REFLECTIONS TODAY When he prevails over some strange man who wrestles with him, Jacob never releases the “man” until the man blesses him. This results in his being renamed “Israel,” meaning, he has wrestled with divine and human beings and has prevailed (Gn 32:29). In the Gospel, Jesus,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jacob realizes that God is always with him, protecting him wherever he goes, never leaving him until God has done to him what he promised (Gn 28:15). No wonder, he calls the place where God manifested himself in a dream Beth-El, “the house of God.” The woman suffering...
REFLECTIONS TODAY MARK 6:1-6 Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him?...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus is the capstone of the whole structure of the assembly of God. He is the one that joins together all the stones into one: “Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord” (Eph 2:21). The Apostles and prophets are our models in...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ “seeing” is not simply a matter of noticing someone by chance. He sees as no man sees—with a purpose. Just as he sees Nathanael “under the fig tree” (Jn 1:48) and the latter becomes his disciple, so Jesus sees Matthew sitting at the customs post and invites...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Lord tests Abraham’s fidelity by asking him to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. The sacrifice does not push through because Abraham’s devotion to God is proven. Moreover, the Lord disapproves of human sacrifice on the part of Israel, as pagan kings are used to do....
ENDEAVOR Sonny Coloma After joining the USA-ASEAN summit in Palm Springs, California in February 2016 at the invitation of President Barack Obama, President Benigno S. Aquino III went to Loyola Marymount University to receive an honorary degree on humane letters. He confided to the audience, “I...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Wherever the Good News of Jesus was preached, it has met the same opposition as Jesus experienced. Yet, the Gospel today tells us that Jesus is stronger than any opposition. The demons possessing two Gadarene natives see their destruction as they meet Jesus: “Have you come here...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul commemorates the martyrdom in Rome of these two great apostles of Christ. Peter was a bold follower of the Lord. He was the first to declare Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v 16). He was, nevertheless, not exempted from...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Discipleship with Jesus is a serious business. Following him is not an easy endeavor. The Teacher himself “has nowhere to rest his head” (v 20). He does not assure a relaxed life for those who aim to follow him. Not comfort, wealth, or fame, but radicality. This is the brand...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Mk 5:21-43 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Gospels present us stories when Jesus cannot perform signs even among his own people because they refuse to accept him, as in the episode of the rejection in his own hometown of Nazareth (Lk 4:14-30). On the other hand, cures are experienced by foreigners because of their...
