REFLECTIONS TODAY The blind beggar hears that Jesus is passing by. The crowd recognizes only the historical Jesus, a popular rabbi from Nazareth. The blind man’s exclamation, “Jesus, Son of David” (v 38), alludes to his and Israel’s expectation of the Messiah who has been sent by God...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew 25:14-30 [or 25:14-15, 19-21] Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable of the Widow and the Dishonest Judge pays attention to widows as a class often neglected in Israel. And so the Lord often gave warnings against maltreatment of widows. In the early Church, the believers took care of widows, and when there was a complaint that...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the intervening period from the time of Jesus’ ministry until the final age (the eschaton), what will be the dispositions of humanity? By alluding to the days of Noah and Lot, where people were immersed in immorality and depravity, Jesus warns his disciples of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Kingdom of God can be described in three facets. First, in its Christological dimension—Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God in his person. The Kingdom of God is present in him: “If it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Luke continues to show Jesus’ care for the “little ones” — the outcast and the marginalized of society. Lepers are set aside outside the community for fear of contaminating the healthy ones, physically or ritually. The Samaritans, on the other hand, are disdained as...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 17:7-10 To emphasize the disparity between master and slave, the parable begins with the question, “Who among you would say to your servant...?” This makes the reader identify with the master. In the Greco-Roman world at the time of Jesus, slaves...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus instructs his disciples to be extra careful not to “scandalize” the little ones. These “little ones” may refer to those members of the young Christian community whose faith is still not solid, such as the catechumens, the young converts, and the faltering believers....
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Using the parable of the Dishonest Steward, Jesus asks his disciples to use wealth wisely. It is often said, “Money is a great servant but a bad master” (Francis Bacon). When a person puts his energies in making money and acquiring more wealth, this occupies most of his time...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable of the Dishonest Steward is a parody on how material wealth should be used. In the ancient world, many slave managers handle the accounts of their masters. Such stewardship is delicate because they have to balance the interest of the master and the concerns of their...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In driving the sellers of sacrificial animals and the moneychangers away from the Temple area, Jesus does not simply “clean” the Temple of those who make the area a “marketplace” during the Passover festival. If so, this will not displease the Temple authorities at all!...
