REFLECTIONS TODAY MARK 12:38-44 In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today “Mammon” is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic word for money in which one trusts. Jesus calls it “dishonest wealth” (v. 9) because the tendency to accumulate wealth often leads to dishonesty. Mammon is used here as if it were itself a god, a rival...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The deeds of the steward in the parable are rather commonplace; what is surprising and disturbing is the commendation that he receives. We expect to hear Jesus vigorously denounce the swindling, but he gives none. He purposely sets the scene to draw from the story an important but...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today The care of the sheep is a rich source of theological imagery. The sheep must be protected from wild beasts, thieves, dangers, and inclement weather (Gn 31:39-40). The shepherd leads the sheep to green pasture and water, and protects them. This is precisely what...
REFLECTIONS TODAY “Hate” in the biblical sense often means preference. Thus, “I loved Jacob but hated Esau” (Rom 9:13) means that the Lord, in his sovereign prerogative, chooses the younger Jacob over Esau. So, in the Gospel, Jesus is telling the crowd to prefer another person or group to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY St. John of the Cross says that in the evening of our life we will be judged on love. And love is expressed in the service we do to our brothers and sisters—the least, the last, and the lost; in other words, the needy. Why this particular group? This is because Jesus has taken...
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...
PAGBABAGO (Part I) Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid Let me share highlights of the recent “conversation” via Zoom on the above topic, where Dr. Crispin Maslog, professor of journalism, author of some 30 or more books on communication and related issues on public affairs, and I were invited to...
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...
