REFLECTIONS TODAY The Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King on the closing of the liturgical calendar. Today’s readings present to us the images of Jesus as the Shepherd-King of the Universe. In the First Reading, God presents himself as a shepherd-king who cares for his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Belief in the resurrection is rather a late development in Israel, partly influenced by the Greek notion of the immortality of the soul. However, this belief is not shared by all Jews. The Sadducees, whom the Jewish historian Josephus associates with the skeptical Epicureans, do...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Jerusalem Temple stands at the center of the Jewish national consciousness. Pilgrimages are done here, especially during the “pilgrim feasts” of Passover, Pentecost, and Booths. It is a “house of prayer” where sacrifices are offered. There are porticoes where rabbis...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jerusalem, the city of peace (Hebrew shalom) is a prominent place, for here stands the Temple: the place of God’s presence among his people. Jesus weeps over this city where his destiny will be accomplished. He comes as a meek king to offer the way of peace, but people, moved by...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable of the Gold Coins suggests that Jesus’ return is not very imminent as some believers believed then. In the intervening time, the servants are given gold coins (“talents” in Matthew) to engage in trade. On the spiritual level, they are entrusted with the care of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The story of Zacchaeus proves that it is possible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Some Bible commentators opine that Luke makes use of Zacchaeus’ story as an apology for wealthy people who have decided to change their lifestyle and share their wealth with...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The blind beggar hears that Jesus is passing by. The crowd recognizes only the historical Jesus, a popular rabbi from Nazareth. The blind man’s exclamation, “Jesus, Son of David” (v 38), alludes to his and Israel’s expectation of the Messiah who has been sent by God...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew 25:14-30 [or 25:14-15, 19-21] Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable of the Widow and the Dishonest Judge pays attention to widows as a class often neglected in Israel. And so the Lord often gave warnings against maltreatment of widows. In the early Church, the believers took care of widows, and when there was a complaint that...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the intervening period from the time of Jesus’ ministry until the final age (the eschaton), what will be the dispositions of humanity? By alluding to the days of Noah and Lot, where people were immersed in immorality and depravity, Jesus warns his disciples of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Kingdom of God can be described in three facets. First, in its Christological dimension—Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God in his person. The Kingdom of God is present in him: “If it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Luke continues to show Jesus’ care for the “little ones” — the outcast and the marginalized of society. Lepers are set aside outside the community for fear of contaminating the healthy ones, physically or ritually. The Samaritans, on the other hand, are disdained as...
