REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s feast of the Queenship of Mary is celebrated on the octave of the feast of the Assumption and a logical consequence of it. Pope Pius XII who established the feast in 1954 points out that Mary deserves the title because of her close association with Jesus’ redemptive...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Possessions are not bad in themselves. A person needs them to survive. But when one makes them the center of everything, a threat arises to hinder us from achieving a meaningful sense of happiness. The young man certainly looks for something more than having wealth and following...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Mt 15:21-28 At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. His...
BETTER DAYS The Senate has officially started its deliberations on the proposed ₱5.768 trillion national budget for 2024 with the briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee on the macroeconomic assumptions and key data for the all-important measure. By rule, it is the House of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus rebukes his own disciples for preventing those who bring children to him. He receives those who are humble and weak but rejects the arrogant and the proud. In poor communities in Jesus’ time, many children did not make it to their 12th birthday. Parents loved...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Pharisees raise the age-old question about divorce to test Jesus. The phrase “for any cause whatever” (v 3) refers to the debate between the famous teachers Hillel and Shammai and their disciples. Both schools permitted divorce, but for different reasons. Both based their...
REFLECTIONS TODAY One of the things that plague most communities is the inability to handle confrontation, disagreement, and the mutual accountability when it comes to sin. Community living is very much part of human existence. A Christian formed in the ways of Jesus acknowledges his responsibility...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Mary’s assumption into heaven is best understood in relation to God’s grace bestowed to Mary in view of her participation in God’s plan of salvation. Only Mary, who was born without the stain of original sin, could give birth to Christ, Son of God and Redeemer. Mary is given...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70, the Jews throughout the Roman empire were required to pay tax to fund the maintenance of the temple. Male Jews above 19 years of age were to pay a half-shekel temple tax which is equivalent to about two days’ wages. The...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew 14:22-33 After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile...
BETTER DAYS Every year in August we observe the Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa or National Language Month. By virtue of Proklamasyon Blg. 1041, s. 1997 issued by the late former President Fidel Ramos, the nationwide observation of the Buwan ng Wika recognizes the linguistic diversity of the Philippines...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The mustard seed, according to the historian and naturalist Pliny the Elder, was the most invasive of all garden plants (Natural History, 19.170- 171). It could get over walls, into a neighboring field, and just about everywhere. Once it is sown, it is almost impossible to get the...
