Luke 12:32-48, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time We, Christians, believe that all of us are blessed. All of us are entrusted with gifts: talents, material wealth/comfort, a kind heart, good health, opportunities, etc. We also believe, as Christians, however, that those gifts are not solely for our sake. They have a for-whom. For the youth…
Category: Season: Ordinary Time
Kaek-ekan – Noel Bava, SJ
Luke 12:13-21, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time I’ve always been curious about the word “kaek-ekan.” You know—when someone says, “Puro ka na lang kaek-ekan!” It’s a term we often use for things that feel pointless, shallow, over-the-top, or just plain unnecessary. It could be someone being too dramatic, or someone who’s trying too hard to…
Simp, Cringe, Woke: The Underrated Heroism of St. Ignatius – Noel Bava, SJ
Luke 14:25-33, Solemnity of St Ignatius of Loyola The Homo Sapiens Superior Today, we are going to discuss six words that Gen Zers, Millennials and Gen Alpha share in the blogosphere. The first one is Sigma—the lone wolf. Someone who doesn’t need approval. He does what he wants and walks his own path. He is…
Maamo o Palaban – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 10:38-42, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time My happy barkada of four religious and three lay people had dinner two months ago. Over dessert, our host started naming friends he considered mabait. “Itong si x, mabait na tao, ano? Parang si y, ang bait din.” We all agreed wit his list. We even threw in…
The Better Part – Harvey Mateo, SJ
Luke 10:38-42, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time The Gospel story of Martha and Mary often gets interpreted as a call to balance action and contemplation. That’s a comforting takeaway—but it may not be the full message. After all, Jesus clearly says Mary has chosen “the better part.” So, perhaps the Gospel invites us not to…
Go and Do – Nemy Que SJ
Luke 10:25-37, 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Our Gospel today offers us a popular parable, one that is very familiar: the Good Samaritan. Many of us have our favorite interpretations of this parable. Mine comes from Paul Ricœur’s essay, “The Socius and the Neighbor.” It’s an essay that used to be required reading for all Ateneo students taking Philosophy…
See What Matters Most – Willy Samson, SJ
Matthew 10:7-15; Thursday in Week 14 of Ordinary Time Good morning. As everyone knows, I am on Sabbatical for a few months after ending my seven-year ministry in the Diocese of Kalookan and preparing for my new ministry as a chaplain in the Philippine General Hospital. One of my plans for my Sabbatical is to…
Binlod – Richard Sumera, SJ
Matthew 6:7-15; Thursday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time Let me start with a personal story. One that brings me back to my childhood. There were times in our family’s life when we had very little. Hindi biro ang kahirapan. And during those times, I remember going to our neighbor’s rice mill,vnot to buy rice,…
𝐈nfluencers Of 𝐀 𝐃ifferent 𝐊ind – Jordy Orbe, SJ
Matthew 5:13-16, Tuesday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his followers: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” It is striking that He doesn’t say try to be light, or work on becoming salt. He simply says: you are. The question is: What…
Remainder – Jett Villarin SJ
Luke 6:27-38, 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time “For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you (Lk 6:38).” Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year? … How about love? Well, how about love? How do you measure love? Do we measure it: In daylights,…
Love’s Touch – Pat Nogoy SJ
Sometimes, it is more comfortable to rely on rules to structure our ways of loving. You tell your children a list of commandments, do’s and don’ts, what to get and how to pay, (and the list goes on) with the hope that the household is managed effectively. In religious life, we commit to de more, job descriptions, timetables, and clear goal-setting to determine how we should treat each other and live…
Underdog – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 6:17; 20-26; 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time The word “underdog” came out of dogfights where some people would bet on the dog with the greater chance of losing. They had a gut-feel that the underdog had what it took to win in an upset. An upset, as we know, is when the weaker challenger…
One Lost Sheep 