REFLECTIONS TODAY LUKE 22:14—23:56 ... When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They divided his garments by casting lots. The people...
REFLECTIONS TODAY At first glance, the words of the high priest sound wise and therefore worthy of being followed. Perhaps there are circumstances when it may be the wisest thing to do. But a mother who had a newly-born baby in danger of death defied this “wisdom” from the relatives that she...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus points another way by which those who have difficulty believing in him might accept him: his works or deeds. If they found him too familiar, too ordinary, not in accord with what is written about the awaited Messiah, then his works and deeds might convince them about his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY We call to mind Peter’s words to Jesus when Jesus asks his disciples, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter replies, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:67-68). When Jesus says that the person who keeps his word will never taste death, we...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Veritas liberabit vos (“The truth will set you free”). This is one of the most powerful and “liberating” sayings of Jesus. Truth (Greek alētheia) basically means that which is “being uncovered, unveiled, or not hidden.” And so, its opposite—“falsehood”—implies...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ enemies could not go beyond the very human condition of Jesus despite his claims to be “sent from above.” They only associate “nobility” or “divinity” with something extraordinary, unfathomable, omnipotence — not familiarity, ordinariness, even poverty. For...
REFLECTIONS TODAY JOHN 8:1-11 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her...
REFLECTIONS TODAY We often hear people say, “God is a God of surprises.” Many of us would probably agree. God is not under any law or principle determining his actions. The Jews argued that nothing is written in their Scripture that a prophet is to rise from Galilee, and they held on to this as...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The three verbs in v 29, “know,” “am” (from), and “sent” all corroborate Jesus’ claim to be of divine or heavenly origin. He declares to know the Father—a knowledge which we imagine to be an intimate one just like we, children, know our parents, for we share the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • JOHN 5:31-47 Jesus said to the Jews: “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Compared with the other evangelists, John has Jesus refer to God as “Father” so frequently that the title becomes almost synonymous with God. Jesus addresses God as no other Jew would dare, as Abba, the address of the children, young or old, to their father to show their...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Given that the royal official, possibly a Gentile, does seek out Jesus for the sake of his son who is near death, we wonder at the harsh tone of Jesus’ words, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Jesus has in mind people both in Galilee and Judea...
