REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 6:43-49 Jesus said to his disciples: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from...
REFLECTIONS TODAY As Jesus hangs on the cross, his mother stands by him along with other women. There is no mention of her name. She is always addressed as “woman” in John’s Gospel. But we know it is Mary. When Jesus notices her presence at the foot of the cross, he says, in effect,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus encourages his disciples to rejoice when they are afflicted. When they feel so poor and cannot afford comfort because they cannot find a decent job, or when they feel hungry because they can hardly find time to eat because they are busy responding to many needs, or when they...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After the healings on a Sabbath which provoke controversy with the Pharisees, Jesus leaves the synagogue and goes to the mountain to pray. The mountain is a good place to pray. The name of the mountain is not mentioned. Here, Jesus prays the whole night. He needs to reenergize...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A week after defending his disciples for picking ears of grain and rubbing with their hands on a Sabbath, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. Jesus asks him to stretch it out. The man obeys and it is restored. Since Jesus heals on a Sabbath, it becomes controversial. The...
BETTER DAYS The Senate Committee on Finance, of which I am chairman, recently concluded its deliberations on Senate Bill No. 2426 or the proposed Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act which aims to develop a strategy to encourage, support, and promote the production of more diverse, sophisticated,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew 18:15-20 One of the hardest things to do is to correct an erring brother or sister. We are afraid that he or she might react and get back at us. Jesus teaches us how to do it. It is called fraternal correction. First, it should be done in private. Jesus is aware...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Pharisees are strict observers of the law. They want that their interpretations be taken seriously. Absolutely, by hook or by crook, no one should violate the law. People are not higher than the law. Jesus knows the law and its interpretations. But being a different...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Towards the end of Jesus’ genealogy, Matthew mentions the name Mary as betrothed to Joseph. Then he introduces Jesus as the one born of Mary. That word “born” occurs for the first time in Matthew, after the barrage of “the father of…” Today, when we introduce an...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After healing Peter’s mother-in-law and other sick people, and casting out demons, Jesus leaves Capernaum. When people try to stop him like in Nazareth, he reminds them that he must also go to the other towns to proclaim the good news. He is aware of his purpose, why he was sent...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The unclean spirits are afraid of Jesus, who has just returned from Nazareth. Like Jesus’ town mates, they expect him to be confined only to his hometown, and not to meddle with them in Capernaum. Jesus will prove that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him. He is there not only to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Why the sudden change in Jesus’ town mates? What triggers them to become violent? Because Jesus disappoints them. He does not do what they expect of him as their son, to stay with them and work many miracles for them, like what he does in Capernaum. Jesus will do God’s...
