REFLECTIONS TODAY Mt 28:16-20 The Eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The figure of a woman in labor is a traditional biblical metaphor used for the sufferings that will herald a new age. God says to the first woman, Eve, “In pain you shall bring forth children” (Gn 3:16). Speaking of the great tribulation at the end of the age, Jesus refers not...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the Bible, the name stands for the person himself. Out of reverence for the name of God (YHWH), the Israelites would use other names or titles: i.e., Adonai or Elohim (“Lord”). At times the Lord God is referred to as Ha-Shem (‘the Name.’) To ask something in the name of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Greek mikron (“a little while”) refers to a brief period of time. This expression of Jesus, which appears only in John’s Gospel, is a veiled reference to his approaching death and resurrection. He would be quickly taken from the disciples by death. This event would...
REFLECTIONS TODAY When he comes, the Spirit of truth will reveal to the disciples “the things that are coming” (v 13)—not new revelations but the “new order of things” that will come with Jesus’ death and resurrection. The mystery of God has already been revealed by Jesus. The Holy...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In John, “sin” refers to the unbelief that Jesus encounters among the Jews; they do not believe in him. They reject his mission of “righteousness,” that is, of proclaiming God’s saving plan for men and women. This message includes judgment or “condemnation” of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The novel (and film) To Kill a Mockingbird makes us appreciate an able and respected lawyer who would go to great lengths to defend a wrongly accused black man before a jury of white bigots in Alabama, U.S.A. Such was Atticus Finch as played by Gregory Peck. In the Gospel, Jesus...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY “World” (Greek kosmos) is used in John’s Gospel with a variety of meaning. In the first place, it means the cosmos that was created by God. It is the totality of God’s creation: all things were created through the eternal Word in the beginning. It may also refer to the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In his apostolic letter Patris Corde, Pope Francis presents St. Joseph as a working father: “St. Joseph was a carpenter who earned an honest living to provide for his family. From him, Jesus learned the value, the dignity and the joy of what it means to eat bread that is the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY To “remain” (Greek menein) with Jesus is an important Johannine theme. It does not only mean to stay with Jesus, but to “know” him, to have a close relationship with him. The intimate union between the Father and Jesus is the model for the disciples’ relationship with...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The three most important agricultural plants in Israel are the wheat or barley (for grain), the vine (for wine), and olive trees (for oil). Metaphorically, Israel is compared to the vine (Ps 80:9). It was brought out of Egypt (the Exodus story) and planted in the promised land. It...
