Luke 14:7-14, 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time I’m one of 10 Jesuit formators assigned to San Jose Seminary. Every year, San Jose holds an alumni homecoming, and it’s always well attended by graduates who are now priests and bishops and cardinals. Even alumni who have since left religious life still attend. So it’s a three-day…
On What do you Base your Worth? – Francis Alvarez, SJ
Luke 14:7-14, 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time “When you are invited [to a banquet], go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you, he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position’” (Luke 14:10). Is Jesus in our Gospel today just telling us a clever way to get…
Superlative – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Matthew 23:13-22, Monday of 21st Week in Ordinary Time (Queenship of Mary) We, human beings, are a superlative-seeking species. At home, we heard our elders say, “my favorite son”, “my brightest daughter”, “my naughtiest”. At school, superlatives were rewarded, too: valedictorian, first honor. They even spread the awards around so that differently-abled kids could also…
Deliver Us from Evil – Willy Samson, SJ
Matthew 20:1-16, Wednesday of 20th Week in Ordinary Time One Jesuit priest told us, “If you want to be sad, start comparing.” I agree. For when we start comparing ourselves with others, we discover that others are always better than us. It is here where envy breeds. When envy finds a home in us, we…
Hail Mary – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 1:39-56, Solemnity of the Assumption The feast of the Immaculate Conception and the feast of the Assumption are like book-end celebrations of our Blessed Mother’s life. Mary was born without original sin, the first bookend, and she remained sinless until death, so she was assumed straightaway into heaven, the second bookend, which is today’s feast….
Called to Speak God’s Word – Errol Fernandes, SJ
Luke 12:49-53b, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time To stand up for the truth and justice necessarily entails that one must be willing to undergo every kind of trial and tribulation. This is made amply evident in the first reading and gospel text of today. In the first reading of today, Jeremiah who even if in…
Baptism by Fire – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 12:49-53b, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time We have a bunch of superstitious beliefs our elders have passed on to us regarding baptism, don’t we? “Kumare, pabinyag n’yo agad ang bata para hindi pasukan ng masamang espiritu. Sige ka, magkakasakit ‘yan parati.” “Kumare, pabinyag n’yo agad ang bata. Sige kayo, pag namatay ‘yang walang binyag,…
Margin of Error – Arnel Aquino, SJ
Luke 12:35-40, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time When Michael Siaron’s remains were being entombed in a poor man’s cemetery last week, his mother screamed and sobbed. Over 2 weeks ago, we saw on the newspaper a picture reminiscent of the Pietà. In the middle of the street, an awfully young woman cradled a dead 29-yr-old…
Vigilant – Jett Villarin, SJ
Luke 12:35-40, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time I have a theory that Filipino drivers are one of the most alert drivers in the world (with the Italians coming at a close second maybe). That’s because they never know what’s coming at them. The unpredictability sharpens their senses. When I was learning to drive, my father…
Of Pokémon, Hashtags and the Lost Art of Self-Abnegation – Noel Bava, SJ
Matthew 16:24-26, Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time The launch of the highly anticipated augmented reality game Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm. Since its release in July, it has been downloaded 100 M times and surpassed Twitter and Snapchat with its 21 M active daily users in the US alone. Gamers have been…
The Gifts of Ignatius – Jojo Magadia, SJ
This was Fr Jojo’s homily from last year so the readings are different (Dt. 30:15-20; Phil. 3:8-14; Lk. 9:18-26). But his reflections and the lessons are timeless. The readings for the Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola speak of discipleship. Even more importantly, they tell us about the radical way in which Ignatius lived this…
AM+DG – Jonjee Sumpaico, SJ
Luke 12:13-21, Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola I first saw these four letters during my grade school days at the Ateneo. Most of the students would write the letters, together with a cross, on top of their answer sheets, essays, or even some homework activities. It was an unsaid tradition that was passed on…
One Lost Sheep 