REFLECTIONS TODAY In the interlude between the sending of the Twelve and their return from mission, Mark reintroduces the identity of Jesus. While people see Jesus as Elijah or one of the prophets, Herod Antipas sees him as the reincarnation of John the Baptist whom he had put to death. The fate of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The presentation of Jesus at the Temple parallels the story of the prophet Samuel. Hannah, Samuel’s mother, offered him to the Lord and her hymn of praise resembles Mary’s Magnificat (1 Sm 2:1-10). Samuel was dedicated to the Lord as a nazirite, and would become a prophet and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After his baptism by John, Jesus, imbued with the Spirit of God, went about preaching the Kingdom of God while casting demons and performing deeds of power. Now, Jesus returns to his native place after he performed mighty deeds among the Gentiles (the healing of the Gerasene...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jairus’ faith is bolstered when he witnesses Jesus heal the woman with a hemorrhage. But on the way to his house, his daughter has died. The messengers say there is no point in troubling Jesus any longer. But Jesus asks Jairus to believe that his child will live even if Jairus...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The unclean spirits address Jesus as the Son of God, not as confession, but as an attempt to render him harmless. There was a popular belief that knowledge of the precise name or quality of a person confers mastery over him. The demons try to control Jesus and strip him of his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew 5:1-12a When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted....
REFLECTIONS TODAY We have had countless storms in this country we even break records of typhoon magnitudes. But there are also storms in life that are as threatening: breakdown of families, loss of jobs, rising suicide rates in some countries, the Covid-19 pandemic. In all of these, ultimately we...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable on the seed growing secretly and that of the mustard seed give us a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God is like or how it develops. Like a seed that sprouts and grows without us noticing it, the Kingdom can also grow unnoticed or without spectacular signs. We see what...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today we remember Sts. Timothy and Titus who labored with the Apostle Paul in planting the Gospel in Asia Minor and beyond. Their partnership in mission reflects the sending of the first apostles in pairs, presumably for mutual support. St. Paul shows in his letters how grateful...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Paul’s conversion was purely God’s initiative. At the same time, for this grace of God not to have been in vain, Paul needed to accept and embrace it without looking back to his past. This grace was so overpowering that his whole energy and attention was now redirected towards...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the Church nowadays, we have this beautiful practice of calling one another “brothers” and “sisters.” Our common bond of faith and love of the Lord Jesus Christ naturally makes us really feel that we are brothers and sisters to one another. Obviously, this bond is more...
REFLECTIONS TODAY One of the surest signs that something is not from God is when there are divisions, factions, quarrels. While at times one may have to stand for one’s principles and thus resist evil or oppression, our ultimate goal is to pursue and preserve love, peace, and harmony. When Jesus...
