Matthew 25:1-13, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time In biblical times, weddings were a huge celebration in the entire village. After the wedding rite in the synagogue, the new couple is paraded back to the house. Tradition dictated that you took the longest, most roundabout route home, so that the whole town could cheer its newest…
Practice what they Preach – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 23:1-12, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time In today’s Gospel our Lord criticizes the excesses and shortcomings of the Pharisees, but virtually tells us to practice what they preach. It’s surprising advice since it’s a subversion of the usual adage that we should “practice what we preach.” It’s also surprising because this is usually our…
A Discerning Heart – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 23:1-12, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Did you read about the 83 year-old old Chinese mother, Mrs. Huang, who killed her 46 year-old disabled son, Li? Li was born prematurely, in severe mental and physical disability. He could neither walk nor talk, and his condition worsened with age. From the day he was born…
Plastic – Jett Villarin, SJ
Matthew 23:1-12, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Remember Archimedes? He was the guy who was asked to solve this problem of knowing whether a crown was made of true gold or not. (How timely indeed during this time of fake news and alternative facts. In truth, how do we know when gold is not gold?)…
Falling Short of the Greatest Commandment – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 22:34-40, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Singer/songwriter Howie Day has a couple of great lines in his 2003 hit, “Collide”: Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Never mind the rest of the song–which, of course, is a love song–but I think those two lines capture something pretty…
Diyos, Bayan, Pamilya, Barkada, Sarili – Jonjee Sumpaico, SJ
Matthew 22:34-40, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Every time I have the opportunity to come home to Loyola Heights in Quezon City, I am amazed at how the activity in the area has changed so much all these years. It was just a four-lane road when I began my studies at the Ateneo in 1978….
Look What Love Is Doing – John Foley, SJ
Matthew 22:34-40; 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Kids go through grade school and high school with important questions to face. Am I “in” with the crowd? Could I hold my own against the bullies, can I get along with girls/boys, did I wear the right clothes, am I cool enough, what about sex? And so…
Are You Really Seeking The Truth? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Matthew 22;15-21, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). This verse has launched many heated discussions and tirades about the relationship between religion and the state. But I do not think Jesus set out to pronounce something definitive about faith and politics…
Power – Joel Liwanag, SJ
Matthew 22:15-21, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Have you ever been asked a trick question? Have you ever been pushed into a difficult situation wherein, as they say, you were damned if you do, damned if you don’t? How did you manage to escape from such trap? In today’s Gospel, Jesus is pushed into such…
Sunday Christians, Cafeteria Catholics, Etc – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 22:15-21, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord utters his famous line: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and repay to God what belongs to God.” At first glance, the Lord seems to be proposing a division between our usual lives and our so-called spiritual lives. Sort of like Sunday Christianity, when people act…
Which One? – John Foley, SJ
Matthew 22:15-21, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time There seem to be two realms, God’s and Caesar’s. Jesus says so in Sunday’s Gospel. “Give to God the things that are God’s and to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” But can’t we live in both worlds? We want to, don’t we? Jesus made his statement to…
Wider and Wider Circles – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 22:1-14, 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time When I was a novice, I was assigned to Culion island, in Palawan, for a month. I visited patients in the hospital everyday. And there was always one or two patients who would go down memory lane and tell me lovely stories about Jesuits who had been assigned…
One Lost Sheep 