REFLECTIONS TODAY Whenever we profess the Nicene Creed and say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible…” we are reminded that God created not only the material world, but also the spiritual world, that is, the invisible, the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Spiritual masters often repeat that humility is the mother of all virtues. It is only when we recognize our true diminutive stature before God that we realize our dependence on him. When we perceive ourselves as we are, as human beings made out of dust, we come to terms of our own...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Ambition is a “master” that stunts the growth and maturity of his “slaves.” Jesus, the real Master, does not lose his patience and shows his disciples the “antidote” to the venom of ambition. He takes a “paradigmatic” personage to bring home the point: He calls a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the Gospel pericope, we are presented with a cluster of teachings of Jesus addressed to his disciples and the believing community at large. The sayings are all consistent with the mandate given by Jesus earlier, that his followers become the “last of all and the servant of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The second prediction of the passion starts with a seeming moment of triumph: all are amazed at Jesus’ every action, especially at his power to expel demons and bring health and well-being. But Jesus, as if pouring cold water upon the enthusiasm of his disciples, takes this...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Luke takes pains to recount that the important moments in Jesus’ life are preceded by prayer. In this episode, before he sets his face towards Jerusalem (9:51), Jesus talks to his Father in earnest, after which he makes some kind of evaluation of his ministry and asks his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY It is “practicum time” for the Twelve Apostles as Jesus Master sends them out to do what he does: bring the Good News, accompanied by works of expelling demons and curing diseases. In order to do this effectively, the Apostles have to shed off all possible encumbrances....
REFLECTIONS TODAY We hear a beautiful lesson on kinship from the mouth of Jesus. This is not to disdain the value of blood relationship. It is Jesus’ way, rather, to redefine what binds us together in the great family of God: hearing the Word of God and acting on it. Sometimes we are...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The light of God’s word is a precious treasure which we need to share generously with others. Its influence in our lives must be made manifest through words of kindness, acts of care and concern for others. The more we listen to God’s word and apply it to our life situations,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reading through the context of Jesus’ saying, we can hear a note of near desperation as he shakes the stance of the scribes and Pharisees, his principal critics (Lk 7:29-30). They act like ambivalent, immature children in their attitude towards John the Baptist and Jesus. ...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 7:11-17 A biblical scholar once confessed how he searched the Gospels in trying hard to find a funeral sermon by Jesus. In the end, he gave up, saying he found none because at every instance, Jesus tried to “raise up the dead”! And so also in this Gospel...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus manifests his surprise as the centurion, presumably a nonbeliever and a representative of the occupying forces in the land of Israel, confesses his faith in Jesus’ authority. Call it “faith in unlikely places,” but it is there present; Jesus acknowledges it and...
