REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus often criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for being self-righteous. These groups of people are very concerned with studying and following the Law which God handed to Moses and want others to do the same. Jesus, however, points to the spirit of the Law rather than its...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Laws are guiding principles for any community. The “law” here refers to the teachings which God gave to his people at Mt. Sinai through Moses. The Jews have two classifications of the law: oral and written. The Gospel mentions that the scribes add many more things to the law...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After proclaiming the Beatitudes, Jesus tells his audience that they are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (vv 13, 14). This entails great responsibility and a big challenge for Jesus’ listeners not to remain as recipients of his teachings and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Beatitudes are among the most popular teachings of Jesus. They open what we call Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. By this time, Jesus’ popularity has already been spreading. People come to him from diverse areas: Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jn 6:51-58 Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The gospel describes the contrasting dispositions of the scribes and the poor widow which do not escape Jesus’ notice. Because of their prestige in society, the scribes are offered the best seats in synagogues and places of honor at banquets. They also say long prayers. Yet,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Jews and the scribes who are learned in Scriptures have looked forward for the coming of the Messiah. The Christ or the Anointed One would come from the lineage of David, in line with the oracle of Nathan about the Lord raising an offspring after David, whose throne would be...
REFLECTIONS TODAY By asking the question, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” (v 28), the scribe does not feign ignorance of the Law; rather, he wants everyone hear the very decisive declaration of Jesus, quoting the Shema prayer: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!”...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Sadducees (Hebrew Sĕdûqîm) did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, nor in heaven, nor in immortality, nor in angels or evil spirits, nor in unseen realities. By presenting the case of a woman married to seven brothers, they tried to demean the value of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 12:13-17 Mark narrates the strategy of the Jewish authorities who send some Pharisees and Herodians to ensnare Jesus in his speech. They have become so insecure of the presence of Jesus who is gaining more followers. They question Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY This parable can also be retitled, “The Parable of the Generous Farmer.” The farmer symbolizes God the Father, sowing love in planting a vineyard, ensuring its growth by digging a pit for the winepress, monitoring safety and productivity by building a watchtower and a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9 Early in the next morning Moses went up Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. Having come down in a cloud, the Lord stood with Moses there and proclaimed his name, “Lord.” Thus the Lord passed before...
