REFLECTIONS TODAY Fittingly, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated as the World Day of the Sick, for the spring in the Grotto of Massabielle which the Virgin Mary pointed to Bernadette Soubirous has become a famous pilgrimage site for those who ask for physical and spiritual...
REFLECTIONS TODAY As in other societies in the ancient world, it was well understood that the Jewish people would always have the poor with them (Dt 15:11; Mt 26:11). The rich would be found mostly among the influential people, those who drew profit from their post and the favors granted by...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Luke 5:1-11 Douglas C. Lloyd was an American minister and author best known for his historical novel “The Robe,” which hit the screen in 1953 and starred Richard Burton. This novel about the seamless tunic worn by Jesus in his passion was followed by a sequel, which...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Rest (Hebrew shabbath, “to cease” or “to stop”) is not just a cessation from work, strain, or activity. It means primarily to cease from one’s work in order to enjoy the fruit of one’s labors, to be free from anxiety and disturbance. The crown of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ warning against those who will not welcome the Apostles and the message of salvation (Mk 6:11) finds its realization in the action of Herod Antipas. This tetrarch of Galilee, in his better nature, likes to listen to John the Baptist, knowing him to be a righteous and holy...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ followers are called “disciples” (Greek mathētai); they follow and learn from their Rabbi Jesus who teaches them how the Kingdom of God works in the hearts of human beings and in earthly realities. From his many disciples, Jesus chooses Twelve (dōdeka) and sends...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Since God would send prophets to a rebellious people, Israel, to a nation that has rebelled against him (Ez 2:4), the life of a prophet was never an easy one. In condemning corruption and oppression, idolatry, and wantonness, especially on the part of rulers and the rich, the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Gerasene territory is part of the Decapolis which is largely inhabited by pagans, which explains why herds of swine, considered by the Jews as unclean, are being pastured. Strangely, the Gerasenes who witness Jesus driving “Legion” out of the possessed man beg him...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Mal 3:1-4 Thus says the Lord God: Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts....
REFLECTIONS TODAY One of the most terrifying occurrences we have just gone through is the Covid-19 pandemic, when panic and fear struck the core of our being, making us cry out just like the disciples to Jesus, “Do you not care that we are perishing?” (v 38). But this recent disaster is not...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The first part of the parable draws attention to the sower and to the seed, a reality in rural Palestine familiar to Jesus’ original audience composed mostly of peasant farmers. If the sower represents God, then the parable teaches that God knowingly scatters the seed on all...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the Gospel parable, the lamp, taken together with “light” and “lampstand,” expresses a symbolic power. It is the localization of light which symbolizes life, as opposed to death which is the realm of darkness. The lamp with light can also symbolize divine presence, the...
