REFLECTIONS TODAY When Jesus commissions the Twelve to spread the Good News, he asks them to bring nothing along with them. What? These ordinary men who were once fishing are now asked to cure the sick, exorcise, and cleanse the lepers. These are not easy tasks for them to migrate from one...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus says this to the scribe who concurs with him as regards the greatest commandment. Love of God and neighbor is far better than burnt offerings and sacrifices. Love can be shown spontaneously anywhere, everywhere, anytime. It is not confined to the sacred precincts of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s readings invite us to reflect on Jesus as our High Priest, the one who offers himself as the perfect sacrifice for our salvation. In Genesis, we see Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac, in obedience to God. This foreshadows Jesus, the true Lamb...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Letters of John, coming from the community that produced the Gospel of John, hint of disunity in some circles of believers. Was this out of their disagreement over Jesus’ claim that his flesh is real food and his blood real drink? In the Gospel, many of Jesus’ disciples...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the disciples to love their enemies: those who are outside their circle, those who are non-Israelites, even those who persecute them (5:43- 47). In John, the focus is the disciples: that they love one another and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY To remain/abide (Greek menein) in Jesus is central in the Gospel of John. Andrew and his companion, who were the first two to come to Jesus, became his disciples when they remained with Jesus the whole day (1:39). In the controversy over Jesus’ declaration that his flesh is...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel reading is formed by an excerpt taken from Jesus’ discourse at the Last Supper. The excerpt begins just after Jesus has washed the feet of his disciples and enjoined them to follow the example he had just set before them. Why should they follow his example?...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Hosea is the prophet who emphasized more than any other prophet God’s love for his people Israel. Through him God says, “I will allure her now; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak persuasively to her” (Hos 2:16). Elsewhere God says, referring to the Israelites:...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Many great pioneers and scientists met skepticism or outright disbelief when they presented their discoveries to their contemporaries. One pioneer whose discoveries brought him utter rejection is Galileo. For defending the theory that the earth revolves around the sun and not the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Who condemns such a person? It is not God, for Jesus tells us elsewhere that “nor does the Father judge anyone” (Jn 5:22). It is not Jesus either since, as Jesus himself tells us, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world” (Jn 3:17). The ones...
REFLECTIONS TODAY About yesterday’s and today’s Gospel readings, the Vatican II Weekday Missal has an interesting comment: “The post-Resurrection appearances seem so unusual. They are sudden, staccato. As yesterday’s and today’s Gospels show, the risen Lord appeared out of nowhere....
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today, as we celebrate the Chrism Mass, we are reminded of the anointing that sets us apart for God’s mission. In Isaiah, we hear the prophetic words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.” Jesus fulfills this prophecy in the Gospel of Luke,...
