REFLECTIONS TODAY After the healings on a Sabbath which provoke controversy with the Pharisees, Jesus leaves the synagogue and goes to the mountain to pray. The mountain is a good place to pray. The name of the mountain is not mentioned. Here, Jesus prays the whole night. He needs to reenergize...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A week after defending his disciples for picking ears of grain and rubbing with their hands on a Sabbath, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. Jesus asks him to stretch it out. The man obeys and it is restored. Since Jesus heals on a Sabbath, it becomes controversial. The...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew 18:15-20 One of the hardest things to do is to correct an erring brother or sister. We are afraid that he or she might react and get back at us. Jesus teaches us how to do it. It is called fraternal correction. First, it should be done in private. Jesus is aware...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Pharisees are strict observers of the law. They want that their interpretations be taken seriously. Absolutely, by hook or by crook, no one should violate the law. People are not higher than the law. Jesus knows the law and its interpretations. But being a different...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Towards the end of Jesus’ genealogy, Matthew mentions the name Mary as betrothed to Joseph. Then he introduces Jesus as the one born of Mary. That word “born” occurs for the first time in Matthew, after the barrage of “the father of…” Today, when we introduce an...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After healing Peter’s mother-in-law and other sick people, and casting out demons, Jesus leaves Capernaum. When people try to stop him like in Nazareth, he reminds them that he must also go to the other towns to proclaim the good news. He is aware of his purpose, why he was sent...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The unclean spirits are afraid of Jesus, who has just returned from Nazareth. Like Jesus’ town mates, they expect him to be confined only to his hometown, and not to meddle with them in Capernaum. Jesus will prove that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him. He is there not only to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Why the sudden change in Jesus’ town mates? What triggers them to become violent? Because Jesus disappoints them. He does not do what they expect of him as their son, to stay with them and work many miracles for them, like what he does in Capernaum. Jesus will do God’s...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew 16:21-27 Peter receives a rebuke from Jesus when he tries to block him from going to Jerusalem after Jesus announces that he will suffer and die there. Previously, Peter is commended in Caesaria Philippi by Jesus himself when he shows his correct understanding of who Jesus...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable of the Talents clearly shows that Jesus is against laziness. Like the previous parable (Ten Virgins), this parable is addressed to Jesus’ disciples to teach what the Kingdom of heaven (of God) is all about. In the Kingdom of God, there is no place for...
REFLECTIONS TODAY It is hurting to hear such words from a friend or a teacher to whom you want to get close. Yet, these are the words of the bridegroom to the foolish virgins (bridesmaids) who are assigned to welcome him but fail to prepare sufficient oil for the night. They did not give allowance...
REFLECTIONS TODAY With the last two of the seven woes, today’s Gospel ends the narrative part in Matthew where the scribes and the Pharisees are denounced by Jesus. While there is an established tradition of a deep opposition between Jesus and the Pharisees, the narrative reflects the bitter...
