REFLECTIONS TODAY The Greek word brosis (read here as “decay”) literally means “eating away.” In Jesus’ time, corn and grain may consist somebody’s wealth. Worms, rats, and mice could get into a granary and eat away the grain. The word for “break in” is diorussein. In ancient...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In Matthew, the Our Father is part of the Sermon of the Mount, the opening verse of which states that the main listeners of Jesus are the disciples. In Luke, the Our Father is Jesus’ response to the disciples’ request that he teach them how to pray; it is the prayer of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY We call the teachings of Jesus that are found in chapters 5-7 of Matthew, Sermon on the Mount. It expresses the essence of Christianity. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us about purity of intention. Our religious practices like almsgiving, prayer, and fasting must be done...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In today’s Gospel and in the previous readings, Jesus teaches us what living under God’s rule is like. The afflicted are blessed. Enemies are loved. Elsewhere, he also teaches us that leaders who serve and the least are first. Does Jesus teach us something unnatural? It is not...
REFLECTIONS TODAY How do we react when offended, taken advantage of, or forced against our will? Mahatma Gandhi, the “apostle of nonviolence,” is one of the most respected leaders of modern history. He admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount inspired...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated a day after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This twin celebration points to the close relationship between the mother and the Son. The secret of Mary’s faithful collaboration with Jesus’ work of salvation...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the history of the Church, there were those who believed and preached that humanity is lost and irreparably damned. The feast dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus promotes that this is not the case. Jesus’ infinite love for us was proven on the cross. He does not wish us...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus says: “Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:19)....
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings are the three divisions of the Scriptures in the Jewish tradition. Together they are called TaNaK which is actually an acronym for the three: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). Many times, though, in the New...
REFLECTIONS TODAY REFLECT In the ancient world, salt was very important: the Greeks thought it contained something almost divine. The Romans even sometimes paid their soldiers with salt. Jesus reminds his audience how valuable they are in society. He calls his hearers to be like salt. They are to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Sermon on the Mount runs through chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s Gospel. Today, we begin reading it, starting with the Beatitudes, its opening words. They are called beatitudes, coming from the Latin beati, which means “happy.” Each beatitude claims that a group of people,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY MARK 14:12-16, 22-26 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the...
