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 Right after the transfiguration event, the disciples ask Jesus about the coming of Elijah, expected to be the harbinger of the Day of Judgment and will restore the right relationship within the family and society so as to avoid the utter destruction of the land. This last...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Many Jews in Jesus’ time thought that the return of God’s reign would involve the establishment of righteousness and the overthrow of the oppressors. Thus, the awaited Messiah would remove the Roman yoke upon their shoulders. When Jesus — and John the Baptist before him —...
REFLECTIONS TODAY La Morenita (“the little dark-skinned Virgin”), who appeared to the humble Indian named Juan Diego in Tepeyac in 1531, is venerated as Our Lady of Guadalupe. She left behind her image miraculously imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak), and graces are granted to those who...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Matthew 11:28-30 Earlier, Jesus praises the Father who has hidden the mystery of his Kingdom from the wise and the learned and has revealed them to the childlike (Greek mikroi) (Mt 11:25). The “childlike” are not merely children but people who have put their trust...
REFLECTIONS TODAY St. Augustine says that by her fiat to the angel’s message to bear the Son of the Most High, “Mary cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption.” To make her a worthy receptacle of the Redeemer, God granted her the singular grace to be “conceived without...
REFLECTIONS TODAY David’s reign around 1000 BC was considered the greatest period in Israel’s history. It was not only a time of power and glory, but also of justice and righteousness in the land. David was associated with goodness, power, protection, and righteousness. This ideal time would be...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In Scriptures, God is often referred to as the “Rock” (Hebrew kepha, Greek petra). Rock signifies solidity and strength. It holds firm the house or any other structure. When referring to a person, he is someone to rely on, one who is true to his promise. God is “the Rock,”...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus goes up on the mountain and begins to teach the people about the Kingdom of God. Alluding to the scenario from the prophetic tradition, Jesus gathers the scattered children of Israel on the mountain, representing Zion, God’s holy mountain, where God will feed his flock...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jews looked down on the Gentiles (pagans) as idolaters and licentious people. In the words of Paul, idolaters exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or animals, and God has abandoned them over to degrading passion (Rom 1:23-...
