REFLECTIONS TODAY To say that one has the power to forgive sins is one thing. To forgive sins like God is another. One cannot prove by observation that Jesus’ declaration that he has authority to forgive sins is true or false. But to see the paralytic rise and walk is a proof of his power which...
REFLECTIONS TODAY This phrase translates the Greek word oligopistoi. Implicit in this word’s use is the statement: You are terrified because your faith is so little. Surely, faith here is considered not in terms of size but in terms of intensity or quality. Oligopistoi is Matthew’s...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A scribe, one who knows the Torah of Moses, approaches Jesus with a request to follow him. His case is quite different from that of the other disciples whom Jesus personally calls. Elsewhere, Jesus says, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 5:21-43 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus speaks of building his Church (ekklesia), not a material building but a community of believing disciples. Chosen to be its unshakable foundation, Simon is renamed Kepha (Peter), an Aramaic term for an entrenched rock. The Church will be made up of members of a new...
REFLECTIONS TODAY “Leprosy” (Greek lepra) is loosely used for unspecified skin diseases (Lv 13) which were regarded not only as ailments of the body but also as forms of uncleanness which merited separation from the community and its socio-religious life (Lv 13:45-46). A leper was considered a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY This is Jesus’ fearsome declaration of eternal excommunication for fake disciples. They are those who participate well in any liturgical celebration, proclaim and expound the Word of God, but they fail in the simple criterion of true discipleship: to listen to God’s Word and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Scriptures attest to the phenomenon of persons claiming to be prophets alongside the authentic prophets sent by God. The latter call them “false prophets.” Since they come in “sheep’s clothing,” acting like the real prophets, they are hard to distinguish. Some indicators...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Pearls are valuable, and it is absurd to throw them before an uncaring animal. The Kingdom of God, which comes in the person and message of Jesus, is “a pearl of great price” (Mt 13:46). Jesus’ words are too precious to waste on the deaf ears of people who manifest outright...
REFLECTIONS TODAY As the son of a priest, John is supposed to be trained in the Temple services. Instead, he grows up in the desert, far from the luxury in which the Jerusalem priestly aristocracy lives. By his dress, diet, and preaching, John presents himself more like a prophet than a priest. He...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 4:35-41 On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The imagery of the birds does not suggest idleness or passivity. Birds, like humans, actively look for food. Unlike humans, however, birds do not worry about what they will have for the next meal. Birds can neither produce nor store food. It is God who looks after them. It is also...
