REFLECTIONS TODAY There are times when, out of excitement, we could be wrong in what we say and do. It would be worse when, after realizing the wrongness of the word we are about to say or the action we are about to do, we would still say or do it. Today’s Gospel tells of the beheading of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus goes to his hometown and teaches in the synagogue. Those who hear him are amazed but at the same time confused. They are unable to accept the fact that Jesus, whom they think they know very well, is performing miracles and demonstrating great wisdom. They are unable to put...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parables of the Buried Treasure and that of the Pearl of Great Price give us a similar lesson: the Kingdom of heaven is a treasure beyond price; we must renounce all that may hinder us from possessing it. The Kingdom of heaven, as Jesus tells us, is the reign of God in...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After speaking to the crowds in parables, including the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, Jesus explains this last parable to his disciples that they may understand “what lays hidden.” Whereas the parable itself concentrates on patience with the “weeds” until judgment...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Gospel story refines the idea of hospitality. Martha is probably the older of the two sisters and plays host. She is the one who welcomes Jesus. Her anxiety and concern are understandable enough. But her self-preoccupation turns to resentment and accusation: Mary has left her...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Gospel is chosen for the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus. They are righteous people who longed for the Savior; in them and in their daughter Mary, the hopes and dreams of centuries are about to meet, because Jesus the Savior is soon to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the first-century Palestine, there were various practices of planting. One is described in the Gospel—that of plowing after sowing. In the process, some seed is lost because it has no good soil or is choked by thorns. But in the end, the harvest far compensates for the...
Photo from Pixabay Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has directed the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’s (4Ps) National Program Management Office (NPMO) to immediately work on the conditionalities for the implementation of the First 1,000 Days...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Doing the will of God is central to the Jewish and Christian faith. God does not want sacrifices (Hos 6:6) but an open and obedient attitude, which makes a person say, “Behold, I come to do your will, O God” (Heb 10:5-7; see Ps 40:9). Jesus himself has taught us to say,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY John dramatizes the encounter between the risen Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Even though Jesus stands plainly in sight, Mary does not recognize him. He asks her, “Whom are you looking for?” (v 15)—a question that probes discipleship (Jn 1:38-41, where the early disciples stay...
BETTER DAYS By the end of this month, a new school year will officially start. Using the numbers recorded last year for SY 2023 - 2024, we can reasonably expect that more or less 27 million learners will be enrolling in the basic education system this time around—23.2 million in public schools,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Jer 23:1-6 Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared...
