REFLECTIONS TODAY The Greek word kosmos (“world”) has several meanings in the Gospel of John. It may refer either to the natural world or to the whole of humanity inhabiting the natural world, or to a portion of humanity that does not believe in Jesus (1:9-10). The first two meanings are...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Dn 13:41c-62 [or 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62] The assembly condemned Susanna to death. …The Lord heard her prayer. As she was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: “I will have no part in the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Ez 37:12-14 Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The angel Gabriel comes to Mary with a greeting filled with joy (Chaire!). The good news announced by the angel can only be joyful. The content of the announcement is something that is freely bestowed by God. And what else can seal such a joyful announcement but the assurance that...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In John’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the one who is from the Father and is returning to the Father. Jesus is revealing the Father and making the Father’s love known to the world. Those who believe in Jesus as the one sent by the Father are the ones accomplishing God’s...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist is known as one of those who bear witness to Jesus. In the Prologue, the Baptist is already introduced as the one testifying to Jesus as the light (1:7-8) and as the preexistent Word (1:15). John the Baptist bears witness to Jesus as the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The man had been ill for 38 years. When Jesus asks him if he wants to be well, he begins to tell Jesus about his situation — he has no one to put him into the pool when the water is stirred up and that someone else gets into the water ahead of him. The stirred-up water is...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the Spouse of the Virgin Mary. In the Gospel of Matthew, the very first description of Joseph is that he is the husband of Mary. Being the husband of Mary is connected to another description of Joseph as a “righteous man”...
REFLECTIONS TODAY John 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38 [or 9:1-41] As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent. — So he went and washed,...
There is a saying that there are only two kinds of people in this world: the sinners and the self-righteous. We must be grateful whenever we realize that we are sinners. There is more hope for sinners than for self-righteous people. The self-righteous are too proud of themselves that they fail to...
Today’s Gospel reiterates the Shema (“Listen!”) passage found in Deuteronomy (6:4-5) and the love of neighbor found in Leviticus (19:18). Jesus puts the love of God and the love of neighbor together. These are inseparable. Toward the end of the passage, Jesus commends the scribe whom he...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel tells of Jesus driving out a demon. The demon goes out, and the person begins to speak. The passage is silent as to what the healed person speaks about. We can only imagine this person to be very happy that he gives praises to God and begins telling everyone of...
