REFLECTIONS TODAY The late Bible scholar Fr. John Meier entitled his books on the “historical Jesus” A Marginal Jew. Jesus does not act and teach in the mold of a Jewish rabbi. He is a celibate, teaches with an authority equal to or greater than Moses’, and loves the company of people...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The late Bible scholar Fr. John Meier entitled his books on the “historical Jesus” A Marginal Jew. Jesus does not act and teach in the mold of a Jewish rabbi. He is a celibate, teaches with an authority equal to or greater than Moses’, and loves the company of people...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The choice of the Apostles is a personal initiative of Jesus who “appoints” them as Twelve to refer to the community of believers constituting the 12 tribes of the “new Israel,” the chosen people of God, now called the Church (Greek ekklesia). With the selection of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY According to the scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus’ noncompliance with the Sabbath rest is proof that he is not a man from God. Jesus disputes this accusation by giving a deeper meaning to the Sabbath. Jesus claims to be “Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mk 2:28) and, as the Divine...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 2:23-28 The Hebrew term shabbath means “to cease or to rest.” The Sabbath signifies the apex of God’s creation. God blessed and sanctified the seventh day and made it holy (Gn 2:2-3). For Israel—and for all mankind—it is a rest day to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Jewish rabbis, particularly the scribes and the Pharisees, would want to contain Jesus and his message in the ways of the Mosaic Law and their traditions. But doing so would be like containing the fresh and liberating spirit of Jesus’ teaching—the “new wine”—in the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19 Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to...
Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Facebook) If the House Committee on Energy chairman had any takeaway from the investigation on the widespread Western Visayas power outage, it's that no single agency or entity was solely at...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 2:1-12 In truth, God alone can forgive sins. A human being may forgive or excuse the sin of another, but something remains of that sin; the guilt still remains before God, it is not erased. Only God’s forgiveness removes the guilt. But Jesus, as the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus finds welcome and success in Capernaum. He cures the mother-in-law of Simon Peter and stays in Simon’s house where he ministers to the sick and those possessed by demons. Simon and Andrew and the other disciples certainly enjoy the “honor” of being close associates of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Matthew 2:1-12 The Gospel contrasts the attitudes of the Magi and King Herod. The Magi, wise men from the East, are led by their desire to find meaning behind the bright star they have seen from afar. They start their “journey of faith” with a mind seeking...
REFLECTIONS TODAY From John the Baptist’s testimony to Jesus in John’s Gospel, we are now presented with his testimony in Mark’s Gospel. The events surrounding Jesus’ birth reveal his divine origin. Mark does not have the infancy stories as prelude to Jesus’ public ministry. ...
