REFLECTIONS TODAY The yoke employed in ancient Palestine consisted of a heavy wooden bar laid upon the shoulders of the draft animals (oxen or asses) and attached to the animals by thongs passed around and under their throats. A laborer would also lay a yoke across his shoulders to carry...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 1:26-38 The Annunciation proclaimed on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe reminds us of another “annunciation”: that of the glorious Virgin Mary to a humble Mexican peasant, Juan Diego. On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of a maiden at the Hill...
REFLECTIONS TODAY “Blasphemy” refers to the abusive or contemptuous language directed towards God. In the Jewish tradition, blasphemies include human arrogance, implied attacks on God’s salvific power (2 Kgs 19:4), his glory (Ez 35:13), or his people (2 Mc 15:24). It is a sin punishable by...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Mk 1:1-8 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The life of the Israelites, like most of the people, was bound to the cycle of the seasons. Harvest time was the time to rejoice and to make pilgrimage to God in Jerusalem to thank him for his providence. The harvest often symbolizes God’s last judgment (Is 9:2-3; Hos...
REFLECTIONS TODAY On Dec. 8, 1854, with the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX officially pronounced the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception that states that even at the first moment of her existence, Mary was free of the condition of original sin, which is the inheritance of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus multiplies bread and feeds the hungry multitude “on the mountain.” There are no mountains around the Sea of Galilee, high places like Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God, or Mt. Tabor, the mountain of the transfiguration. The high places are rather hills. The place of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus praises the heavenly Father for hiding the mysteries of his Kingdom from the wise and the clever and revealing them to the childlike: simple folks who do not show off their importance. Jesus imitates God on this matter. As the Son, he alone truly and completely knows God. He...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A centurion was a Roman officer commanding around 100 soldiers (Latin centum is one hundred). The centurion in the Gospel is probably an adviser of the Jewish ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas. As an official representing Rome, he would “broker” imperial resources for the local...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today, we are ushered into the season of Advent. “Advent” means “coming,” and this season reminds us of the “already” and the “not yet.” Jesus has “already” come in his incarnation, and with the second Sunday, we recall the events of Jesus’ historical coming...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ glorious coming as the Son of Man recalls the vision of Daniel: “I saw coming with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man” (Dn 7:13). This figure stands for Israel, the people of God taken collectively. Just as the vision of the son of man in Daniel was meant to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In countries where there are four seasons, the change of season is clearly seen in vegetation. In Israel, the budding of the fig tree is the harbinger of summer. Luke adds “all the other trees” (v 29) to connect with the believers who live in other places. The fig tree...
