REFLECTIONS TODAY When he took the Child Jesus in his arms, the old man Simeon tells Mary that the Child is destined for the fall and the rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (Lk 2:34). This is immediately manifested on the day after Christmas, the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY On Christmas Midnight, we celebrate the Savior’s birth as a human being, one like us. On Christmas Day, we celebrate the Word taking flesh (Greek sarx)—our humanity in its finiteness and mortality, so different from his former state. The Word Incarnate—Jesus Christ—became...
REFLECTIONS TODAY At the threshold of Christmas, we hear Zechariah’s canticle of praise at the Lord’s coming to visit his people. God finally makes good his promise to his people through the prophets by sending his Son Jesus, the Davidic Messiah. Jesus’ entry into the world is like a streak...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Every birth entails a mission. In ancient Rome, the predictive power of a person’s name was captured by the Latin proverb “Nomen est omen,” meaning, the name is a sign. Yehoshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus (and Joshua, the successor of Moses), means “Yahweh (God) is...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 1:39-45 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After years of anticipation prolonged by the global coronavirus pandemic, the World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 happened in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 1-6, 2023. Throughout the week, young people from all over the world had the opportunity to attend catechism, masses, youth festival and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY When the angel Gabriel delivers God’s message to Zechariah, the old priest does not believe in the message and is rendered speechless. Mary puts in the same question, “How can this be?” (v 34) but does not share Zechariah’s fate. Definitely, it is not out of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The manifestation of God’s glory through visions or the words of a messenger or angel always elicit fear in the human heart. Human beings feel their lowly condition and unworthiness. For this reason, they are told not to be afraid. When Isaiah saw the Lord attended by seraphim...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Dreams and visions are an important part of many biblical stories and passages. They give messages of fortune or misfortune, or guidance of God’s voice. God appeared to Abram in a vision and changed his name to Abraham because he was to be “the father of a multitude of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Matthew 1:1-17 People in ancient Israel placed great importance on who their family’s ancestors were. The list of genealogy (Hebrew toledoth) shows where certain families came from and why they were important. Important personages like the patriarchs, kings, and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Light pervades at the start of Simbang Gabi or Dawn Masses: the light that guides the steps of the faithful going to Mass, and the light announced in the Liturgy of the Word. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of John the Baptist as a “burning and shining lamp,” in whose light...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel contains some special materials from Luke. Moved by John the Baptist’s warning to produce good fruits as evidence of their repentance, people ask for concrete ways to do this. To the crowd, John says that they must share with those who have none—tunics or...
