REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Matthew 11:28-30 Earlier, Jesus praises the Father who has hidden the mystery of his Kingdom from the wise and the learned and has revealed them to the childlike (Greek mikroi) (Mt 11:25). The “childlike” are not merely children but people who have put their trust...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s readings focus on the comforting presence of the shepherd. The First Reading features the beginning of Isaiah’s “Book of Consolation,” addressed to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. The exile in Babylon, which is the expiation of the sins of the Jews, is...
REFLECTIONS TODAY St. Augustine says that by her fiat to the angel’s message to bear the Son of the Most High, “Mary cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption.” To make her a worthy receptacle of the Redeemer, God granted her the singular grace to be “conceived without...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Lk 3:1-6 The final book in the Old Testament, the last book in the Hebrew Neviim or Prophets, is the book of Malachi. In Hebrew, the word comes from a word meaning “messenger,” which points to Malachi as a prophet of the Lord tasked to deliver God’s message to the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY David’s reign around 1000 BC was considered the greatest period in Israel’s history. It was not only a time of power and glory, but also of justice and righteousness in the land. David was associated with goodness, power, protection, and righteousness. This ideal time would be...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In Scriptures, God is often referred to as the “Rock” (Hebrew kepha, Greek petra). Rock signifies solidity and strength. It holds firm the house or any other structure. When referring to a person, he is someone to rely on, one who is true to his promise. God is “the Rock,”...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus goes up on the mountain and begins to teach the people about the Kingdom of God. Alluding to the scenario from the prophetic tradition, Jesus gathers the scattered children of Israel on the mountain, representing Zion, God’s holy mountain, where God will feed his flock...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jews looked down on the Gentiles (pagans) as idolaters and licentious people. In the words of Paul, idolaters exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or animals, and God has abandoned them over to degrading passion (Rom 1:23-...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Advent (from Latin adventus, “coming”) reminds us of three great “arrivals.” The first is the coming of Christ with his birth in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. The second is the coming of Christ at the end of time which we call the Parousia (“coming” or...
REFLECTIONS TODAY It is quite interesting that among those whom Jesus called to be his closest followers were brothers like James and John, sons of Zebedee, and Simon Peter and Andrew from Bethsaida. Today, we celebrate the feast of the last named Apostle. Peter (formerly Cephas), in...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Words are often seen as inferior to actions. “Actions speak louder than words,” we are always being reminded of. Indeed, words can be uttered gratuitously, that is, without any grounding, weight, or basis, just like big but often empty promises at elections. But this is not...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Our Gospel alludes to the fall of Jerusalem into the hands of the forces of evil. This seeming defeat of the Holy City could engender fear and hopelessness. But the complete story — as mirrored in the book of Revelation — is that God will overcome all these evil forces...
