REFLECTIONS TODAY The paradoxical power of the Beatitudes comes from Jesus who suffered and died but has been exalted in glory. The satisfaction or happiness coming from the conventional standards of the world are “paltry” compared to the boundless joy that God prepares for those who live the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the cultural world of Jesus, it was customary that invitation to feasts should be reciprocated: “I give you, you give me back.” God does not expect the same kind of attitude. God is the superabundant, generous being who is compassionate to all. Besides, how can human...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today A Latin axiom states: Ubi maior, minor cessat—“Where the greater is, the lesser ceases.” In Jesus’ rhetoric, man is of greater importance than the ox. Also, in the presence of a more important person, the less important one gives way. Jesus’ authority...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today Luke notes that Jesus chooses the Twelve (Apostles) after spending a night in prayer to God. Pope Benedict XVI comments that the calling of the disciples is a prayer event; it is as if they were begotten in prayer, in intimacy with the Father. The calling of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY At a certain point in life, one asks this question: “Will I be saved?” This is not just in reference to life’s dangers, problems, temptations, or even the possibility of losing one’s very own life, but to the fact—or dread—of perpetual extinction. For as Vatican...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today The simile of mustard seed and yeast shows that the Kingdom of God starts small and quiet. Nonetheless, it has creative power that propels growth and renews all of life. Jesus’ ministry was contained in the small region of Palestine, among men and women of no...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The synagogue leader is designated by the community to gather the people for prayer, for the reading of the Torah and the Prophets, and for tackling community concerns. As keeper of the sacred scrolls, he is a prominent person who is familiar with the Law’s rules and precepts,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY MARK 10:46-52 As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today In this digital world, it is so easy to share reports of disasters, complete with photos. Life can seem so cheap in case of killings, and so precarious in case of accidents. In the Gospel, some people tell Jesus that Pilate had some Galilean pilgrims massacred...
REFLECTIONS TODAY It is a fact that certain animals have instinct to know the weather in advance; they retire to the safety of their holes before the inclement weather strikes. Human beings who live close to nature can also predict the weather, like people in Jesus’ time who knew how to interpret...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today Jesus’ mission has twofold effects: like fire, it purifies and ignites to action. Scripture uses several images of fire: as a symbol of God’s holy presence, as in the burning bush (Ex 3:1-17); as God’s word that cleanses the heart (Jer 5:14); as God’s...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the time of haciendas in the Philippines, the rich owners had mayordomos whose functions were similar to those of the steward in the parable. In the absence of the master, the faithful and prudent steward provides for the needs of the servants and manages his master’s...
