REFLECTIONS TODAY The Sadducees were a leading religious group in Israel during Jesus’ time. They strictly adhered to the Law of Moses, but did not believe in spirits, angels, and the resurrection. To them, life is limited to their lifespan on earth; they did not believe in the afterlife. The...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus is dismayed at the way the Jews have turned the Temple in Jerusalem into a hub of commerce. The section reserved for Gentile crowds abounds with livestock for sacrifice and money changers. Jesus overturns the sellers’ tables and those of the money changers. The Temple,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A small chapel called Dominus Flevit (“The Lord wept”) stands on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. It is said to be the spot where Jesus had wept upon seeing the great destruction that was to happen to Jerusalem. He had worked hard to invite the inhabitants of Jerusalem to repent...
REFLECTIONS TODAY As followers of Jesus, we have been entrusted with gifts, both material and spiritual. Jesus is encouraging us to let these gifts grow, bear fruit, and multiply not only for ourselves, but also for the sake of others. Whoever is faithful in little things can be trusted with more....
REFLECTIONS TODAY Zacchaeus was a “made” man. He had money, power, and influence. But in a little corner in his heart he must have known that these worldly trappings were mere externals. These were fleeting and could not really satisfy the human soul. When Jesus stops at the exact spot where...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Luke does not name the blind beggar in today’s Gospel unlike Mark who identifies him to be “Bartimaeus” (Mk 10:46). As a beggar who spent most of his time on the roadside, Bartimaeus must have caught news regarding Jesus as a miracle worker and as the possible liberator of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY LUKE 21:5-19 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus does not compare God with the judge who is identified to be dishonest. The judge does not have any regard for God and men. He does not really care about dispensing justice to the people since he is concerned only about his own profit. God is totally different from this...
REFLECTIONS TODAY People in the time of Noah and Lot rejected God’s call for repentance and insisted on their routine of living. It is for people like them that the end-time could really be scary. Since their focus is to seek to gain their lives on their own terms, they will lose their lives. In...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Pharisees looked forward to the coming of the reign of God on earth. To them, it meant the restoration of the glorious kingdom of Israel and taking the power away from the Romans. They thought of an earthly kingdom that would prosper and thrive with God’s blessings. In...
REFLECTIONS TODAY St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is widely known as the seat of the Catholic Church. The Pope lives inside the Vatican (the smallest state in the world), and here he presides at the Mass and addresses pilgrims from all over the world. But the mother church of all Christendom is not...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus pointedly tells his disciples that in relation to God, they are servants and they do not deserve thanks from him after they have done their work. Nor should they expect special treatment after they have fulfilled their grueling work for the entire day. This teaching sounds...
