REFLECTIONS TODAY Who is Jesus? This question that we ask to this day was the same question that the people were asking when they heard Jesus speak. Some may have sincerely asked to be certain whether he was truly the Messiah. Their honest queries were valid because they have sought the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Origins are important. We are always interested where a person is from. In the Philippines, the question “Where are you coming from?” is a cliché when we greet people. Non-Filipinos may find it nosy, but it is really an informal way of asking “How are you?” When...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In our era, when each one has a camera and when CCTVs abound, there are still times when the most obvious testimonies and strongest evidences fail before the judgment of prejudiced people. The words of Jesus bring defense to his words and actions. As in court, there is a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, as well as the water festivals around the world, remind us of the importance of water in Jerusalem. The Gihon spring, at the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Temple Mount, was for centuries the main source of water for the city. At the time of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY This “long-distance” miracle of Jesus is brought about by the power of his words that are in the form of a command: “You may go; your son will live” (v 50). Jesus expects obedience and trust from those to whom they are addressed. At the beginning, Jesus tells the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus tells a parable that contrasts two figures: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee’s prayer is not so much a prayer for himself, but more of a prayer about himself. The tax collector’s words are simple: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (v 13). He sees his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The work of salvation, other than the work of Christ, is first of all “Trinitarian.” It begins with the Father who loved the world that he gave his only Son that the world might be saved through him (Jn 3:16-17). And with Jesus’ return to the Father, the Paraclete, the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus alludes to this incident when he uses the phrase “finger of God.” He has just driven out the demon from a mute person. While the crowds are awed, some people attribute the miracle to the power of Beelzebul. Jesus replies by pointing to the absurdity of Satan...
REFLECTIONS TODAY At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a lot of talk on the “new normal.” The important question that people were asking was not anymore the lamenting, “How can this be?” but the anxious, “How will it be?” Like the past world wars, the effects of this...
REFLECTIONS TODAY What does it take to forgive? In the Gospel, Peter asks how many times he must forgive his brother who sins against him. He thinks he is being generous when he proposes his answer: seven times. After all, that is the perfect number. Jesus suggests something...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In many instances, the prophets acted as the conscience of God in the midst of the people; they called to mind that allegiance belongs to God alone, and all must abide according to the will of God. But the Lord is the God of all, so all are entitled to know about him. This is...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 2:13-25 Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the...
