Matthew 18:15-20, Homily for the Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu Missioning Mass Have you ever been in a room that’s completely dark, as in pitch black? You and I know that our eyes are actually very good in the sense that they adjust to the dark easily after some time. For instance, when…
Finding God in the Gentle and Ordinary – Fr Harold Parilla
Matthew 14:22-33, 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time One can define life as a journey of constant, restless seeking. As children, we spent our days looking for food, games and playmates. As we grew older, we shifted our search to friends, grades and achievement. As young adults, we looked for appropriate careers…
Of Mustard Seeds and Mountain Walls – Pat Falguera, SJ
Matthew 17:14-20, Feast of St Dominic If there is one edge-of-your seat documentary I would both encourage but still dissuade you from watching, it would be the one produced by National Geographic entitled ‘Free Solo’. It is a riveting and compelling narrative of Alex Honnold, the first man to climb – free solo – Yosemite…
Faith and Courage – Pat Falguera, SJ
Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14, Feast of St Jean-Marie Vianney A couple of days ago, a word war started trending on twitter involving AOC and Damien of Molokai. @AOC refers to the initials of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who, at the age of 29, was the youngest woman ever to be elected into the US congress back in 2018….
Rock Bottom – Ro Atilano, SJ
Matthew 14:22-36, Monday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time As of today, there are around 18 million confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide and almost 700,000 of them have lost their lives. In the Philippines, there are around 98,000 cases and nearly 2,000 have died. This pandemic has affected the world like nobody could have ever imagined….
Where There’s a Will – Munching de Guzman, SJ
Matthew 14:13-21, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time William Shakespeare once said, “If there is a good will, there is a great way.” This saying is commonly known to us as “ Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” . . . Pag gusto, hahanap ng paraan; pag ayaw, maraming dahilan. Obviously, the disciples were not…
Barometer – Mon Bautista, SJ
Matthew 13:47-53, Thursday in Week 17 of Ordinary Time My dear friends, most of us would surely be familiar with Padre Faura Street in downtown Manila. But not too many of us may likely be familiar with Padre Faura, the man and the Jesuit priest. Fr Federico Faura SJ was an excellent scientist. In 1878, he…
Discipleship in Times of Fear and Uncertainty – Lito Ocon, SJ
Delivered on 26th July 2020, at the St Ignatius Feast Day mass of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus Happy Feast Day to all, sons and daughters of Ignatius: our lay partners- collaborators, alumni and students of different Jesuit schools, our parishioners in the different mission areas, our partners and co-workers in social…
Of Hearts and Desires – Fr Harold Parilla
Matthew 13:44-52, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Reflecting on the Readings for today, I think we can bring them together under the word “desire”. The First Reading, for instance, talks about God asking Solomon what it is that he wants, and Solomon responding that he desires an understanding heart. The story ends with God granting…
Patient Trust – Karel San Juan, SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time The message of the Gospel today seems difficult and demanding. We need to live with the “weeds” in our lives. In the so-called “fields” of our hearts, and of our lives, God has sown good seeds, and they grow to be good, productive wheat. But in these same…
Kingdom of God – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 13:24-43, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Many years ago, I asked my maternal grandfather what it was like during the Japanese occupation. I don’t remember now what he said. I do remember, though, what I felt after he said it. He was very brief but very resentful, enough to stop me from ever asking…
Three Echoes of Mary – Jomari Manzano, SJ
Matthew 11:28-30, Thursday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time or Our Lady of Mount Carmel While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply…
One Lost Sheep 