REFLECTIONS TODAY Light and darkness are used as symbols and metaphors in Scriptures. Light is the manifestation of God’s nature. It is also the essence of all the gifts through which God blesses his creatures. Darkness, on the other hand, is the rejection of God. It manifests as...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 18:1—19:42 Jesus called his mother “woman” in Cana, at the first miracle that he performed, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). The next time he called her woman was the time he hung on the cross: “Woman,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY On the night before he suffered, Jesus, the Master and Lord, rises from his place at the head of the table and begins to wash his disciples’ feet. Peter and the others are shocked. They cannot understand why the Master lowers himself to take on the slave’s role. Jesus is...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew reports that Judas received 30 pieces of silver for having betrayed Jesus. A quick look at Google would tell us the modern equivalent of “30 pieces of silver”: about five weeks money (based on a six-day working week). The meaning is more profound than the actual value:...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 13:21-33, 36-38 The short segment of Jesus predicting his betrayal at the Last Supper ends with Judas leaving the table to do what he had to do — deliver Jesus to the Jewish authorities. The narration gives briefly the time setting: and it was night. Darkness has...
REFLECTIONS TODAY So begins our Gospel reading. We come to Bethany for a dinner. Martha is serving. Lazarus is at table. Mary comes and anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive nard perfume which, according to Judas, could be sold for 300 denarii. If the denarius was worth about a day’s wage, then...
REFLECTIONS TODAY As we begin the Holy Week, we look back to Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. We received ashes from what we have burned of the palms of the previous year. Today we have fresh palms in our hands—a reminder of the new life that we have after the Lenten journey. We have...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Once, two boys who were up for expulsion had committed a serious offense. They put the blame on a classmate, Dominic. The teacher severely scolded the boy who just bowed his head in silence. The next day, the truth came out, and the teacher, regretting his reproof of Dominic,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY There is an important detail in our Gospel: “He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized” (v 40). This brings us back to the beginning of the Gospel of John where we first saw Jesus in the same place where John was baptizing. The ministry of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus says, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (vv 31-32). The antidote for fake news or falsehood or the post [1] truth is the word of Jesus, for he is trustworthy. Truth is thus based on a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Joseph is described as a righteous man who is faithful to the Law of Moses. This is why he wants to sever his union with Mary, so as not to be married to one who has transgressed the Law. However, Joseph is not only just; he is merciful. He does not want to expose Mary to shame,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus is silent. He bends down and writes on the ground. At the insistence of the scribes and the Pharisees, he answers them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (v 7). Then he bends down again and writes. What is Jesus writing?...
