REFLECTIONS TODAY Every birth entails a mission. In ancient Rome, the predictive power of a person’s name was captured by the Latin proverb “Nomen est omen,” meaning, the name is a sign. Yehoshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus (and Joshua, the successor of Moses), means “Yahweh (God) is...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 1:39-45 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After years of anticipation prolonged by the global coronavirus pandemic, the World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 happened in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 1-6, 2023. Throughout the week, young people from all over the world had the opportunity to attend catechism, masses, youth festival and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY When the angel Gabriel delivers God’s message to Zechariah, the old priest does not believe in the message and is rendered speechless. Mary puts in the same question, “How can this be?” (v 34) but does not share Zechariah’s fate. Definitely, it is not out of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The manifestation of God’s glory through visions or the words of a messenger or angel always elicit fear in the human heart. Human beings feel their lowly condition and unworthiness. For this reason, they are told not to be afraid. When Isaiah saw the Lord attended by seraphim...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Dreams and visions are an important part of many biblical stories and passages. They give messages of fortune or misfortune, or guidance of God’s voice. God appeared to Abram in a vision and changed his name to Abraham because he was to be “the father of a multitude of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Matthew 1:1-17 People in ancient Israel placed great importance on who their family’s ancestors were. The list of genealogy (Hebrew toledoth) shows where certain families came from and why they were important. Important personages like the patriarchs, kings, and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Light pervades at the start of Simbang Gabi or Dawn Masses: the light that guides the steps of the faithful going to Mass, and the light announced in the Liturgy of the Word. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of John the Baptist as a “burning and shining lamp,” in whose light...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel contains some special materials from Luke. Moved by John the Baptist’s warning to produce good fruits as evidence of their repentance, people ask for concrete ways to do this. To the crowd, John says that they must share with those who have none—tunics or...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Right after the transfiguration event, the disciples ask Jesus about the coming of Elijah, expected to be the harbinger of the Day of Judgment and will restore the right relationship within the family and society so as to avoid the utter destruction of the land. This last...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Many Jews in Jesus’ time thought that the return of God’s reign would involve the establishment of righteousness and the overthrow of the oppressors. Thus, the awaited Messiah would remove the Roman yoke upon their shoulders. When Jesus — and John the Baptist before him —...
REFLECTIONS TODAY La Morenita (“the little dark-skinned Virgin”), who appeared to the humble Indian named Juan Diego in Tepeyac in 1531, is venerated as Our Lady of Guadalupe. She left behind her image miraculously imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak), and graces are granted to those who...
