Fr. Johnny Go and his 50mething homilies

MANILA, Philippines - Bruno Mars pulled a piano in his Grenade music video, and for Xavier School president Fr. Johnny Go, SJ, one can view the scene as paying homage to Christ, who carried his own cross.

“You can really find God in everything,” unassumingly said Fr. Johnny, who recently released the book 50mething: Pieces of Prayer and Reflection. “In music, movies, pop culture, through symbols, you can find Him. All these can be used to deepen our faith in Him.”

50mething gathers 50 of Fr. Johnny’s most memorable homilies. The compilation was a surprise birthday present of the priest’s friends and staff to commemorate his 50th birthday last Aug. 21.

Fr. Johnny admits that he has learned about the “surprise” before his birthday, and even if he had reservations about the project, he still gave a go-signal because proceeds of the project will go to ERDA Technical School. The institution gives almost 500 students access to five-year-secondary education that focuses on technical competencies.

“I am not really comfortable being in the limelight, so I was really hesitant about this project,” adds Fr. Johnny. “But they (staff and friends) told me that it is for a good cause, so I agreed thinking that it would help ERDA.”

When asked what homilies included in the book are his favorites, he said it has to be the personal ones like the first Mass he celebrated.

“That homily is very special and memorable because it is something very close to my heart,” he adds. “It is full of thanksgiving.”

Fr. Johnny joined the Society of Jesus in 1987 and was ordained a priest in 1998. He also served as executive director of the Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom) for four years, before he took on the assignment of being president of Xavier School, his alma mater.

 “If you see the things I have done in the past, you will see that I love working behind the scenes. In fact, when I was with JesCom, I used to work as editor,” explains Fr. Johnny. “I really consider myself more of a writer than a speaker, so I really write my homilies. Because of that, this compilation has been possible.”

Asked who should get a copy of this book, he quipped, “for Catholics who want to continue making sense of their faith.”

50mething will soon be available at all National Bookstores nationwide.