REFLECTIONS TODAY To “believe” (Greek pisteuein), one of John’s favorite expressions, does not just mean to hold on to some opinion or truth; it connotes total confidence in Jesus. Its Hebrew equivalent is AMAN which has to do with trustfulness. Jesus is “the AMEN” because he is faithful...
REFLECTIONS TODAY “For God so loved the world, he gave us his only Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, his most precious one”—this line taken from today’s Gospel opens Tell the World of His Love, the official theme song of World Youth Day 1995 in Manila. The song continues to be sung in Masses...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In their conversation, Jesus is addressing not only Nicodemus, but also Judaism which Nicodemus represents. Contrast is made between Jesus and Nicodemus who is a teacher of Israel who teaches people the Torah (Law) which Moses received from God on Mt. Sinai. But Jesus is far...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The “immaculate conception,” whi ch makes Mary, the young woman of Nazareth, “highly favored” (kecharitomenē) by God, does not dispense her from natural human reaction before the divine revelation. She is greatly troubled at what was said by the angel, like Gideon when...
BETTER DAYS Over the past few weeks we have started seeing an alarming trend of schools suspending onsite classes because of extreme heat being experienced in various areas of the country. With temperatures reaching the high 30s and over 40 degrees Celsius, students and teachers alike have found...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 20:19-31 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ resurrection was something new to the disciples, or to anyone else. It is not coming back to life as in the case of Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, or the son of the widow of Nain. When Jesus first intimated that he would rise from the dead, the disciples were...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Those who deny the reality of resurrection of the body claim that Jesus rose from the dead in a spiritual sense and that he showed himself to the Apostles only in a vision. They say that the memory of Jesus is so alive among his disciples that they would think of Jesus as...
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- 39, where the early disciples...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Money is very much involved in the plan to destroy Jesus. The chief priests paid Judas Iscariot 30 pieces of silver to hand Jesus over to them (Mt 26:15). They thought they have succeeded in getting rid of Jesus by having the Romans crucify him. But God frustrates their evil plan....
BETTER DAYS There is growing excitement about the implementation of Republic Act 11981 or the Tatak Pinoy (TP) Act — the law that will pave the way for stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector towards the development of Philippine industries, sustainable economic...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Light and darkness are used as symbols and metaphors in Scriptures. Light is the manifestation of God’s nature. It is also the essence of all the gifts through which God blesses his creatures. Darkness, on the other hand, is the rejection of God. It manifests as...
