REFLECTIONS TODAY John the Baptist is in prison because he has condemned Herod Antipas for taking Herodias, his brother’s wife, to be his own. It is often said that hell has no fury like a woman scorned; Herodias had surely a hand in John’s imprisonment. It is now Jesus’ turn to bear...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel pericope concludes Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Here, Jesus is presented as a “lawgiver” like Moses and as a “wisdom teacher.” In the perspective of Matthew, Jesus brings from the storeroom of Israel the old treasures with which he...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Gospel passage reminds us of Jesus’ lament over the destruction of the City of Jerusalem as punishment for not recognizing the day of his visitation. Now, it is repeated, and it is even more dramatic as it gives more details about how it will be destroyed. There will be so...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Arriving at the spot where he has a beautiful sight of the city of Jerusalem, Jesus cries instead of rejoicing. He laments over the destruction of the city, for not recognizing the time of his visitation. His presence there is his visitation. He is there to announce the good news...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After Jesus cleanses the 10 lepers, the Pharisees ask him about the coming of the Kingdom of God. He clarifies with them that it does not come about with just watching out or keeping a close observation of it. Rather, it comes about when we realize that it is present within us....
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus continues to walk to Jerusalem and great crowds go with him (Lk 14:25). Along the way, he teaches the parable of the Lost Sheep in answer to the scribes and Pharisees who object to his associating with tax collectors and sinners and eating with them. Implicitly, the scribes...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Pharisees as a whole might not like Jesus, but they have no love at all for the ruler of Galilee, the tetrarch Herod Antipas. Herod suspects Jesus to be John the Baptist redivivus—having come back to life—and so seeks every opportunity to see him—indeed to kill him, as...
REFLECTIONS TODAY People who live close to nature can tell ahead of time what the weather will be even without the use of instruments that weather bureaus use today. The Jews, Jesus says, are good at this. Interpreting the signs that nature shows, the Jews prepare for a sunny or a rainy day, a hot...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Fire is used in Scriptures to symbolize God’s judgment where the just are purified and the evil ones destroyed (Mal 3:2-5). As metal is refined of dross by fire, so people are tested as genuine by life’s ordeals. Here, Jesus states that the purpose of his coming is to test...
REFLECTIONS TODAY While Matthew’s version underlines forgiveness of transgressions in the “Lord’s Prayer” (6:14-15), Luke highlights trust and confidence. This is illustrated by the parable of a Friend Who Knocks at Midnight and Jesus’ command to ask, to seek, and knock. The parable...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Ancient kingdoms often had “guardians” placed on the gates of their cities or temples. These took the form of winged beasts, with the head of bearded sphinx. For believers, angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation”...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus has been many things to many people. He is seen by some people as John the Baptist raised from the dead. Others have mistaken him for the fiery prophet Elijah, while others have thought of him as one of the proph-ets of old. Herod the tetrarch has also heard of Jesus, and...
