REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The heart is a “tricky master.” It has “reasons which reason knows nothing of” (Blaise Pascal). This saying comes to mind as we reflect on today’s Gospel where Jesus responds to the criticism put forward by the Pharisees and the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew’s eschatological discourse emphasizes that we have to wait because we do not know the time of the Lord’s return. The good news is that the Lord himself has left us with talents that we can use while we await his return. Today’s parable of the Talents narrates...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel narrates Jesus’ confrontation with the scribes and the Pharisees, with the strong Greek word ouai, an interjection of denunciation that is normally translated in English as “Woe!” We need to understand that this interjection is not expressing a mere dislike...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Conforming our life to that of Jesus is never an easy task. It entails that we live out the Gospel values taught by Jesus. Jesus’ words are too hard to accept because while the Gospel values are difficult to practice, the worldly values remain to be so enticing. Hence, even if...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ true disciple exhibits, like St. Bartholomew, no guile. Bartholomew is one of the Twelve Apostles (Mt 10:2-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16). In John’s Gospel, he is presented as Nathanael. When Philip tells him that they have found the one whom Moses and the prophets...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Working in the Lord’s vineyard is already a great blessing in itself. Today’s Gospel narrates a parable about a landowner who goes out to hire laborers for his vineyard at various hours in the day. At the end of the day, all who worked in the same vineyard receive the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY It is not easy to live up to the challenge of detachment. The values of the world make us believe that to accumulate things without let up is the way to go. Often this attitude of accumulation is exercised at the expense of others. But the Gospel values tell us otherwise. Wealth...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Self-fulfillment does not consist in having material possessions. At times, we might think that we can find fulfillment in material possessions while tending to self-appropriate them selfishly. The fact is, we cannot possess eternal life; we may enter into it. We do not own...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 6:51-58 Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this...
REFLECTIONS TODAY There could be times when we become a stumbling block through which others are prevented to grow in faith. We are challenged to help each other in getting closer to the Lord. The true disciples of Jesus bring others closer to him. Today’s Gospel narrates how some people...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Christians from all walks of life are called to holiness. A holy life is a life of commitment. Married people, for example, are called to holiness. In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees come to Jesus, wanting to test him if he would concur with the idea of divorce. The Pharisees cite...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Peter’s authority of binding and losing was given to him in the context of his profession of faith (Mt 16:19). In the context of the Ecclesial Discourse, this same authority is given to the rest of the Apostles (Mt 18:18). Thus, the power to bind and to loosen has become part of...
