PAN DE LA SEMANA

[BREAKING THE BREAD OF GOD’S WORD] 30 th Sunday_OT_B October 25, 2015 I WANT TO SEE … AND MORE! As I write, tens of thousands of my fellow Pinoys are jostling, inching, and struggling their way through the snarled traffic to get to the venue of “Tamang Panahon” – a phenomenon gone world wide, if we are going to judge by the sheer numbers of tweets that it has gotten – and, still – getting – the “Yayadub” phenomenon! I beg the indulgence of my foreign readers in North America and Europe who do not have the faintest idea about what I am referring to. Suffice it to say that millions of us Filipinos, both here and in the diaspora of more than 130 countries all over the world, have been, since July 16, glued to their TV sets at lunchtime to join the noontime show known as “Eat Bulaga” – in particular, what they call the kalyeserye featuring Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza. (Let us not forget Wally in his role as Lola Nidora!) Only the most dense person would not see...

30 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) October 28, 2012 SO THAT NONE SHALL STUMBLE Trekking up a mountain in pitch darkness is an experience I won’t want to have again – ever, in my life. One feels literally blind and almost utterly helpless. One is scared, worried, even terrified, at the very real possibility of a potentially tragic misstep – every step along the way! This, I had twice or thrice, many years ago, at a time when LED lights were still on the drawing board, and most climbing equipment were imported, and – therefore – rare and prohibitively expensive! This is the image that immediately came to mind as I read today’s readings. Jeremiah, as we know, was a prophet during and after that sad chapter of Israelite history – the great Babylonian exile! He was most likely devastated by the bitter experience. He was also most likely disheartened, discouraged, and, given his obvious emotional reactivity, might also have been somewhat depressed. But toda...

Catholic Homily/Sunday Reflections 30 th Sunday in Ordinary Time(B) October 25, 2009 Clarity seems to be the banner-headline of today’s liturgy. Mark the evangelist, for the brevity of his account, shines out in at least this one aspect – the clarity of detail about a blind man whom he took pains to record by name – Bartimaeus! Blind persons tend to lose their identity and individuality in this cruel world. People often just refer to the handicapped as the “blind man,” the “limping girl,” or the “one-eyed swordsman,” or any other unsavory appellation other than their own names. Somehow, it is almost like as if people with marked handicaps lose their right to be unique, to be worthy of being known, to be treated as individual persons. But if Mark was clear on the name, I must add that the one he named for posterity showed even greater clarity … on two counts. First, Bartimaeus called on Jesus as “Son of D...