there, of learning—they studied the Torah there, & of social gathering—they came together to discuss religious matters there, too. Here are some rules in Jewish synagogues today. I quote from the “Laws of Synagogue Etiquette” by a Rabbi Eliezer Wenger. “No running around in the synagogue….
Category: Season: Ordinary Time
Depth – Jett Villarin, SJ
Luke 4:21-30, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time The weather has been quite cool these days. Some parts of the northern half of the globe are even in deep freeze. The southern half is probably scorching. I have been asked if all this is because of climate change. The short answer is most probably yes, with a quick qualification that weather is…
What Oppresses You? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
[The Spirit of the Lord] has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free… The words spoken by Jesus in our Gospel today are not just for those rotting away in jail cells and not just for those who have lost their eyesight…
Pasa-Load – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 1:1-21, Third Sunday of Ordinary Time A friend of mine is a guidance counsellor for grade school students in one of the schools in Manila. Two years ago, he told a very shocking story. “One of our students just attempted suicide, Father. 10 years old. He actually jumped off the building. But someone caught him just in time and saved him.” 10 years old,…
Consecrate – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 3:15-16; 21-22, The Baptism of the Lord When you “consecrate” something, the idea is to take that something and set it apart from similar things because you would like it to serve a different purpose. To consecrate something is to make it, well, “special,” because now, the purpose it serves is, say, bigger or…
The End of the World – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 13:24-32, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time When I was growing up in Davao, it took very little for elders to start talking about the end of the world. When there was an earthquake, a typhoon, a plane crash, war, flood—very soon, mom or lola or manang would sit up anxiously share what they “heard”…
Undivided – Jett Villarin, SJ
Mark 12:28-34, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time First there were ten commandments. Then over time these multiplied to 600+ laws plus heaven knows how many more implementing rules and regulations and rituals. Just like the mess of information on the internet, these directives often took a life of their own and were confusing. If you…
What Do You Really Want? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Bartimaeus did not have sight in both of his eyes, but this did not prevent him from seeing the answer to three of life’s most important questions. The first question: What do you want? Some of us drift from one thing to another. Sometimes, this is because we do not know what we really want….
I Will Lay Me Down
Mark 10:35-45, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time When you’re weary, feeling small.When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all.I’m on your side, when times get rough, and friends just can’t be found.Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down. My dear friends, do any of you still remember these…
Pari-seo – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 11:42-46, Wednesday of Week 28 in Ordinary Time Jesus was much kinder to prostitutes and tax collectors than to Pharisees and teachers of the law. Oh, Jesus didn’t condone prostitutes and tax collectors. He socialized with them, yes, but with the intention of turning them around. He couldn’t turn Pharisees around, though. They were…
Fractions – Jett Villarin, SJ
Mark 10:2-16, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Fractions are not easy to learn. In kindergarten, we begin with adding numbers that are whole like one, two, three. When we learn subtraction, we learn about negatives and that mysterious number zero. Then on to division, and life becomes complicated with fractions. Like fractions, love is not…
Reasons – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Mark 10:2-16, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Only a few Catholics are aware that you actually need only a minimum of five people for a wedding: a priest, the bride and the groom, and 2 valid witnesses. I’ve not officiated in a wedding of five though, because thankfully, weddings for us are a community celebration of family and friends. And that’s what a sacrament…
One Lost Sheep 