REFLECTIONS TODAY In Jerusalem, Friday early afternoon is rush hour. The marketplace is full of people doing their last-minute shopping before sundown that signals the beginning of the Sabbath. Then the city is still; the Jews have begun their weekly rest. As commanded by Scripture, no one lifts a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, as well as the water festivals around the world, remind us of the importance of water in Jerusalem. The Gihon spring, at the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Temple Mount, was for centuries the main source of water for the city. At the time of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY This “long-distance” miracle of Jesus is brought about by the power of his words that are in the form of a command: “You may go; your son will live” (v 50). Jesus expects obedience and trust from those to whom they are addressed. At the beginning, Jesus tells the...
BETTER DAYS More than 20 years have passed since Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) was enacted into law. Introduced by my father, the former Senate President Edgardo Angara, the GPRA was considered a world-class, landmark law for putting in place strong mechanisms to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 3:14-21 The Oratory in Turin, Italy is the motherhouse of the Salesians of Don Bosco, whose mission is geared towards young people. In the 19th century, it was here where St. John Bosco (“Don Bosco” to his spiritual children) began his work; it was here...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus tells a parable that contrasts two figures: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee’s prayer is not so much a prayer for himself, but more of a prayer about himself. The tax collector’s words are simple: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (v 13). He sees his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The work of salvation, other than the work of Christ, is first of all “Trinitarian.” It begins with the Father who loved the world that he gave his only Son that the world might be saved through him (Jn 3:16-17). And with Jesus’ return to the Father, the Paraclete, the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a lot of talk on the “new normal.” The important question that people were asking was not anymore the lamenting, “How can this be?” but the anxious, “How will it be?” Like the past world wars, the effects of this...
REFLECTIONS TODAY What does it take to forgive? In the Gospel, Peter asks how many times he must forgive his brother who sins against him. He thinks he is being generous when he proposes his answer: seven times. After all, that is the perfect number. Jesus suggests something...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In many instances, the prophets acted as the conscience of God in the midst of the people; they called to mind that allegiance belongs to God alone, and all must abide according to the will of God. But the Lord is the God of all, so all are entitled to know about him. This is...
BETTER DAYS It is not often that we see the enactment of a law that was crafted with lofty aspirations and with a potential to be a gamechanger for our country. After five years of conceptualizing, continuous research and consultations, the Tatak Pinoy or Proudly Filipino bill is now a law...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 2:13-25 Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the...
