REFLECTIONS TODAY Buildings do not have meanings apart from the meanings and experiences that happen there. Church structures, like the Lateran Basilica, are a symbol of the people of God that gather and worship there, the leader and the people under him. The Lateran Basilica whose...
These two parables are presented in the form of rhetorical questions which presuppose an obvious answer. Accordingly, Jesus takes it as given that anyone who would lose one sheep among a hundred would leave the 99 to look for that one sheep; or that someone who would lose a coin will do everything...
REFLECTIONS TODAY What Jesus demands in today’s Gospel is radical following of him by placing him at the top of our priorities. Thus, the surprising injunction to “hate” one’s family members when following Jesus has to be understood in this light. Surely, it is not actual hating them...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Saying “yes” to invitations seems to be a matter of course for most of us. After all, who does not want to be invited, especially to significant events like the wedding of a friend’s son or daughter? And yet, it may also be true that we give priority to other things...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Exclusion and marginalization of certain peoples are ever increasing in our time, for various reasons: creed, gender, color, appearance, etc. Many of us only give attention and importance to our friends, or to people who have credentials. Our circle of friends does not go beyond...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Unlike that of the others, the scribe’s attitude in today’s Gospel inspires us to imitate him. He comes to Jesus with an open mind and heart, observing with docility what Jesus is doing and teaching. In the end, both he and Jesus concur on the point that to love God and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Death is part of the human condition; no one can escape it; it is “the great leveler” (Homer in The Odyssey). It respects no one, whatever his/her gender, race, age, etc. is. The departure of loved ones always brings the pain of loss, creating some kind of void within...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The saints are like heroes we idolize: they go beyond or overcome themselves and thereby acquire power. Many saints started out as weaklings, afraid, egoistic, focused on things of this world. But once they opened themselves up to God or allowed themselves to be touched by God’s...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Church of Dominus Flevit (“the Lord wept”) overlooks the old city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. It offers a splendid view of the city’s mighty walls and the modern golden Dome of the Rock. It is a monument to Jesus’ weeping over the imminent destruction of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Greek word agōnizomai, used to describe the “striving” to enter the narrow door, evokes a sense of a competition, an image of a crowd pushing against each other in order to make it through a narrow entrance within a short period of time. It is an existential challenge:...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A seed can easily be eaten by birds, but if it grows to a bush or tree, birds can seek shelter on its boughs. As an image of the Kingdom of God, we are reminded of how great things begin from the smallest beginnings. Would we not feel small when we encounter the lives of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY For the workaholic, long periods of prayer appear to be a waste of time. I remember someone who, when asked to keep vigil for an hour at the adoration chapel, quipped, “What will I do for an hour? Stare at Jesus?” The whole night Jesus spends in prayer is an indication of his...
