REFLECTIONS TODAY The Gospel presents the paradigm of divine graciousness on the one hand, and typical human questioning or resistance to the divine offer (at least at the beginning) on the other. The muting of Zechariah seems to be God’s pedagogical way of leading an initially unbelieving person...
Family histories are replete with dramas and surprises. My own siblings’ history towards marriage was no exception: each one had a particular “script” with twists and turns, yet ending more or less happily. The story of Joseph and Mary unto becoming a family shares the human element of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A relative recently produced a bound genealogy of our clan, tracing family roots and branches as painstakingly as possible. It was very exciting to see and discover the extent to which the roots and branches have extended by now. In a sense, this family tree gave us a sense of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Every now and then we hear of individuals claiming to be God’s “appointed son,” God’s “sent,” or God’s “anointed.” And many people believe them, especially if they promise “blessings”—abundance or solutions to their problems—because they are adept at...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ parable is a metaphor referring to the Jews and the Gentiles in relation to God. The one who readily says yes, but actually does not go, pictures the Jews who are expected to follow God’s will. The one who says no, but later goes, are the Gentiles who are not...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Authority or power ( exousia in Greek) can come or be derived from various sources: the self (as in autocracy), the people (like in a democracy), and others. But ultimately it comes from God, as Jesus tells Pilate (cf Jn 19:11) or Paul writes to the Christians in Rome (cf Rom...
REFLECTIONS TODAY JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28 A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas, reminds us of the Blessed Mother’s constant intercession for us, her beloved children. Her apparitions to Juan Diego invite humanity to repent and embrace her Son in fidelity and newness of life. Like our...
REFLECTIONS TODAY While children usually exemplify innocence, obedience, and humility, we also associate them with behavior that we call “childish.” This most likely means for us “difficult to please,” “stubborn,” “spoiled,” “unwilling to listen to explanations,” and the like....
REFLECTIONS TODAY When we think of what John did for and said about Jesus, we may consider Jesus’ words praising John in the Gospel as a form of mutual admiration. And what an honor Jesus gives to John! Imagine, of those born of women, no one is greater than John! Jesus declares that John is the...
When someone approaches us in our difficulty and says, “May I help you,” what is our usual response? It is either, “Thank you very much; so kind of you,” or “No, it’s okay, I can manage.” Perhaps it is more natural for us to project to others that we can manage life’s demands on our...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The friends of the paralytic in the Gospel are unique and both desperate and trusting. We can even say they are fools for endangering the life of their paralytic friend as well as the safety of Jesus and others in the house! In real life, we do not expect to see scenes like...
