In his encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus reminds his detractors that the Law was given for the benefit of human beings. The mentality of expanding the Law to the detriment of practicality has to be corrected. That is why Jesus gives the example of David, the revered king of Israel. Furthermore, Jesus claims that he is lord even of the Sabbath; he has authority over it. When we insist on the application of the law to the letter, we can forget the spirit of the law, why it was written in the first place. The advantage of a just law should always be for the common good, and for the benefit of humankind. Jesus proclaims freedom from fear, burden, and incumbrance which are caused by undue and impractical attachment to legalism.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

FINDING ANSWERS

Amid a continuing surge in COVID-19 infections attributed largely to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the government has decided to retain Metro Manila’s Alert Level 3 status — as in 81 other cities and provinces where the pandemic continues to spread rapidly.

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), headed by Jose Teodoro ‘TG’ Limcaoco, had a very remarkable 2021 despite pandemic conditions. Ma. Theresa Marcial, BPI’s CFO and CSO, explained that BPI’s success can be gauged by the numerous awards garnered by the bank from the regulators and various awards-giving bodies.

OFW Forum

Before anything else, I would like to thank the Manila Bulletin family for the opportunity to be a part of this very prestigious newspaper.

The world of the unvaccinated is getting smaller each day. Aside from being barred from entering malls, government buildings, or restaurants, they could not ride any public transport. This was announced by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), in a policy called “no vaccination, no ride,” which aims to help curb the transmission of COVID-19, now projected to breach 40,000 cases daily.

Wala Lang

Gospel • MARK 2:18-22

(Part II)

PEACE-MAKER

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