REFLECTIONS TODAY Today, we are ushered into the season of Advent. “Advent” means “coming,” and this season reminds us of the “already” and the “not yet.” Jesus has “already” come in his incarnation, and with the second Sunday, we recall the events of Jesus’ historical coming...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ glorious coming as the Son of Man recalls the vision of Daniel: “I saw coming with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man” (Dn 7:13). This figure stands for Israel, the people of God taken collectively. Just as the vision of the son of man in Daniel was meant to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In countries where there are four seasons, the change of season is clearly seen in vegetation. In Israel, the budding of the fig tree is the harbinger of summer. Luke adds “all the other trees” (v 29) to connect with the believers who live in other places. The fig tree...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The intermediate time between the fall of Jerusalem and the Second Coming of the Son of Man can be considered as the time of the Church. Luke records that in the formation of the early Church, the disciples of Jesus undergo persecutions and trials. The Christians’...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple, the people anxiously ask when this will happen. Will this also signal the end times? Jesus speaks of other terrible things to happen, but these do not mark the end, which is only known to God. However, he forewarns them to be...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Gospel account shows a contrast between the wealthy people who give out of their surplus abundance to fulfill their religious duty and the poor widow who gives “till it hurts” in offering her two small coins. Among the Jews and the early Christians, widows were recipients...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Belief in the resurrection is rather a late development in Israel, partly influenced by the Greek notion of the immortality of the soul. However, this belief is not shared by all Jews. The Sadducees, whom the Jewish historian Josephus associates with the skeptical Epicureans, do...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Jerusalem Temple stands at the center of the Jewish national consciousness. Pilgrimages are done here, especially during the “pilgrim feasts” of Passover, Pentecost, and Booths. It is a “house of prayer” where sacrifices are offered. There are porticoes where rabbis...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable of the Gold Coins suggests that Jesus’ return is not very imminent as some believers believed then. In the intervening time, the servants are given gold coins (“talents” in Matthew) to engage in trade. On the spiritual level, they are entrusted with the care of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The story of Zacchaeus proves that it is possible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Some Bible commentators opine that Luke makes use of Zacchaeus’ story as an apology for wealthy people who have decided to change their lifestyle and share their wealth with...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Luke continues to show Jesus’ care for the “little ones” — the outcast and the marginalized of society. Lepers are set aside outside the community for fear of contaminating the healthy ones, physically or ritually. The Samaritans, on the other hand, are disdained as...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 17:7-10 To emphasize the disparity between master and slave, the parable begins with the question, “Who among you would say to your servant...?” This makes the reader identify with the master. In the Greco-Roman world at the time of Jesus, slaves...
