Mark 13:33-37, 1st Sunday of Advent Last Friday, while I waited for my Augustinian friar friend outside San Agustin Church, I overheard a conversation between a visitor and the manang running a food stall in the premises. In thick Visayan accent, the lady said, “Excuse me po, katedral po ito?” “Hindi po,” manang replied. “San…
Watch – Jett Villarin, SJ
Mark 13:33-37, 1st Sunday of Advent Watch is the last word in the Gospel today. Reflecting on this, I usually let my mind wander and go wherever it leads me. There is the distraction of the Night’s Watch of Game of Thrones. And so I watch. I let YouTube deflect my thoughts for a while,…
Do You Really Want God As Your Shepherd? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
In our first reading today, God tells us, “I myself will look after and tend my sheep… I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark” (Ezekiel 34:11-12). God is not an absentee lord but a hands-on shepherd who cares for each and every one of us in a…
So much for Christ the King – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 25:31-46, Feast of Christ the King Back in 2004, I visited the Jesuit school for the disabled in Cambodia. From the moment I stepped out of the airport in Phnom Penh, I noticed that every major road and every other street corner displayed the picture of one man. My companions informed me that a…
Make your Choice – John Foley, SJ
Matthew 25:31-46, Feast of the Christ the King Not only is Sunday the feast of Christ the King, it is the last Sunday of the Church year! Advent will begin in a week! We should begin getting nervous about Christmas presents, shouldn’t we? And family dinner? Or else why we will not have a family…
Nevertheless and However – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 25:31-46, Feast of Christ the King The Gospel today is not just about the “end of the world.” Although many of us priests love to jump on “end of the world” scenarios to hurry people off to confession in preparation for Advent. But the Lord’s message today is not just about the end of…
Give – Fr Harold Parilla
Matthew 25:14-30, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time We hear from the Gospel for today what is commonly known as the Parable of the Talents. It begins with a man going away on a journey, but before he leaves, he calls his servants and entrusts his property to them. To the first he gives five talents,…
Fear Factor – John Foley, SJ
Matthew 25:14-30, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time The Gospel story is pretty simple. A wealthy man gives his fortune to each of his three servants to care for while he is gone on a trip. He doesn’t give them instructions, at least that we are told of. When he returns, the owner sees that two…
Talent – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 25:14-30, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Just a few days ago, I had a conversation with a young guidance counselor. He works in an exclusive school for kids from wealthy families. These families own whole industries that earn millions by the day. The young man is assigned to eight- and nine-year-old boys in the…
What Does It Take to be Ready? – Fr Harold Parilla
Matthew 25:1-13, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time The parable in the Gospel for today tells us about the ten virgins who were keeping vigil for the coming of the bridegroom. As part of a lengthy wedding ceremony, it was customary for the groom to go to the house of the bride in order to fetch…
Running on Empty – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 25:1-13, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Do you feel like you’ve been running on empty? “Running on empty” is a phrase we use to refer to people on the brink of exhaustion–be it physical or emotional. It’s a reference to automobiles running so dangerously low on fuel that it might just stop running any moment now. It basically…
The Parable of the Ten Millenials – Noel Bava, SJ
Matthew 25:1-13, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time To what shall we compare the kingdom of heaven for today’s generation? The kingdom of heaven will be like ten millennials who took their snazzy and glitzy smartphones with them and went out to meet the bridegroom at an undisclosed location. They were all agog over the possibility…
One Lost Sheep 